Simulating for ‘Resource Optimization’ in Robot-Assisted Automatic Assembly

Abstract

In most manufacturing systems emphasis is now given to resource flexibility in operation. The aim is to respond swiftly to changes in product mix and/or market demands. Discrete event computer simulation is seen as a tool in defining a suitable system configuration at the preliminary design stage. Furthermore, simulation in dynamic form can represent the interactions between the system components and provide a detailed prediction of its performance. Although many existing computer simulation packages have reached a good level of general purpose modelling, by and large they lack the required versatility to deal with some specific features of manufacturing systems. One such important area is the robot-assisted automatic assembly where minimization of non-productive activities in the product assembly cycle is of vital interest. This paper introduces a flexible modelling technique which identifies the resource utilization and optimization levels during the individual processes of a product assembly cycle. Within the working constraints of an assembly system, an ‘optimal’ robot sequential cycle is obtained by implementing this modelling technique in GPSL (general purpose simulation language).