Identification, classification and management of errors in automated component assembly tasks

Manufacturing industries are turning to advanced technologies in order to improve performance. While this is feasible in many industrial applications, it creates new problems in assembly. In particular, handling errors in automated assembly is crucial to the development of viable automatic assembly systems. Although many writers have recognized this as a problem, few have attempted to deal with it in a systematic fashion. In this preliminary paper the subject of errors in automated assembly is discussed, and a scheme for the classification of errors applicable to automated assembly systems is presented. It is suggested that errors are context dependent, and it is plausible to classify errors in close relation to a generic classification of assembly operations. Task analysis methods are used to define specific operational contexts, and which allow us to postulate likely errors. A worked example of this methodology and classification scheme is presented, using the traditional ‘peg-in-hole’ problem. The meth...