Ch 17 Automated Assembly Systems

Sections:
1. Fundamentals of Automated Assembly Systems
2. Quantitative Analysis of Assembly Systems

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 Automated Assembly - Defined

“The use of mechanized and automated devices to perform the

various assembly tasks in an assembly line or cell”
 Fixed automation usually
 Most automated assembly systems are designed to perform
a fixed sequence of assembly steps on a specific product
that is produced in very large quantities

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 Automated Assembly -
Application Characteristics
 Where is automated assembly appropriated:

 High product demand

 Stable product design
 The assembly consists of no more than a limited number of
components
 The product is designed for automated assembly

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 Typical Products

Alarm clocks Light bulbs

Ball bearings Locks
Ball point pens Mechanical pencils
Cigarette lighters PCB assemblies
Door mechanisms Small electric motors
Gear boxes Wrist watches

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 Assembly Processes in
Automated Assembly

Adhesive bonding Snap fitting

Insertion of components Soldering
Placement of components Spot welding
Riveting Stapling
Screw fastening Stitching

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 Fundamentals of Automated Assembly
Systems

A typical automated assembly system consists of the following

subsystems:
1. One or more workstations at which the assembly steps are
accomplished
2. Parts feeding devices that deliver the individual
components to the workstations
3. A work handling system for the assembled entity

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 Control Functions

1. Sequence control
2. Safety monitoring
3. Quality control

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 System Configurations

1. In-line assembly machine

2. Dial indexing machine
3. Carousel assembly system
4. Single-station assembly cell

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 In-Line Assembly Machine

“A series of automatic workstations located along and in-line

transfer system”

Either synchronous or asynchronous work transfer used.

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 Dial Indexing Machine

Base parts are loaded

onto fixtures or nests
attached to a circular
dial table, and
components are added
at workstations located
around the periphery of
the dial as it indexes
from station to station.

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Dial indexing
assembly
machine
(Bodine Corp.)

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 Carousel Assembly System

“A hybrid between circular work flow of dial indexing machine

and straight work flow of in-line system”

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 Single-Station Assembly Cell

“Assembly operations are performed on a base part at a single

location”
 A robot is sometimes used as the assembly machine.

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 Multi-Station vs. Single-Station

 Multi-station assembly machine or line

 Faster cycle rate
 High production quantities
 More operations possible
 More components per assembly
 Single-station assembly cell
 Suited to robotic assembly
 Intended for lower production quantities

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 Parts Delivery at Workstations

 Typical parts delivery system at a workstation consists of

the following hardware components:
1. Hopper - container for parts
2. Parts feeder - removes parts from hopper
3. Selector and/or orientor - to assure part is in proper
orientation for assembly at workhead
4. Feed track - moves parts to assembly workhead
5. Escapement and placement device - removes parts from
feed track and places them at station

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 Parts Delivery System at Station

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 Vibratory Bowl Feeder

 Most versatile of hopper feeders for small parts

 Consists of bowl and helical track
 Parts are poured into bowl
 Helical track moves part from bottom of bowl to outlet
 Vibration applied by electromagnetic base
 Oscillation of bowl is constrained so that parts climb
upward along helical track

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 Vibratory Bowl Feeder

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 Vibratory Bowl Feeder

Photo courtesy
Syntron Inc.

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 Selector and/or Orientor

 Purpose - to establish the proper orientation of the components

for the assembly workhead
 Selector
 Acts as a filter
 Only parts in proper orientation are allowed to pass through
to feed track
 Orientor
 Allows properly oriented parts to pass
 Reorients parts that are not properly oriented

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 Parts Selection and Orientation

(a) Selector

(b) Orientor

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 Feed Track

 Moves parts from hopper to assembly workhead

 Categories:
1. Gravity - hopper and feeder are located at higher elevation
than workhead
2. Powered - uses air or vibration to move parts toward
workhead

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 Escapement and Placement Devices

