Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Robotic production system'

The manufacturing industry is quickly adapting to new technologies. Some of these trending technologies are virtual commissioning, virtual reality, and cloud-based technologies. This project summarizes these three technologies and aims to create a commissioning tool adapted to the 4.0 Industry. The project’s methodology was to analyse a problem and consequently create a solution that solves it. The process of designing and developing was repeated iteratively, each time an evaluation was made. The final product developed has shown that it is worth spending time introducing the cloudbased technologies inside many applications since it saves time and allows to work remotely. Applying virtual reality to virtual commissioning has proven to add efficiency. At the same time, it gives an immersive experience with a real-time display of quantitative data and the process itself in a visual mode without interfering with the actual production. With these two technologies, virtual commissioning evolves and goes a step further. This project also proved that the user experience and interface in this type of immersive applications need much attention on creating a comfortableinterface that does not fatigue or cause rejection in the user.

Industrial robots are important for the competitiveness in high wages countries and during the last 10 years the number of installed robots have tripled in the world. A combination of the high demand for robots and system integration and a lack of competence makes it hard for companies to acquire the robot applications they require as well as maintain and improve them. By using easily programmable robots developing the required competence for system integration is uncomplicated, however, the tradition of buying turn-key automation has led to a lack of competence in in-house system integration. Collaborative robots are often regarded as more easily programmable than traditional robots. By performing a case study with a collaborative robot, the thesis aims to map and present the process and competencies needed to perform system integration in-house. The thesis identifies a process for system integration including education, initialization, application, design, installation and preparation, programming, evaluation, production and presents them in a final model. Further, the thesis presents project supervision, project leadership, project participation, organizational change leadership, problem-solving, process and system, programming, installation, technology, method and safety and regulation competencies as necessary for successful system integration inhouse. Finally, the steps of the process and the competencies are overlaid as to show which competencies are necessary for which process steps. The thesis provides a guide for in-house system integration not previously found in academia.

This project investigates how remanufacturing of robotic lawn mowers can be incorporated into an existent forward supply chain. The project is conducted as a single case study on Husqvarna where an interview study and a literature study provide the empirical data and theory, respectively. Alternatives are proposed for potential remanufacturing cases at various locations, where different parties ranging from original equipment manufacturers to independent manufacturers perform the remanufacturing process. SWOT analyses are conducted to identify the most promising alternatives for a further economic analysis. The economic evaluation is based on net present values and a sensitivity analysis which together determines the feasibility of the alternatives. The results of the project answer three research questions. The first concludes that out of seven defined production systems there are only two that are not suitable for remanufacturing in a general case mainly due to the low flexibility of these systems. The results of the second identifies labor, logistics, and operational prerequisite factors that must be considered when implementing remanufacturing for case specific alternatives. The conclusion of the third research question lists the feasibility of the alternatives from which the recommendations for Husqvarna are presented. This project recommends Husqvarna to implement a remanufacturing process for their robotic lawn mowers either by enlisting their current dealers or by themselves at a location nearby the spare parts warehouse in Torsvik. Which alternative is the most profitable depends mainly on the expected quantity of the acquired cores, i.e. Husqvarna as a centralized remanufacturer benefits more from higher quantities while the decentralized dealer alternative would comparably be more profitable if the quantities were lower. As it is perceived that initial collected quantities will be low, and possibly even somewhat higher for the dealers, a decentralized remanufacturing process could be the most profitable alternative to start with. Using a third-party remanufacturer is also feasible but considered risky and therefore not recommended as they could have the same core acquisition problem as Husqvarna while having lower profitability.

