ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the design of robotic assembly cells viewed as a part of flexible assembly systems (FAS) and focuses on the issue of material flow performance. It reviews the fundamentals of material flow simulation; by using three simple examples, a singlerobot workcell, a multirobot cell, and the FAS composed of a number of robot-based cells. The chapter considers the role of material flow simulation in the design of robot cells and robot-rich assembly systems and point to the design features of operational significance that can be analyzed using simulation. It looks at the difficulties of building simulation models—the expertise required, the long lead times to develop models, and so on—and argues for the case for generalized material flow simulators. The chapter presents a generalized data-driven simulator for multirobot cells. It also presents flexible assembly system simulator, which allows to model flexible assembly systems composed of groups of robot-based cells and transport devices.