 Escapement device
 Removes parts from feed track at time intervals that are
consistent with the cycle time of the assembly workhead
 Placement device
 Physically places the parts in the correct location at the
assembly workstation
 Escapement and placement devices are sometimes the same
device, sometimes different devices

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 Escapement and Placement Devices

(a) Horizontal and (b) vertical devices for placement of parts onto dial-indexing table

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 Escapement and Placement Devices

Escapement of rivet-shaped parts actuated by work carriers

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 Escapement and Placement Devices

Two types of pick-and-place mechanisms for transferring base parts from feeders to
work carriers

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 Quantitative Analysis of
Assembly Systems
1. Parts delivery system at workstations
2. Multi-station assembly machines
3. Single-station assembly cells
4. Partial automation

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 1. Parts Delivery System

Let
f : rate of removing parts from the hopper
 : proportion of components that pass through the selector-orientor
process and are correctly oriented for delivering into the feed
track
f : effective rate of delivery of components from the hopper into
the feed track
1- : proportion recirculated back into the hopper
Assume f > Rc to keep up with the assembly machine

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 Parts Delivery System

High level sensor: a means of limiting the size of the queue in the
feed track

Lf2: active length of the feed track

Lc: the length of a component

The number of parts that can be held in the feed track (the capacity
of the feed track):
nf2 = Lf2 / Lc

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 Parts Delivery System

Low level sensor used to restart the feeding mechanism

Lf1: location of the low level sensor

Lc: the length of a component

The number of parts in the feed track at this point:

nf1 = Lf1 / Lc

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 Parts Delivery System

Rc: the rate at which parts in the feed track are reduced when the
high level sensor is actuated (turns off the feeder)

f - Rc: the rate at which the quantity of parts will increase upon
actuation of the low level sensor (which turns on the feeder)

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 Example 17.1 Parts Delivery System in
Automatic Assembly
The cycle time for a given assembly workhead = 6 sec. The parts
feeder has a feed rate = 50 components/min. The probability that a
given component fed by the feeder will pass through the selector is
 = 0.25. The number of parts in the feed track corresponding to
the low level sensor is nf1 = 6. The capacity of the feed track is nf2 =
18 parts. Determine
(a)how long it will take for the supply of parts in the feed track to
go from nf2 to nf1 and
(b)how long it will take on average for the supply of parts to go
from nf1 to nf2.

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 2. Multi-Station Assembly Machines

Assumptions:
1. Assembly operations at the stations have constant element
times, although they are not necessarily equal
2. Synchronous parts transfer is used
3. There is no internal storage
4. Defective parts can jam the station which results in the
shutdown of the entire system

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 Multi-Station Assembly Machines

Let
qi: fraction defect rate, i.e. the probability that the component to be added
during the current cycle is defective at station i
mi: probability that a defect results in a jam at the station i and
consequential stoppage of the line
Three possible events that may occur at station i
1. The component is defective and causes a station jam with probability pi
= mi qi
2. The component is defective but does not cause a station jam with
probability (1-mi) qi
A bad part is joined to the existing subassembly
3. The component is not defective with probability 1- qi
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 Multi-Station Assembly Machines

For any station i,

(mi qi) + (1-mi) qi + (1- qi) = 1
If mi =m, qi =q, then
(m q) + (1-m) q + (1- q) = 1

On an n-station assembly machine

n

 [(m q ) + (1-m ) q + (1- q )] = 1

i1 i i i i i

If mi =m, qi =q, then

[(m q) + (1-m) q + (1- q)]n = 1
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 Measures of Performance

The proportion of assemblies that contain one or more defective

components
mi qi indicates that a jam has occured, preventing a defective part
(1- qi) means that a good component has been added

So, proportion of acceptable product coming off the line

n
Pap 
= [(mi qi) + (1- qi)]
i1

which is the yield of good assemblies produced by the assembly

machine.
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 Measures of Performance
The proportion of assemblies that contain one or more defective
components
Then, the proportion of assemblies containing at least one defective
component is n
Pqp = 1 - Pap = 1 -  [(mi qi) + (1- qi)]
i1

If mi =m, qi =q, then

Pap = (mq+1-q)n and
Pqp = 1 - (mq+1-q)n

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 Measures of Performance

The frequency of downtime occurances per cycle, F

n n

F=  pi =  mi qi
i1 i1

If no part is added at station i (performing only joining or fastening

operation), then pi does not depend on mi and qi.