Objetivou-se com este estudo avaliar o impacto da adoção do SOA em uma propriedade leiteira no Município de Castro - Paraná através da identificação e análise das atividades de valor que influenciam os “direcionadores de custos” de Porter (1989) e comparar com duas propriedades leiteiras de perfil semelhante, porém com o Sistema de Ordenha Convencional (SOC). A partir deste contexto, este trabalho busca avaliar como esta opção tecnológica sustenta o desenvolvimento das estratégias competitivas em propriedades leiteiras. Foi utilizado o método de estudo de caso, através de entrevistas semiestruturadas, consulta a dados secundários e observação direta. Analisando as atividades de valor em cada direcionador explorado na propriedade que adotou o SOA, foi possível estabelecer principalmente que: a) ocorreu redução da mão de obra via aumento percentual da sua produtividade; b) redução de gastos com tratamento veterinário do rebanho através de análise automática do leite pelo robô, no momento da ordenha, identificando animais com problemas sanitários e, c) aumentou a produtividade do rebanho através do aumento do número de ordenhas/vaca/dia. Em especial, a adoção do SOA na propriedade leiteira estudada impactou positivamente no controle dos custos, porém, existem fatores não econômicos responsáveis pela aceitação e satisfação na adoção deste sistema, como razões sociais (melhora da qualidade de vida dos funcionários e do proprietário através da liberdade de monitorar a ordenha à distância sempre que oportuno). Complementarmente, observou-se que propriedades com SOA em fase inicial chegam a níveis de produtividade da mão de obra semelhantes à de propriedades com SOC em alta escala. Portanto, à medida que a propriedade com SOA expande as unidades robóticas, a ponto de chegar próximo à escala de animais de propriedades com SOC, o índice de produtividade da mão de obra de propriedades com SOA torna-se superior. É possível concluir que a adoção do SOA causou alterações em algumas atividades de valor no período de adaptação e após este período. Comparando a propriedade com SOA frente as duas propriedades com SOC 1 e 2, observou-se diversas semelhanças nas atividades de valor de alguns direcionadores de custos, demonstrando que a decisão de optar por este sistema de ordenha vai além de questões econômicas e produtivas, mas também engloba questões sociais (qualidade de vida).
The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of AMS adopting in a dairy farm in the municipality of Castro - Paraná, through the identification and analysis of value activities that influence the "cost drivers" of Porter (1989) and compare with two dairy farms with similar profile, but with the Conventional Milking System (CMS). From this context, this study aims to assess how this technology option supports the development of competitive strategies in dairy farms. It was used the case study method, through semi-structured interviews, consultation with secondary data and direct observation. Analysing the value activities in each cost driver explored at the dairy farm that adopted AMS, It was possible established mainly that: a) there was a reduction of labour via percentage increase in productivity; b) reduced spending on veterinary care of the herd through automatic analysis of milk by the robot at the time of milking, identifying animals with health problems and, c) increased herd productivity through increasing the number of milking per cow per day. In particular, the adoption of AMS in dairy farm studied impacted positively on cost control. However, there are no-economic factors responsible for acceptance and satisfaction in the adoption of this system, as social reasons (improved the life quality of employees and owner through freedom to monitor the milking at distance, where appropriate). In addition, it was noted that dairy farms with AMS in the initial stage achieve to labour productivity levels similar to the dairy farms with CMS on a large scale. Therefore, as the property with AMS expands the robotic units, to the point to get near of the animal scale in dairy farms with CMS, the labour productivity index with AMS dairy farms become higher. It was concluded that the adoption of the AMS caused changes in some value activities in the adaptation period and thereafter. Comparing the dairy farm with AMS face the two dairy farms with CMS 1 and 2, there are some similarities in the value activities of some cost drivers, demonstrating that the decision to opt for this milking system goes beyond economic and production issues, but also includes social issues (quality of life).

The subject of this diploma thesis is the simulation and digital commissioning of a robotic production system for welding elements such as studs on sheet metal parts. The basis of the work is search of information related to industrial robots, PLC control, tools used for welding, fixtures, manipulators, sensors, safety and protection elements commonly used in such production systems. The second part of the work deals with the given problem and it is a virtual commissioning of the given concept of a robotic production system. This means creating its simulation model in the Process Simulate environment, selecting robots, creating robotic trajectories, collision analysis, creating sensors, signals and optimization. Last part includes the connection of the simulation model with the software S-7PLCSIM Advanced and TIA Portal, the creation of control PLC logic in the form of a program, visualization and verification of their functionality using the above-mentioned connection with the simulation model.

Detta examensarbete har utförts i samarbete med Löfqvist Engineering i Örebro. Uppgiften har varit att utföra en simulering av en stor automatiserad produktionslina som ska användas vid tillverkning av avgassystem till lastbilar. Utifrån denna simulering skall exakta cykeltider för produktionen bestämmas. Dessa tider kan sedan användas av Löfqvist Engineering för att verifiera tidigare uppskattade tider. Arbetet inkluderar en litteraturstudie om Lean Production och hur det fungerar ihop med automation. Det finns även med lite bakgrundsinformation om Just In Time, olika filformat och robotsimulering i allmänhet för att ge en bättre överblick av ämnet. Programmet som har valts för att utföra simuleringen är Tecnomatix Process Simulate och den inbyggda Line Simulation modulen. Produktionslinan består av fyra hanteringsrobotar, 13 operatörsstationer och åtta identiska svetsceller. Cykeltider för produktionslinan har bestämts och resultatet blev 6 min 31 s, så det tar alltså lite drygt 6,5 minuter för produktionslinan att leverera en ny produkt. Cykeltiderna bestämdes genom att beräkna medelvärde på tiden det tog att framställa 10 stycken produkter då linan var full av material. I rapporten finns beskrivet hur arbetet för att komma fram till cykeltiderna har fortgått och hur simuleringsproblemen som uppstått under arbetets gång har lösts.
This thesis has been carried out in collaboration with Löfqvist Engineering in Örebro. The task has been to perform a simulation of a large automation line, to be used in the manufacture of exhaust systems for trucks. Based on this simulation accurate cycle times for production are determined. These times can then be used by Löfqvist Engineering to verify the earlier estimated times. The work includes a literature review of Lean Production and how it works with automation. There is also some background information on Just In Time, different file formats and robot simulation in general for the reader to get a bit more background knowledge of the subject. The program that has been selected to perform the simulation is Tecnomatix Process Simulate and its built in Line Simulation module. The automation line consists of four handling robots, 13 operator stations and eight identical welding cells. Cycle times for the automation line have been determined and the result was 6 min 31s, for the automation line to complete one product. Cycle times were determined by calculating the average time to produce 10 pieces of products when the line was full of material. The report describes how the work for arriving at these cycle times have been performed and how simulation problems encountered during such operations have been resolved.

