Factorial effects on the performance of closed-loop asynchronous automatic assembly systems

Abstract

An automatic assembly system is typically composed of a number of workstations and a transport system. Each assembly is moved on a carrier called a pallet. It is difficult to analyse the performance of the system since its overall performance is affected by many factors, like the number of stations installed, the number of pallets installed, the buffer units between two stations, the reliability of the workstations and the transport delay time. Therefore, a major challenge to a design engineer is to find the optimal combination of the factors to achieve the highest productivity at the lowest cost. However, research work addressing this issue has not been adequate. This paper develops a simulation model to study the performance characteristics of the system, analyse the impact of each factor on its overall performance and identify its optimal configuration. The paper also provides guidelines for optimising the overall performance of the system. © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.