Design and Implementation of an Automated Assembly Line for a Manufacturing Facility

Abstract

Abstract - As the field of automation has become more widespread, more companies, still mostly using manual labor, are looking into it to increase their productivity. However the transition between manual operation and automatic operation is not always smooth. Several considerations need to be taken in order to ensure proper implementation of the system. The purpose of this work is to show an example of how this was achieved on a Manufacturing Facility. During the last few decades, this company has been manufacturing electronic parts for electrical vehicles using mainly hand assembly. However during recent years the company has been introducing new equipment in order to maximize its resources. After witnessing the success obtained by integrating automated equipment into our production lines, the company has decided to start focusing into this area and research how it can be applied to further improve our systems. The biggest and most recent project in which the company got involved consisted in the creation of a whole automated assembly line. This line is already running. This paper reviews the major steps needed to implement the line, its function as well as some of the major improvements we need to implement to continue improving it. Key Words – Automation, Lean Design, Lean Manufacturing, Robotics.