La première partie de ce travail concerne la production cyclique pour l'optimisation du taux de production dans les flowshops robotisés, où un robot est chargé du transport des pièces. Les cellules robotisées peuvent être disposées de façon linéaire ou circulaire. Les principaux résultats théoriques concernant la disposition linéaire ne peuvent être étendus à la configuration circulaire. En particulier, trouver le meilleur cycle de production de une pièce (1-cycle) est un problème polynomial dans le cas des cellules linéaires additives, mais NP-difficile pour la configuration correspondante circulaire.Nous nous concentrons principalement sur le cas des cellules circulaires équilibrées, où le temps d'usinage est identique sur toutes les machines. Après avoir présentés des outils pour l'analyse cyclique dans les cellules circulaires, nous établissons des propriétés nécessaires des 1-cycles performants, ce qui permet de conclure sur le problème du meilleur 1-cycle jusqu'à 8 machines. Toutefois, nous fournissons un contre-exemple pour 6 machines à la conjecture classique des 1-cycles, toujours ouverte dans cette configuration.Ensuite, nous étudions la structure des 1-cycles performants pour des cellules circulaires équilibrées arbitrairement grandes. Nous définissons et étudions les propriétés d'une nouvelle famille de cycles basée sur cette structure et formulons une conjecture sur sa dominance sur les 1-cycles qui conduirait à un algorithme polynomial pour le problème du meilleur 1-cycle dans ce cas. Cette structure permet de déterminer le meilleur 1-cycle jusqu'à 11 machines.Dans la deuxième partie, nous présentons le travail réalisé sur un problème industriel proposé par la SNCF dans le cadre du challenge ROADEF/EURO. Nous proposons un algorithme glouton pour ce problème combinant divers aspects de la gestion des trains au sein d'une gare
The first part of this work deals with cyclic production for throughput optimization in robotic flow-shops, where a robot is in charge of the material handling of parts. Robotic cells may have a linear or a circular layout. Most theoretical results for the linear layout do not hold for the circular layout. In particular, the problem of finding the best one part production cycle (1-cycle), which is a polynomial problem for linear additive cells, has been proved NP-hard for the corresponding circular configuration.We mainly focus on a special case of circular balanced cells, where the processing times are identical for all machines. After presenting tools for cyclic analysis in circular cells, we study necessary properties of efficient 1-cycles. These results allow to conclude on the best one part production cycle for any parameters in circular balanced cells up to 8 machines. However, we provide a counter-example to the classical 1-cycle conjecture, still open for this configuration.Then, we study the structure of efficient one part production cycles in arbitrarily large circular balanced cells. We introduce and study a new family of cycles based on this structure, and formulate a conjecture on its dominance over one part-production cycles, which would lead to a polynomial algorithm for finding the best 1-cycle for circular balanced cells. This structure allows to settle the best one part production cycle for cells with up to 11 machines.In a second part, we present work on an industrial problem of railway stock scheduling proposed by the French railway company in the context of the ROADEF/EURO competition. We propose a greedy algorithm for this problem combining the various aspects of trains handling inside a station

This thesis presents such a new production system architecture, called a palimpsest parser, that adapts LR parsing technology to the process of controlled production system interpretation. Two unique characteristics of this architecture facilitate the construction and execution of large production systems: the rate at which productions fire is independent of production system size, and the modularity inherent in production systems is preserved and enhanced. In addition, individual productions may be evaluated in either a forward or backward direction, production systems can be integrated with other production systems and procedural programs, and production system modules can be compiled into libraries and used by other production systems.;Controlled production systems are compiled into palimpsest parsers as follows. Initially, the palimpsest transformation is applied to all productions to transform them into context-free grammar rules with associated disambiguation predicates and semantics. This grammar and the control grammar are then concatenated and compiled into modified LR(0) parse tables using conventional parser generation techniques. the resulting parse tables, disambiguation predicates, and semantics, in conjunction with a modified LR(0) parsing algorithm, constitute a palimpsest parser. When executed, this palimpsest parser correctly interprets the original controlled production system. Moreover, on any given cycle, the palimpsest parser only attempts to instantiate those productions that are allowed to fire by the control language grammar. Tests conducted with simulated production systems have consistently exhibited firing rates in excess of 1000 productions per second on a conventional microcomputer.

