Generating products for robotic assembly

Design for robotic assembly has focused on constraining parts geometry and modularised designs to produce families of products. Constraints of this nature degenerate robot flexibility and fail to design products conducive to flexible robotic assembly and within the capabilities of robots. In this paper design principles addressing the needs of flexible robotic systems are presented. The design of parts plays a significant role in making robot actions less dependent on part shape and sensor fusion. The design principles described here in aim to address several areas of concern; part feeding, robot adaptability, and assembly reliability.