Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm for Single Mobile Robot Scheduling

Development of reliable and efficient material transport system is one of the basic requirements for creating an intelligent manufacturing environment. Nowadays, intelligent mobile robots have been widely used as one of the components to satisfy this requirement. In this paper, a methodology based on Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) algorithm is proposed in order to find the optimal solution of the nondeterministic polynomial-hard (NP-hard) single mobile robot scheduling problem. The performance criterion is to minimize total transportation time of the mobile robot while it performs internal transport of raw materials, goods, and parts in manufacturing system. The scheduling plans are obtained in Matlab environment and tested by Khepera II mobile robot system within a static laboratory model of manufacturing environment. Experimental results show the applicability and effectiveness of the developed intelligent approach in real world conditions

Lean manual assembly 4.0: A systematic review

In a demand context of mass customization, shifting towards the mass personalization of products, assembly operations face the trade-off between highly productive automated systems and flexible manual operators. Novel digital technologies—conceptualized as Industry 4.0—suggest the possibility of simultaneously achieving superior productivity and flexibility. This article aims to address how Industry 4.0 technologies could improve the productivity, flexibility and quality of assembly operations. A systematic literature review was carried out, including 234 peer-reviewed articles from 2010–2020. As a result, the analysis was structured addressing four sets of research questions regarding (1) assembly for mass customization; (2) Industry 4.0 and performance evaluation; (3) Lean production as a starting point for smart factories, and (4) the implications of Industry 4.0 for people in assembly operations. It was found that mass customization brings great complexity that needs to be addressed at different levels from a holistic point of view; that Industry 4.0 offers powerful tools to achieve superior productivity and flexibility in assembly; that Lean is a great starting point for implementing such changes; and that people need to be considered central to Assembly 4.0. Developing methodologies for implementing Industry 4.0 to achieve specific business goals remains an open research topic

Implementation of automated assembly

Research has shown that about 60 - 80% wealth producing activities is related to manufacturing in major industrial countries. Increased competition in industry has resulted in a greater emphasis on using automation to improve productivity and quality and also to reduce cost. Most of the manufacturing works such as machining, painting, storage, retrieval, inspection and transportation have changed to automation successfully, except assembly. Manual assembly is predominant over automatic assembly techniques due to inherent assembly problem and the fact that the assembly machines lack the innate intelligence of human operator and lack sufficient flexibility to changeover when product designs and market demands change. With the advent of flexible manufacturing systems, which involve very large capital costs and complex interactions. For the reduction the risk of the investment and analyze the system, simulation is a valuable tool in planning the systems and in analyzing their behavior, and get the best use of them. This thesis applies animation techniques to simulate an automatic assembly system. In chapter 1 to 9, we cover some of the fundamental concepts and principles of automatic assembly and simulation. Some manufacturers put the subject of part orientation first on their list of priorities; but design for assembly (DFA) techniques have proven extremely valuable in developing better assembly techniques and ultimately, better products. We discuss DFA in chapter 1, part feeding and orientation in chapter 2. Chapter 3, 4 and 5 are concerned with assembly process, machines and control system, respectively. Annual sales for industrial robots have been growing at the rate of about 25 percent per year in major industrial countries, we review the robot application in chapter 6. The cost of material handling is a significant portion of the total cost of production, material storage uses valuable space and consumes investment, we cover these two topics in chapter 7 and 8. Chapter 9 is concerned with simulation. In chapter 10, 11,12 and 13, we implement a software package IGRIP to build a model of an automatic assembly system and analyze the result

A phased array antenna system of a millimeter-wave FMCW radar for blind spot detection of mobile robots

Mobile robots have been extensively used in manufacturing plants for inter-logistic transportation in recent years. This paper covers a phased array antenna design for a millimeter wave radar system to improve lidar-based navigation systems' safety and environmental consciousness. The K-band phased array antenna, when integrated with 24 GHz Frequency-Modulated-Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar, not only enhances the accuracy of the 2-D Area Scanning lidar system but also helps with the safe operation of the vehicle. The safety improvement is made by covering blind spots to mitigate collision risks during the rotations. The paper first reviews the system-level details of the 2D lidar sensor and shows the blind spots when integrated into a Mobile Robot prototype. Then continues with the inclusion of an FMCW Low-Speed Ramp radar system and discusses the design details of the proposed K-band antenna array, which will be integrated with a radar sensor