The aim of this thesis was to design the robotic handling system of CNC production line based on requirements of Valeo Compressor Europe in Humpolec. The theoretical part of this thesis includes the profile of the company, analysis of handling system and automated workstations used in production system. The practical part of this thesis includes analysis of the current state and design of handling system for CNC production line. There is recovery of investment analysis for the designed line and summary at the last part of diploma project.

Design, production and development of individual mini/micro robots and then formation of their cooperative colony are the main topics of this thesis. The produced mini/micro robots are as small and light as possible. In addition, they are multifunctional (programmable), flexible and intelligent while maintaining a very low production cost. Mini/micro robots, called MinT-DB series are able to communicate with each other to work cooperatively. Moreover, these robots can be the basis for the future studies considering the application of artificial intelligence and modeling of live colonies in the nature. Traditional design, production and assembly techniques have been used widely up to now. However, none of them were related with the mini/micro scale. Therefore, this thesis can help people in understanding the difficulties of the design, production, and assembly of the mini/micro systems under the light of the reported science. In this thesis, instead of examining a specific application field of mini/micro robotic systems, a technology demonstrative work is carried out. Therefore, this thesis contributes to the mini/micro robotic technology, which is also very new and popular in today&
#8217
s world, with the robots having the dimensions of 7.5x6x6 cm.

The interest in breaking the historical dependence on fossil energy and begin moving towards more renewable energy sources is rising worldwide. This is largely due to uncertainties in the future supply of fossil fuels and the rising concerns about humanity’s role in the currently ongoing climate changes. One renewable energy source is ocean waves and Uppsala University has since the early 2000s been performing active research in this area. The Uppsala wave energy concept is centered on developing linear generators coupled to point absorbing buoys, with the generator situated on the seabed and connected to the buoy on the sea surface via a steel wire. The motion of the buoy then transfers energy to the generator, where it is converted into electricity and sent to shore for delivery into the electrical grid. This thesis will mainly focus on the development and evaluation of technologies used to automate the manufacturing of the translator, a central part of the linear generator, using industrial robotics. The translator is a 3 m high and 0.8 m wide three sided structure with an aluminum pipe at its center. The structure consists of alternating layers of steel plates (pole-shoes) and ferrite magnets, with a total of 72 layers per side. To perform experiments on translator assembly and production, a robot cell (centered on an IRB6650S industrial robot) complimented with relevant tools, equipment and security measures, has been designed and constructed. The mounting of the pole-shoes on the central pipe, using the industrial robot, proved to be the most challenging task to solve. However, by implementing a precise work-piece orientation calibration system, combined with selective compliance robot tools, the task could be performed with mounting speeds of up to 50 mm/s. Although progress has been made, much work still remains before fully automated translator assembly is a reality. A secondary topic of this thesis is the development of stand-alone measurement systems to be used in the linear generator, once it has been deployed on the seabed. The main requirements of such a measurement system is robustness, resistance to electrical noise, and power efficiency. If possible the system should also be portable and easy to use. This was solved by developing a custom measurement circuit, based on industry standard 4–20 mA current signals, combined with a portable submersible logging unit. The latest iteration of the system is small enough to be deployed and retrieved by one person, and can collect data for 10 weeks before running out of batteries. Future work in this area should focus on increasing the usability of the system. The third and final topic of this thesis is a short discussion of an engineering approach to kinetic energy storage, in the form of high-speed composite flywheels, and the design of two different prototypes of such flywheels. Both designs gave important insights to the research group, but a few crucial design faults unfortunately made it impossible to evaluate the full potential of the two designs.

