Operational analysis of an autonomous assembly robotic station

The authors present operational analysis models of autonomous assembly robotic stations. Robotized assembly systems are programmable and therefore provide a cost-effective solution for the assembly of small batch sizes. Assembly-tasks completions and quality considerations require task repetition and rework of a certain portion of the assembled items within the station. Concepts from stochastic processes are used to investigate the structural properties governing the probabilistic relationships of the total and functional batch times and the number of reworks. Further, a model of industrial controlled rework is developed for stations with a bounded number network attempts and distinct rework rates at each trial. Explicit performance and cost measures of the robot operations at the task, product, and assembly-system levels are derived. Capacity design examples illustrate various manufacturing planning considerations such as production throughput, operational efficiency, robot speed, rework rates, and station size