AN INTEGRATED COMPUTER AID FOR GENERATING AND EVALUATING ASSEMBLY SEQUENCES FOR MECHANICAL PRODUCTS

We describe an integrated computer aid that is useful for assembly-line design and for concurrent design of mechanical products. Recognizing that early consideration of assembly sequence is important for producibility, quality control, flexibility, and market responsiveness, we have built an integrated set of user-interactive computer programs that generates all feasible assembly sequences for a product and then aids the user in judging their value based on various criteria. The programs use a disassembly analysis for generating sequences and provide on-line visual aids during generation and evaluation. During evaluation, matters such as avoiding difficult assembly states or moves, stability, fixturing, orientation, refixturing and reorientation count, and inclusion of favorable states are considered to highlight desirable or undesirable sequences. The designer edits the set of sequences according to these criteria, leading to an informed sequence choice or to needed design refinement. The interactive programs provide a rapid means for sequence selection, encouraging their use during early design.