In this thesis a custom embedded system and control software developed for an Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) which is based on the Computer Integrated Manufacturing Laboratory (CIMLAB) located in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Middle East Technical University. Primary objective of this study is AS/RSs related control rules can be applicable to the current physical system. The secondary objective is determined as developing the control system in a flexible way that allows adding new equipments to the system and configuring parts of the system. Two types of control board are manufactured and also boards&rsquo
firmware and computer software are developed. These two boards communicate with computer one at a time. Some AS/RS related control rules are implemented at the control software. According to these rules the control software assigns tasks to the related board. Also the control software records necessary information in order to measure the performance of the AS/RS. Several control rules as storage assignment, dwell point and sequencing of storage and retrieval order rules are applicable to the AS/RS without need for low level programming. Because of the physical limitation, batching rules cannot be applied to the current system. Also a graphical user interface is developed for using the system easily and observing the real time status of the system equipments. Two experiments are designed and run in order to show flexibility of the control system. Different control rules applied to each of the experiment. Experiment results put forth the control system was quite successful in meeting the objectives.

Aqueous Phase Partitioning has a long history of applications to the analytical characterisation of biomolecules. However process applications have attracted the most interest in biotechnology where it has become widely recognized as a cost-effective technique. The main aim of this work was to explore the proposition that partition in Aqueous Two Phase Systems (ATPS) can be used as an analytical tool to detect protein isoforms and to assess the applicability of the method in clinical assays and for quality control in bioprocessing through examination of several analytical problems. The work also examined the development of automated methods of system preparation and sampling techniques to determine the partition coefficient in ATPS. The study demonstrated that the geometrical form of the phase diagram co-existence curve was of crucial importance since this directly affected the accuracy with which systems of defined Tie Line Length and Mass Ratio could be constructed. The TLL %Bias (accuracy) of a theoretical system range in the PEG1000-(NH4)2SO4 system at shorter TLL (12.2) was in the range +80.6% to -100% while at a longer TLL (53.1) the %Bias (accuracy) was reduced to +0.1% to -1.9%. At the same time the MR %Bias (accuracy) at shorter TLL (12.2) was in the range +59.5% to -21.3% while at the longer TLL (53.1) this was reduced to +2.7% to -2.6%. By contrast in the PEG8000-Dextran500 system the TLL %Bias (accuracy) at shorter TLL (13.1) was in the range +3.7% to -4.12%, while at a longer TLL (31.1) the range was +0.74% to -0.67%. The MR %Bias (accuracy) at the shorter TLL (13.1) was in the range +3.6% to -3% while at the longer TLL (31.1) the range was +1.1% to -1.4%. This illustrated that it is more difficult to work with a high degree of accuracy (e.g. %Bias <5%) close to the critical point in PEG-salt systems than in PEG-dextran systems. Two different approaches were taken to examine analytical phase partitioning. In the first approach the structure of the isoforms of a model protein (ovalbumin) were altered enzymatically. Analytical methods involving Strong Anion-Exchange chromatography were developed and applied to the separation of the ovalbumin isoforms. Removal of the phosphorylated groups (dephosphorylation of ovalbumin) was undertaken using alkaline phosphatase and de-glycosylation was attempted using neuraminidase and Endo-glycosidase F. However, both enzymatic approaches to deglycosylation were unsuccessful. Dephosphorylated isoforms were successfully produced and characterised. After partitioning in ATPS a clear difference was demonstrated between the behaviour of the native and dephosphorylated forms of ovalbumin. The mean % recovery in a PEG-salt ATPS was 99.8% (± 3.59) for the naive protein and 75.6% (± 4.03) for the dephosphorylated form. On the other hand, in a PEG3350-Dextran500 system, where solubility was maintained, a significant difference in the partition coefficient (K) of native and dephosphorylated ovalbumin was found. K for native ovalbumin was 0.85 while the partition coefficient of the dephosphorylated ovalbumin was 0.61. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated that the regression coefficients of the respective partition isotherms were significantly different (p value < 0.05). In a second approach to examine analytical phase partitioning, chemical modification of a specific target surface amino acid of another model protein (serum albumin) was used to determine the degree of conjugation of the protein and also to determine its oxidative state. The method examined the reactivity of a free surface thiol to a wide range of labels ( (a) 2-methylsulfonyl-5-phenyl -1,3,4 oxidiazole reagent, (b) N-Ethylmaleimide (NEM) reagent, (c) 5, 5’-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoate)(DTNB) (Ellman’s reagent), (d) N-pyrenylmaleimide (NPM) reagent, (e) Fluorescein-5-maleimide (F-5-M) Reagent). Only DTNB was found to modify the surface free thiol of serum albumin in a highly specific and quantitative manner. In the course of the development of a partitioning assay for surface free thiols of serum albumin significant oxidative properties were found to be associated with poly(ethylene glycol) PEG solutions and several attempts were made to find an oxidatively safe partitioning system by including antioxidants and by removal of contaminants by freeze drying. PEG3350-Dextran500 was found to provide an oxidatively safe environment for the development of a partitioning assay for the determination of albumin free thiols. A phase partitioning assay system capable of quantitatively resolving protein associated free thiols and low molecular weight thiols from a mixture of the two was developed. Correlation coefficients (R2) for the regression of experimentally determined protein free thiols in the presence of different levels of added LMW free thiol on the known addition of protein ranged from 0.77 to 0.83. The results demonstrated that the assay could quantify and distinguish both types of thiol in a simple two-step procedure.