If mi =m, qi =q, then

F=nmq

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 Measures of Performance

The average actual production

n
time
Tp= Tc + F Td = Tc +  mi qi Td
i1

If mi =m, qi =q, then

Tp= Tc + nmqTd

Actual production rate:

Rp= 1 / Tp (rate of all assemblies made in the system)

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 Measures of Performance

To find the yield rate

n

Pap  1  q  m q  i i i
Rap  Pap R p   i 1

Tp Tp

1  q  mq 
n

or Rap  Pap R p 
Tp

(production rate of good assemblies only)

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 Measures of Performance

Line efficiency
Rp Tc
E  (includes all assemblies, good and bad)
Rc Tp

and the proportion downtime D=1-E

We treat efficiency and quality of the line as separate issues.

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 Measures of Performance

Cm  CoTp  Ct
C pc 
Pap

Cpc = cost per good assembly

Cm = cost of materials
Co = cost of operating the assembly
Ct = cost of disposable tooling
Pap = the yield (proportion of acceptable assemblies)

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 Example 17.2 Multi-Station Automated
Assembly System
A ten-station in-line assembly machine has an ideal cycle time = 6 sec.
The base part is automatically loaded prior to the first station, and
components are added at each of the stations. The fraction defect rate at
each of ten stations is q = 0.01, and the probability that a defect will jam
is m = 0.5. When a jam occurs, the average downtime is 2 min. Cost to
operate the assembly machine is $42.00/hr. Other costs are ignored.
Determine
(a)average production rate of all assemblies,
(b)yield of good assemblies,
(c)average production rate of all good product,
(d)uptime efficiency of the assembly machine, and
(e)cost per unit.
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 3. Single Station Assembly Machines

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 3. Single Station Assembly Machines

Let
ne = the number of distinct assembly elements that are performed
on the machine
Tej = element time, j = 1,..., ne
Tc = cycle time
Th = handling time
ne
Tc  Th   Tej
j 1

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 3. Single Station Assembly Machines

Each component type has a certain fraction defect rate, qj, and there
is a certain probability that a defective component will jam the
workstation, mj.
When a jam occurs, the machine stops, and it takes an average Td to
clear the jam and restart the machine.
The inclusion of downtime resulting from jams in the machine
cycle time gives
ne
Tp  Tc   q j m jTd
j 1

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 3. Single Station Assembly Machines

If no part is added, then qj=0 and mj is irrelevant, so pj Td is

included where pj is the probability of a station failure during
element j.
If mj =m, qj =q, then
Tp  Tc  nmqTd
To determine yield (proportion of assemblies that contain no
defective components), we use Pap.
Uptime efficiency E=Tc / Tp

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 Example 17.4 Multi-Station Automatic
Assembly System
A single-station assembly machine performs five work elements to
assemble four components to a base part. The elements are listed in
the table below, together with fraction defect rate (q) and
probability of a station jam (m) for each of the components added
(NA means not applicable).

Time to load the base part is 3 sec and time to unload the
completed assembly is 4 sec, giving a total load/unload time of
Th=7 sec. When a jam occurs, it takes an average of 1.5 minutes to
clear the jam and restart the machine.

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 Example 17.4

Element Operation Time q m p

1 Add gear 4 0.02 1.0
2 Add spacer 3 0.01 0.6
3 Add gear 4 0.015 0.8
4 Add gear and mesh 7 0.02 1.0
5 Fasten 5 0 NA 0.012

Th = 7 sec. , Td=1.5 min.

