ABSTRACT

The use of assistive technologies, such as digital instructions (DIs) and collaborative robots (cobots), can improve the productivity of assembly system. However, their implementation remains arbitrary. In this study, a decision support system based on tactical-level variables (i.e. throughput, operator and equipment cost, operation time and type) was proposed with the aim of suggesting when the introduction of assistive technologies becomes profitable. Four different assembly system configurations (i.e. manual assembly, manual assembly with the implementation of DIs, manual assembly with the implementation of cobots and manual assembly with the implementation of both DIs and cobots) were modelled by means of four different cost models and analysed in depth with a parametric analysis carried out by varying the tactical-level variables. The results suggested that, when the throughput is low, the introduction of cobots should be considered only in cases of high operation times, while the introduction of DIs and/or cobots is the best alternative when the throughput is high. Finally, the validity of the approach is proved by comparing the results suggested by the decision support system with those obtained from a case study.

摘要

使用辅助技术，如数字指令 (DI) 和协作机器人 (cobots)，可以提高装配系统的生产力。但是，它们的实现仍然是任意的。在这项研究中，提出了一个基于战术级变量（即吞吐量、操作员和设备成本、操作时间和类型）的决策支持系统，旨在建议何时引入辅助技术变得有利可图。通过四种不同的成本模型对四种不同的装配系统配置（即手动装配、实施 DI 的手动装配、实施协作机器人的手动装配以及实施 DI 和协作机器人的手动装配）进行建模并进行深入分析通过改变战术级变量进行参数分析。结果表明，当吞吐量较低时，只有在操作时间较长的情况下才应考虑引入协作机器人，而当吞吐量较高时，引入 DI 和/或协作机器人是最佳选择。最后，通过将决策支持系统提出的结果与从案例研究中获得的结果进行比较，证明了该方法的有效性。