The term Industry 4.0, sometimes referred to as a buzzword, is today on everyone’s tongue and the benefits undeniably seem to be promising and have potential to revolutionize the manufacturing industry. But what does it really mean? From a high-level business perspective, the concept of Industry 4.0 most often demonstrates operational efficiency and promising business models but studies show that many companies either lack understanding for the concept and how it should be implemented or are dissatisfied with progress of already implemented solutions. Further, there is a perception that it is difficult to implement the concept without interference with the current production system.The purpose of this study is to interpret and outline the main characteristics and key components of the concept Industry 4.0 and further break down and conclude the potential benefits and enablers for a manufacturing company within the heavy automotive industry. In order to succeed, a case study has been performed at a manual final assembly production unit within the heavy automotive industry. Accordingly, the study intends to give a deeper understanding of the concept and specifically how manual assembly within an already existing manual production system will be affected. Thus outline the crucial enablers in order to successfully implement the concept of Industry 4.0 and be prepared to adapt to the future challenges of the industry. The case study, performed through observations and interviews, attacks the issue from two perspectives; current state and desired state. A theoretical framework is then used as a basis for analysis of the result in order to be able to further present the findings and conclusion of the study. Lastly, two proof of concept are performed to exemplify and support the findings. The study shows that succeeding with implementation of Industry 4.0 is not only about the related technology itself. Equally important parts to be considered and understood are the integration into the existing production system and design and purpose of the manual assembly process. Lastly the study shows that creating understanding and commitment in the organization by strategy, leadership, culture and competence is of greatest importance to succeed.
Begreppet Industri 4.0, ibland benämnt som modeord, är idag på allas tungor och fördelarna verkar onekligen lovande och tros ha potential att revolutionera tillverkningsindustrin. Men vad betyder det egentligen? Ur ett affärsperspektiv påvisar begreppet Industri 4.0 oftast ökad operativ effektivitet och lovande affärsmodeller men flera studier visar att många företag antingen saknar förståelse för konceptet och hur det ska implementeras eller är missnöjda med framstegen med redan implementerade lösningar. Vidare finns det en uppfattning att det är svårt att implementera konceptet utan störningar i det nuvarande produktionssystemet. Syftet med denna studie är att tolka och beskriva huvudegenskaperna och nyckelkomponenterna i konceptet Industri 4.0 och ytterligare bryta ner och konkludera de potentiella fördelarna och möjliggörarna för ett tillverkande företag inom den tunga bilindustrin. För att lyckas har en fallstudie utförts vid en manuell slutmonteringsenhet inom den tunga lastbilsindustrin. Studien avser på så sätt att ge en djupare förståelse för konceptet och specifikt hur manuell montering inom ett redan existerande manuellt produktionssystem kommer att påverkas. Alltså att kartlägga viktiga möjliggörare för att framgångsrikt kunna implementera konceptet Industri 4.0 och på så sätt vara beredd att ta sig an industrins framtida utmaningar. Fallstudien, utförd genom observationer och intervjuer, angriper frågan från två perspektiv; nuläge och önskat läge. Ett teoretiskt ramverk används sedan som underlag för analys av resultatet för att vidare kunna presentera rön och slutsats från studien. Slutligen utförs två experiment för att exemplifiera och stödja resultatet. Studien visar att en framgångsrik implementering av Industri 4.0 troligtvis inte bara handlar om den relaterade tekniken i sig. Lika viktiga delar som ska beaktas och förstås är integrationen i det befintliga produktionssystemet och utformningen och syftet med den manuella monteringsprocessen. Slutligen visar studien att det är av största vikt att skapa förståelse och engagemang i organisationen genom strategi, ledarskap, kultur och kompetens.

The aim of this work was to design the construction of transport equipment under industrial robot, pallet holder or other equipment. This manipulation device can be moved in one axis on a rigid guide. The device is designed for use in a linear manufacturing system for handling workpieces and tools. It is capable of operating two rows of machines when it is placed in the middle. The main function of this device is to extend the workspace to the carried devices. This type of construction can be used in combination with an industrial robot for other technological tasks such as welding or light machining. The main parts of this device include statically mounted beds that can be stacked behind each other to form optionally long conveyor paths and a positioning plate that moves along the path formed by these beds. An industrial robot, pallet holder or other device is attached to this positioning plate. In addition to the design itself, the thesis also includes a thorough research of the issue, further possibilities of solution in the form of concepts, verification of the structure by means of calculations and simulations and implementation of the solution into a specific production cell.