Determine
a.Production rate of all product
b.Yield of good product
c.Production rate of good product
d.Uptime efficiency of the assembly machine
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 4. Partial Automation

Reasons for using partially automated production lines:

1. Automation is introduced gradually on an existing manual line
2. Certain manual operations are too difficult or too costly to automate
Assumptions
1. Workstations perform either processing or assembly operations
2. Processing or assembly times at automated stations are constant,
though not necessarily equal at all stations
3. The system uses synchronous transfer of parts
4. The system has no internal buffer storage
5. Station breakdowns occur only at automated stations

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 4. Partial Automation

Let
na = the number of automated stations
Td = average downtime per occurance
pi = the probability (frequency) of breakdowns per cycle (for
automated stations that perform processing), given
Average actual production time:
Tp  Tc   piTd
ina

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 4. Partial Automation

For automated stations that perform assembly: pi = mi qi

If mi =m, qi =q, then

Tp  Tc  na pTd
and p=mq

Let nw = the number of manual (worker operated) stations

So, n= na + nw

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 4. Partial Automation

Casi = cost to operate automatic workstation i

Cwi = cost to operate manual workstation i
Cat = cost to operate the automatic work transfer mechanism
The total cost to operate the line:
Co  Cat   Casi   Cwi
ina inw

The total cost per unit produced on the line:

Cm  CoTp  Ct
C pc 
Pap
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 Example 17.5 Partial Automation
The company is considering replacing one of the current manual workstations
with an automatic workhead on a 10-station production line. The current line has
six automatic stations and four manual stations. Current cycle time is 30 sec. The
limiting process time is at the manual station that is proposed for replacement.
Implementing the proposal would allow cycle time to be reduced to 24 sec. The
new station would cost $0.20/min. Other cost data: Cw = $0.15/min, Cas =
$0.10/min, and Cat = $0.12/min. Breakdowns occur at each automated station
with a probability p = 0.01. The new automated station is expected to have the
same frequency of breakdowns. Average downtime per occurrence Td = 3.0 min,
which will be unaffected by the new station. Material costs and tooling costs will
be neglected in the analysis. It is desired to compare the current line with the line
proposed change on the basis of production rate and cost per piece. Assume a
yield of 100% good product.

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 Example 17.6 Storage Buffers on a
Partially Automated Line
Considering the current line in previous Example 17.5, suppose
that the ideal cycle time for the automated stations on the current
line Tc=18 sec. The longest manual time is 30 sec. Under the
method of operation assumed in Example 17.5, both manual and
automated stations are out of action when a breakdown occurs at an
automated station. Suppose that storage buffers could be provided
for every operator to insulate them from breakdowns at automated
stations. What effect would this have on production rate and cost
per piece?

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 What the Equations Tell Us

 The parts delivery system at each station must deliver

components to the assembly operation at a net rate that is greater
than or equal to the cycle rate of the assembly workhead
 Otherwise, assembly system performance is limited by the
parts delivery system rather than the assembly process
technology
 Component quality has an important effect on system
performance - poor quality means
 Jams at stations that stop the entire assembly system
 Assembly of defective components in the product

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 What the Equations Tell Us

 As the number of stations increases, uptime efficiency and

production rate are adversely affected due to parts quality and
station reliability effects
 The cycle time of a multi-station assembly system is determined
by its slowest station
 By comparison with a multi-station assembly system, a single-
station assembly cell with the same number of assembly tasks
has a lower production rate but a higher uptime efficiency

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 What the Equations Tell Us

 Multi-station assembly systems are appropriate for high

production applications and long production runs
 By comparison, single-station assembly cells have a longer
cycle time and are more appropriate for mid-range quantities
 Storage buffers should be used on partially automated
production lines to isolate the manual stations from breakdowns
at the automated stations
 An automated station should be substituted for a manual station
only if it has the effect of reducing cycle time sufficiently to
offset negative effects of lower reliability

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