Advances in Factories of the Future, CIM and Robotics


Book Description

Productivity enhancement is a major concern for all manufacturing enterprises. Productivity enhancement can be achieved in many ways and many facets of its problems have been investigated over the last decades. A number of methods, tools and technologies have emerged to efficiently increase productivity and rationalize management of manufacturing enterprises. International experts from both academia and industry share their experiences in this collection of articles, contributing to the latest advances in the many facets of productivity enhancement in manufacturing enterprises. Themes and visions are detailed on factories of the future, new management approaches, manufacturing system integration and manufacturing information systems. These technical areas can be grouped into four major sections: Factories of the future; Techniques and tools for automated manufacturing; Robotics; and Industrial applications. The papers illustrate a pattern of valuable and interesting approaches to the fascinating problem of designing a new generation of robots with high enough performance capabilities to be used in an industrial context.




Factories of the Future


Book Description

FACTORIES OF THE FUTURE The book provides insight into various technologies adopted and to be adopted in the future by industries and measures the impact of these technologies on manufacturing performance and their sustainability. Businesses and manufacturers face a slew of demands beyond the usual issues of staying agile and surviving in a competitive landscape within a rapidly changing world. Factories of the Future deftly takes the reader through the continuous technology changes and looks ten years down the road at what manufacturing will mostly look like. The book is divided into two parts: Emerging technologies and advancements in existing technologies. Emerging technologies consist of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 themes, machine learning, intelligent machining, advanced maintenance, reliability, and green manufacturing. The advances of existing technologies consist of digital manufacturing, artificial intelligence in machine learning, Internet of Things, product life cycle, and the impact of factories on the future of manufacturing performance of the manufacturing industries. Readers will find in this illuminating book: A comprehensive discussion of almost all emerging technologies, including “green” manufacturing; An overview of the social, economic, and technical aspects of these technologies; An explanation of these technological advancements on manufacturing performance, through case studies and other analytical tools.




Advances in Manufacturing Technology II


Book Description

EN Corlett Joint-Chairman - COPED, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK The contributions offered to this Third National Conference demonstrate that research in production is very much alive. The considerable numbers of papers on robotics, automation and flexible manufacturing systems, together with those in production control and quality matters, demonstrate that there is much work going on in our colleges, polytechnics and universities related to modern methods of manufacture. The future of manufacture undoubtedly hinges on better control. Control over the supply and movement of materials is now keenly sought. Control over manufacturing equipment is also a goal, not just to maintain quality but to give flexibility in sequence and quantity. None of these objectives for improved performance is entirely a technical matter, although there is an increasing technical ability to influence all of them. To achieve their potential, they depend on competent people at all levels. Discussion with alert managers soon reveals that this is one of their major concerns. Either the people they have require more training, or they cannot hire the people with the abilities they need. This applies at all levels, and the availability of people with competence in manufacture is particularly low.




Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Handbook


Book Description

Manufacturing has entered the early stages of a revolutionary period caused by the convergence of three powerful trends: • The rapid advancement and spread of manufacturing capabilities worldwide has created intense competition on a global scale. • The emergence of advanced manufacturing technologies is dramati cally changing both the products and processes of modern manufac turing. • Changes in traditional management and labor practices, organiza tional structures, and decision-making criteria represent new sources of competitiveness and introduce new strategic opportunities. These trends are interrelated and their effects are already being felt by the u.s. manufacturing community. Future competitiveness for manu facturers worldwide will depend on their response to these trends. Based on the recent performance of u.s. manufacturers, efforts to respond to the challenges posed by new competition, technology, and managerial opportunities have been slow and inadequate. Domestic markets that were once secure have been assailed by a growing number of foreign competitors producing high quality goods at low prices. In a number of areas, such as employment, capacity utilization, research and development expenditures, and capital investment, trends in u.s. manufacturing over the last decade have been unfavorable or have not kept pace with major foreign competitors, such as Japan. There is substantial evidence that many u.s. manufacturers have neglected the manufacturing function, have overemphasized product development at the expense of process improvements, and have not begun to make the adjustments that will be necessary to be competitive.




CAD/CAM Robotics and Factories of the Future


Book Description

The complete shop floor automation - a "lights out factory", where workers initially set up all machines, turn off the lights, lock the door and the machine churns up the parts - remains an unfulfilled dream. Yet when we look at the enormity of the process of automation and integration even for the most simply conceived part factory, we can recognize that automation has been applied and is being applied, more so when it made sense from a cost/benefit standpoint. It is our nature to be dissatisfied with near term progress, but when we realize how short a time the tools to do that automation have been available, the progress is clearly noteworthy - considering the multitudes of factors and the environment we have to deal with. Most of the automa tion problems we confront in today's environment are multidisciplinary in nature. They require not just the knowledge and experience in various distinct fields but good cooperation from different disci plined organizations to adequately comprehend and solve such problems. In Volume III we have many examples that reflect the current state of the art techniques of robotics and plant automation. The papers for Volume III have been arranged in a logical order of automation planning, automated assembly, robot programming and simula tion, control, motion coordination, communication and networking to factories of the future.