The focus of this work was to design, develop and implement an automatic scoop system for an ice-cream shop. The main contribution covers programming of PLC and Arduino, LabVIEW, mechanical structure design of scoop, assembly line, timing belt and robotics arm and stress analysis of the structures in the system. This work solved the problem that the scooping ice-cream shop employees need to be supported by technology in their hard work and to improve the efficiency of the ice-cream disposal. The scoop is designed as a new type solving the stress issue. The control system was programmed to use robotics arm to scoop ice-cream, which enhanced the work efficiency. stress and modal analysis was done for ensure the safety of the system. Testing and validation of the system was carried out and results show it worked properly.

Motion planning for robot operations is concerned with path planning and trajectory generation. In multi-robot systems, i.e. with multiple robots operating simultaneously in a shared workspace, the motion planning also needs to coordinate the robots' motions to avoid collisions between them. The multi-robot coordination decides the cycle-time for the planned paths and trajectories since it determines to which extend the operations can take place simultaneously without colliding. To obtain the quickest cycle-time, there needs to bean optimal balance between, on the one hand short paths and fast trajectories, and on the other hand possibly longer paths and slower trajectories to allow that the operations take place simultaneously in the shared workspace. Due to the inter-dependencies, it becomes necessary to consider the path planning, trajectory generation and multi-robot coordination together as one optimisation problem in order to find this optimal balance.This thesis focusses on optimising the motion planning for multi-robot material handling systems of sheet metal parts. A methodology to model the relevant aspects of this motion planning problem together as one multi-disciplinary optimisation problem for Simulation based Optimisation (SBO) is proposed. The identified relevant aspects include path planning,trajectory generation, multi-robot coordination, collision-avoidance, motion smoothness, end-effectors' holding force, cycle-time, robot wear, energy efficiency, part deformations, induced stresses in the part, and end-effectors' design. The cycle-time is not always the (only) objective since it is sometimes equally/more important to minimise robot wear, energy consumption, and/or part deformations. Different scenarios for these other objectives are therefore also investigated. Specialised single- and multi-objective algorithms are proposed for optimising the motion planning of these multi-robot systems. This thesis also investigates how to optimise the velocity and acceleration profiles of the coordinated trajectories for multi-robot material handling of sheet metal parts. Another modelling methodology is proposed that is based on a novel mathematical model that parametrises the velocity and acceleration profiles of the trajectories, while including the relevant aspects of the motion planning problem excluding the path planning since the paths are now predefined.This enables generating optimised trajectories that have tailored velocity and acceleration profiles for the specific material handling operations in order to minimise the cycle-time,energy consumption, or deformations of the handled parts.The proposed methodologies are evaluated in different scenarios. This is done for real world industrial case studies that consider the multi-robot material handling of a multi-stage tandem sheet metal press line, which is used in the automotive industry to produce the cars' body panels. The optimisation results show that significant improvements can be obtained compared to the current industrial practice.

Ce travail concerne la production cyclique de pièces identiques dans un flow-shop robotisé. La Conjecture des 1-cycles, proposée par Sethi et al. , suppose que le taux maximum de production peut être atteint en répétant un cycle particulier qui produit une seule pièce. Cette conjecture simplifie la recherche du meilleur cycle de production. Nous présentons de nouvelles preuves (approche par les graphes et approche algébrique) de la validité de cette conjecture pour des cellules à 2 et 3 machines et nous montrons qu'elle est fausse à partir de 4 machines. Nous délimitons ensuite plus précisément son cadre de validité en imposant des restrictions sur les paramètres : distances inter-machines égales ou temps d'usinage égaux. Puis, nous étudions d'autres formes de cellules robotisées en relaxant des contraintes de la cellule robotisée de base. La première variante est l'association de l'entrée et de la sortie de la cellule. Nous proposons quelques remarques sur la recherche du meilleur cycle de production. La deuxième variante est le HSP (Hoist Scheduling Problem) : le temps pendant lequel une pièce peut rester sur une machine admet une borne supérieure. Nous montrons que des propriétés des cellules robotisées ne peuvent pas être étendues au HSP. La troisième variante est l'ajout de zones de stockage entre les machines. Nous montrons que la Conjecture des 1-cycles est vraie et nous analysons le gain par rapport à une cellule sans stockage. Enfin, nous supposons que les distances inter-machines sont quelconques. Nous montrons que trouver le meilleur cycle de production d'une pièce est un problème NP-complet. Ce travail a permis de résoudre complètement une conjecture ouverte depuis 1989 et de décrire l'influence de la relaxation de certaines contraintes des cellules robotisées sur la recherche du meilleur cycle de production. La principale perspective est, pour les cas où la conjecture est fausse, de trouver le meilleur cycle de production

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2005.
Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-154).

