Robot assisted framing

The paper describes a concept for securing the geometry in flexible production based on robot assisted framing. This uses the robot(s) as an active device during change-over between product variants and it is assumed that product variants can be produced in any mixed order. The case under study is cabs for trucks which in traditional production require large and heavy equipment which is above the payload of any robot. The idea within this study is to use carbon fibre composites in the fixtures in order to reduce the weight and through this make it possible to use the robots in assisting the framing process. The current work involves a generalization of the principle both considering the design of the fixtures with respect to issues such as materials properties and design principles, and design of the production system. (Less)