IN THE PAST, END-OF-ARM TOOLING (EOAT) HAS OFTEN BEEN THE LAST PIECE OF WORKSTATION EQUIPMENT TO BE DESIGNED AND FABRICATED. BY THAT TIME, THE SELECTED ROBOT, DESIGNED PRODUCT, MANUFACTURING PROCESS, AND WORKSTATION CHARACTERISTICS HAVE PUT A SET OF CONSTRAINTS ON THE TOOLING. OFTEN, THE RESULT IS THE NEED FOR EOAT THAT IS COMPLEX, INFLEXIBLE, COSTLY, AND TOTALLY DEDICATED TO THE APPLICATION. FIXTURELESS ASSEMBLY PRINCIPLES, WITH THEIR GOAL TO ELIMINATE NONVALUE-ADDED COSTS IS A STRATEGY THAT CAN BE EFFECTIVELY USED TO ADD FLEXIBILITY TO EOAT. THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE FACETS OF THIS STRATEGY, INCLUDING DETERMINING THE OPTIMAL PRODUCT DESIGN, METHODS OF PART ORIENTATION, PICKUP AND INSERTION, AND THE ASSEMBLY SEQUENCE.
| Number of Pages : | 7 |
| Published : | 06/01/1990 |
