THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A MANUFACTURING FACILITY WHICH UTILIZES AUTOMATED MATERIAL TRANSFER AND ROBOTIC SYSTEMS PERFORMING DIRECT LOADING AND UNLOADING OF LARGE ALUMINUM PARTS IN AND OUT OF MACHINE TOOLS AT HIGH-PRODUCTION RATES WITH A MINIMUM OF HUMAN INTERVENTION. ALSO PRESENTED IS THE RATIONALE AND STEPS INVOLVED IN THE EQUIPMENT SELECTION PROCESS AS WELL AS WHAT WE DID AND DID NOT ANTICIPATE WITH OUR SYSTEMS.