Robotics and Factories of the Future ’87


Book Description

The papers presented at the Second International Conference on Robotics and Factories of the Future held in San Diego, California, USA during July 28-31, 1987 are compiled in this volume. Over two hundred participants attended the conference, made technical presentations and discussed about various aspects of manufacturing, robotics and factories of the future. The number of papers published in this volume and the number of unpublished presentations at the conference indicates the evidance of growing interest in the areas of CAD/CAM, robotics and their role in future factories. The conference consisted of five plenary sessions, twenty three technical sessions, workshops, and exhibits from local industries and educational institutions. I wish to acknowledge with many thanks the contributions of all the authors who presented their work at the conference and submitted the manuscripts for publication. It is also my pleasure to acknowledge the role of keynote, banquet, and plenary sessions speakers whose contributions added greatly to the success of the conference. My sincere thanks to all session chairmen. I wish that the series of the International Conferences on Robotics and Factories of the Future which was initiated in 1984 in Charlotte, North Carolina will have a major impact on the use of robots and computers in the automated factories of the future.




Advances in Manufacturing


Book Description

Modern manufacturing systems involve many processes and operations at various hierarchical levels of decision, control and execution. New applications for systems are arising from the synergy of machines, tools, robots and computers with management and information technologies. Novel systems are designed and put into operation to manufacture old and new high-quality products with speed, accuracy and economy. This book contains over thirty papers that examine state-of-the-art and how-to-do issues, as well as new solutions. Topics covered include: Process planning/scheduling and machine-cell design Process monitoring, inspection, diagnosis and maintenance Forecasting, optimization and control Design and control of robotic automated crane systems Applications: including laser material processing, stereolithography systems, alimentary pasta processes and automated/robotic road construction and maintenance. The book explores key elements and critical factors, presents new results and tools that are applicable to real situations.




Cooperating Robots for Flexible Manufacturing


Book Description

This book consolidates the current state of knowledge on implementing cooperating robot-based systems to increase the flexibility of manufacturing systems. It is based on the concrete experiences of experts, practitioners, and engineers in implementing cooperating robot systems for more flexible manufacturing systems. Thanks to the great variety of manufacturing systems that we had the opportunity to study, a remarkable collection of methods and tools has emerged. The aim of the book is to share this experience with academia and industry practitioners seeking to improve manufacturing practice. While there are various books on teaching principles for robotics, this book offers a unique opportunity to dive into the practical aspects of implementing complex real-world robotic applications. As it is used in this book, the term “cooperating robots” refers to robots that either cooperate with one another or with people. The book investigates various aspects of cooperation in the context of implementing flexible manufacturing systems. Accordingly, manufacturing systems are the main focus in the discussion on implementing such robotic systems. The book begins with a brief introduction to the concept of manufacturing systems, followed by a discussion of flexibility. Aspects of designing such systems, e.g. material flow, logistics, processing times, shop floor footprint, and design of flexible handling systems, are subsequently covered. In closing, the book addresses key issues in operating such systems, which concern e.g. decision-making, autonomy, cooperation, communication, task scheduling, motion generation, and distribution of control between different devices. Reviewing the state of the art and presenting the latest innovations, the book offers a valuable asset for a broad readership.




Robotics Sourcebook


Book Description

Robotics Sourcebook provides concise, up-to-date definitions of the terms, acronyms, and abbreviations currently used in robotics. It covers industrial robots, smart robots, and military robots, as well as machine vision, laser systems, CAD/CAM/CIM, advanced manufacturing technology, production processes, bar code identification, and factories of the future. It explains how robots work, and it presents key factors in robot implementation, as well as examples of typical applications, from assembly functions and die-casting to foundry, inspection, and forging. It also analyzes the world robotics market and includes forecasts of market trends. Divided into four parts encompassing 12 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the robotics industry and U.S. industrial performance, along with current international competitors and their markets, including Japan, Western Europe, France, Britain, and West Germany. It proceeds with a discussion of technological developments, research and development, standards, international agreements, definitions of terms, and robotics programs such as those of NASA, the National Science Foundation, U.S. Navy Robotics, and the United Kingdom. Also included is extensive reference material that contains points of contact for additional information and a detailed bibliography, plus photographs, charts, and diagrams. This book should be a useful reference source for engineers or professionals working in the field of industrial robotics.




Advances in Feature Based Manufacturing


Book Description

Well known researchers in all areas related to featured based manufacturing have contributed chapters to this book. Some of the chapters are surveys, while others review a specific technique. All contributions, including those from the editors, were thoroughly refereed. The goal of the book is to provide a comprehensive picture of the present stage of development of Features Technology from the point of view of applications in manufacturing. The book is aimed at several audiences. Firstly, it provides the research community with an overview of the present state-of-the-art features in manufacturing, along with references in the literature. Secondly, the book will be useful as supporting material for a graduate-level course on product modeling and realization. Finally, the book will also be valuable to industrial companies who are assessing the significance of features for their business.