Utilization of Automated Guided Vehicles : CASE ABB Drives

Automaatio kasvattaa jatkuvasti suosiotaan valmistamisteollisuudessa. Se auttaa yrityksiä vastaamaan kilpailuun alhaisempia kustannuksia omaavia maita vastaan. Nykypäivän nopeasti vaihtuvat teknologiat sekä lyhyemmät tuotteiden eliniät vaativat joustavaa tuotantoa, joka on mahdollista automaation avulla. Automaatio on halvempaa, turvallisempaa ja tarkempaa kuin manuaalinen työ. Materiaalin hallinta on yksi alue, jossa automaatiota pystytään tehokkaasti hyödyntämään. Automated Guided Vehicle, eli AGV, on automaattitrukki, jota käytetään kasvavassa määrin hyödyksi materiaalin hallinnassa. Tämä tutkimus kertoo niissä käytettävästä teknologiasta sekä niiden käyttökohteista ja hyödyistä. Tutkimuksessa käydään läpi myös minkä takia AGV -laitteiden kehittynyt teknologia ja niiden avulla syntyneet entistäkin kehittyneemmät AGV -laitteet, mobiilirobotit, ovat olleet suurin yksittäinen syy niiden nopeasti kasvavaan suosioon. Mobiilirobottien tulevaisuuden näkymiä käydään myös erikseen läpi Robots as a Service -konseptin avulla, joka saattaa olla tulevaisuuden läpilyöjiä automaatioteollisuudessa. Tämä tutkielma on tehty tutkimaan AGV -laitteiden mahdollista implementaatiota ja käyttöä ABB Oy Drives Production yksikön tuotannossa Helsingissä. Työn laajuus on rajattu koskemaan Drives Production yksikön Corinth R6, R8, ja R11 laitteita. Muiden laitteiden tuotantoa työssä ei käydä läpi. Teoriaa automaation, materiaalin hallinnan ja AGV -laitteiden osalta käydään läpi tutkimuksessa, jotta on mahdollista luoda eheä kokonaisuus Case-yrityksen automatisoidulle ratkaisumallille materiaalin ja keskeneräisten tuotteiden hallintaa varten AGV -laitteiden avulla. Tässä työssä käytetty kirjallisuus on suurelta osin verkosta saatua. Case-yrityksen yksikön nykyinen tila ja toiminta on arvioitu empiirisen tutkimuksen, kuten esimerkiksi haastatteluiden ja havainnoinnin avulla. Tässä työssä käytetty AGV -malli on Omron LD-250 mobiilirobotti. Automaattinen ratkaisumalli AGV -laitteiden avulla on simuloitu 3D-maailmassa Visual Components simulaatio-ohjelman avulla. Simulaation tueksi työssä on käytetty hyväksi myös analyyttisia metodeja kuten jonoteoriaa ja heuristiikkaa. Kustannuslaskelmat, joilla on arvioitu investoinnin rahallinen kannattavuus yritykselle, on suoritettu Microsoft Excel -ohjelmalla. Kustannuslaskelmat ovat tehty monen eri metodin avulla sekä monissa eri skenaarioissa, jotta investointiin liittyvä riski ja epävarmuus on myös huomioitu. Työssä käytetyt kustannuslaskelmametodit ovat nettonykyarvo, pääoman tuottoaste sekä takaisinmaksuajan periaate. Tämän tutkimuksen tuloksena oli Case-yritykselle toimiva, tehokas sekä rahallisesti kannattava automaattinen ratkaisumalli materiaalin tai keskeneräisten tuotteiden hallintaa varten AGV -laitteiden avulla sekä myös yleinen viitekehys tai malli AGV -laitteiden implementointia varten. Lisäksi työssä on esitetty jatkosuunnitelmia Case-yritykselle mikäli heillä on suunnitelmana laajentaa AGV -laitteiden käyttöä tehtaassaan.Automation is increasing in manufacturing industry. It can help companies face the competition from low-cost countries. Today’s rapidly changing technologies and shortening life cycles require flexible manufacturing which is enabled with automation. Automation is cheaper, safer, and more accurate than manual labour. Material handling is one area where automation can be efficiently used. Automated Guided Vehicles are transport equipment that are increasingly used in material handling. This research explains their technology, utilization and benefits. Future considerations for the use of Automated Guided Vehicles are also being discussed with Robots as a Service emerging as a potential breakthrough in automation. This research is made to study the possibilities to implement Automated Guided Vehicles for ABB Oy Drives Production unit in Helsinki. Theory about automation, material handling and Automated Guided Vehicles are being discussed in the research to build a coherent background for the automated solution for the case company. The literature used in this research is mostly online. The evaluation of the current state in the factory is made by empirical research. The automated solution is visualized and simulated with Visual Components 3D simulation software. Cost calculations to evaluate the financial profitability of the investment are made by Microsoft Excel. The result from this research was a financially profitable automated solution for the case company and a general academic framework for implementing Automated Guided Vehicles. The automated solution for the case company was built on Omron LD-250 autonomous mobile robot

Development and application of a human-centric co-creation design method for AI-enabled systems in manufacturing

The integration of AI-enabled solutions in manufacturing is creating unprecedented challenges to design human-centric, safe and trusted systems. As opposed to designing a system with as little human input as possible, humans will still be expected to continue playing a vital role in the design, operation, and control of AI supported manufacturing systems. Yet, till now, there has been little discussion of what the requirements of human-centric designs might be in an AI environment. To facilitate the consideration of human skills, capabilities and human factors, a human-centric design method was developed and tested through co-creation workshops addressing industrial use cases of AI deployment in manufacturing. The method proved successful in encouraging relevant stakeholders to identify human factors-related issues linked to the different collaboration scenarios of humans with AI systems early in the design process