Numerous optimization problems in production systems can be considered as decision-making processes that determine the best allocation of resources to tasks over time to optimize one or more objectives in concert with big data. Among the optimization problems, production scheduling and routing of robots for material handling are becoming more important due to their impacts on system performance. However, the development of efficient algorithms for scheduling or routing faces several challenges. While the scheduling and vehicle routing problems can be solved by mathematical models such as mixed-integer linear programming to find optimal solutions to smallsized problems, they are not applicable to larger problems due to the nature of NP-hard problems. Thus, further research on machine learning applications to those problems is a significant step towards increasing the possibilities and potentialities of field application. In order to create truly intelligent systems, new frameworks for scheduling and routing are proposed to utilize machine learning (ML) techniques. First, the dynamic single-machine scheduling problem for minimization of total weighted tardiness is addressed. In order to solve the problem more efficiently, a decisiontree-based approach called Generation of Rules Automatically with Feature construction and Treebased learning (GRAFT) is designed to extract dispatching rules from existing or good schedules. In addition to the single-machine scheduling problem, the flexible job-shop scheduling problem with release times for minimizing the total weighted tardiness is analyzed. As a ML-based solution approach, a random-forest-based approach called Random Forest for Obtaining Rules for Scheduling (RANFORS) is developed to solve the problem by generating dispatching rules automatically. Finally, an optimization problem for routing of autonomous robots for minimizing total tardiness of transportation requests is analyzed by decomposing it into three sub-problems. In order to solve the sub-problems, a comprehensive framework with consideration of conflicts between routes is proposed. Especially to the sub-problem for vehicle routing, a new local search algorithm called COntextual-Bandit-based Adaptive Local search with Tree-based regression (COBALT) that incorporates the contextual bandit into operator selection is developed. The findings from my research contribute to suggesting a guidance to practitioners for the applications of ML to scheduling and control problems, and ultimately to lead the implementation of smart factories.

Growing concerns over global warming and increasing fuel costs have pushed the traditional fuel-based centralized electrical grid to the forefront of mounting public pressure. These concerns will only intensify in the future, owing to the growth in electricity demand. Such growths require increased generation of electricity to meet the demand, and this means more carbon footprint from the electrical grid. To meet the growing demand economically by using clean sources of energy, the electrical grid needs significant structural and operational changes to cope with various challenges. Microgrids (µGs) can be an answer to the structural requirement of the electrical grid. µGs integrate renewables and serve local needs, thereby, reducing line losses and improving resiliency. However, stochastic nature of electricity harvest from renewables makes its integration into the grid challenging. The time varying and intermittent
nature of renewables and consumer demand can be mitigated by the use of storages and dynamic load scheduling. Automated dynamic load scheduling constitutes the operational changes that could enable us to achieve energy efficiency in the grid.
The current research works on automated load scheduling primarily focuses on scheduling residential and commercial building loads, while the current research on manufacturing scheduling is based on static approaches with very scarce literature on job shop scheduling. However, residential, commercial and, industrial sector, each contribute to about one-third of the total electricity consumption. A few research
works have been done focusing on dynamic scheduling in manufacturing facilities for energy efficiency. In a smart grid scenario, consumers are coupled through electricity
pool and storage. Thus, this research investigates the problem of integrating production line loads with building loads for optimal scheduling to reduce the total electricity
cost in a µG.
This research focuses on integrating the different types of loads from different types of consumers using automated dynamic load scheduling framework for sequential decision making. After building a deterministic model to be used as a benchmark, dynamic load scheduling models are constructed. Firstly, an intelligent algorithm is developed for load scheduling from a consumer’s perspective. Secondly, load scheduling model is developed based on central grid controller’s perspective. And finally, a reinforcement learning model is developed for improved load scheduling by sharing
among multiple µGs. The performance of the algorithms is compared against different well-known individualistic strategies, static strategies and, optimal benchmark
solutions. The proposed dynamic load scheduling framework is model free with minimum assumptions and it outperforms the different well-known heuristics and static strategies while obtains solutions comparable to the optimal benchmark solution.
The future electrical grid is envisioned to be an interconnected network of µGs. In addition to the automated load scheduling in a µG, coordination among µGs by
demand and capacity sharing can also be used to mitigate stochastic nature of supply and demand in an electrical grid. In this research, demand and resource sharing
among µGs is proposed to leverage the interaction between the different µGs for developing load scheduling policy based on reinforcement learning.