AUTOMATED ASSEMBLY SCHEDULING - A REVIEW

This paper is concerned with the scheduling of automated assembly syst ems, and is based on a brief survey of current industrial practice and work undertaken within one of the case study sites. It begins with a review of the categories of assembly systems found in industry, and ex amines the main characteristics of each main type before going on to e xamine approaches adopted for scheduling and the role of simulation as a scheduling tool. Two short case studies are then presented, one con cerning an engine plant and the other a plant manufacturing axles. The se studies emphasize the difficulties associated with the automated as sembly of large and relatively complex products, and the practical pro blems associated with assembly scheduling within an AMT environment.