Robots in Assembly

This study explains the actual and potential use of robots for assembly tasks, and assesses the developments which are taking place. The authors provide an introduction to the field of flexible assembly, analyzing the advantages and limitations of existing systems, and discussing what is technically desirable and practical as well as economically feasible. The relevance of the various properties of robots to assembly are reviewed and compared with existing assembly equipment capabilities. This leads on to the use and design of feeding mechanisms and recent advances in flexible feeders. The design requirements for general purpose assembly robots are presented, and finally the all important issues affecting product design are discussed.