CAD/CAM Module-1

Automated Production Lines

18ME72 and Assembly Systems

Dr. Mohanakumara K C
Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Mechanical
Engineering,
ATMECE, Mysuru
 Module 1
Automated Production Lines and
Assembly Systems
The objectives of the use of flow line
automation
• To reduce labor costs
• To increase production rates
• To reduce work-in-process
• To minimize distances moved between
operations
• To achieve specialization of operations
• To achieve integration of operations

Symbols Used In Production Systems

 Automated Flow Line
• An automated flow line consists of several machines or
workstations which are linked together by work handling
devices that transfer parts between the stations.
• The transfer of work parts occurs automatically and the
workstations carry out their specialized functions
automatically.
• The flow line can be symbolized as shown in Figure
 Configurations of Automated Flow Line

In-line type

Rotary type
 Configurations of Automated Flow Line
Segmented In-Line Type:

U-shaped configuration
L-shaped configuration

Rectangular-shaped configuration
 Methods of Work part Transport
• The transfer mechanism of the automated flow line must not only move the partially
completed work parts or assemblies between adjacent stations, it must also orient and
locate the parts in the correct position for processing at each station.
• The general methods of transporting workpieces on flow lines can be classified into the
following three categories:
1. Continuous transfer
2. Intermittent or synchronous transfer
3. Asynchronous or power-and-free transfer

Type of transport system for a given application depends on such factors as:
 The types of operation to be performed,
 The number of stations on the line
 The weight and size of the work parts
 Production rate requirements
 Whether manual stations are included on the line,
 Balancing the various process times on the line
 TRANSFER MECHANISMS

• Linear transfer mechanisms

• Walking beam systems
TRANSFER MECHANISMS

walking beam transfer system, showing various stage during transfer stage
TRANSFER MECHANISMS

Chain drive conveyor

Rack and pinion

mechanisms
TRANSFER MECHANISMS
Rachet and pawl
mechanism

CAM mechanisms
 BUFFER STORAGE

There are two principal reasons for the use of buffer storage zones. The first is to
reduce the effect of individual station breakdowns on the line operation. The
continuous or intermittent transfer system acts as a single integrated machine.
When breakdowns occur at the individual stations or when preventive maintenance
is applied to the machine, production must be halted. In many cases, the proportion
of time the line spends out of operation can be significant, perhaps reaching 50% or
more. Some of the common reasons for line stoppages are:

 Tool failures or tool adjustments at individual processing stations Scheduled tool

changes
 Defective workparts or components at assembly stations, which require that the
 Feed mechanism be cleared
 Feed hopper needs to be replenished at an assembly station
 Limit switch or other electrical malfunction
 Mechanical failure of transfer system or workstation
Reasons for using storage buffers:
– To reduce effect of station breakdowns
– To provide a bank of parts to supply the line
– To provide a place to put the output of the line
– To allow curing time or other required delay
– To smooth cycle time variations
– To store parts between stages with different production rates

The disadvantages of buffer storage on flow lines are increased factory floor
space, higher in-process inventory, more material handling equipment, and
greater complexity of the overall flow line system.
The benefits of buffer storage are often great enough to more than
compensate for these disadvantages.
ANALYSIS OF AUTOMATED FLOW LINE without Buffer storage
General Terminology & Analysis:
There are two problem areas in analysis of automated flow lines which must be
addressed:
 Process Technology
 Systems Technology

Process Technology refers to the body of knowledge about the theory & principles of the
particular manufacturing process used on the production line. E.g. in the manufacturing
process, process technology includes the metallurgy & machinability of the work
material, the correct applications of the cutting tools, chip control, economics of
machining, machine tools alterations & a host of other problems. Many problems
encountered in machining can be overcome by application of good machining principles.
In each process, a technology is developed by many years of research & practice.
Terminology & Analysis of transfer lines with no Internal storage:
There are a few assumptions that we will have to make about the operation of the
Transfer line & rotary indexing machines:
1. The workstations perform operations such as machining & not assembly.
2. Processing times at each station are constant though they may not be equal.
3. There is synchronous transfer of parts.
4. No internal storage of buffers.
 Production time
In the operation of an automated production line, parts are introduced into the
first workstation & are processed and transported at regular intervals to the
succeeding stations. This interval defines the ideal cycle time, Tc of the
production line. Tc is the processing time for the slowest station of the line plus
the transfer time; i.e. :

Tc = max (Tsi) + Tr

Tc = ideal cycle on the line (min)

Tsi = processing time at station (min)
Tr = repositioning time, called the transfer time (min)
We use the max (Tsi) because the longest service time establishes the pace of
the production line. The remaining stations with smaller service times will have
to wait for the slowest station. The other stations will be idle.
In the operation of a transfer line, random breakdowns & planned stoppages
cause downtime on the line.
Common reasons for downtime on an Automated Production line:

1. Tool failures at workstations.

2. Tool adjustments at workstations
3. Scheduled tool charges
4. Limit switch or other electrical malfunctions.
5. Mechanical failure of a workstation.
6. Mechanical failure of a transfer line.
7. Stock outs of starting work parts.
8. Insufficient space for completed parts.
9. Preventive maintenance on the line worker breaks.
ANALYSIS OF AUTOMATED FLOW LINE without Buffer storage
The frequency of the breakdowns & line stoppages can be measured even though
they occur randomly when the line stops, it is down for a certain average time for
each downtime occurrence. These downtime occurrences cause the actual
average production cycle time of the line to be longer than the ideal cycle time.
The actual average production time Tp:
Tp = Tc + FTd
F= downtime frequency, line stops / cycle
Td = downtime per line stop in minutes
The downtime Td includes the time for the repair crew to swing back into
action, diagnose the cause of failure, fix it & restart the drive.
FTd = downtime averaged on a per cycle basis
Production can be computed as a reciprocal of Tp
Rp = 1 /Tp
Where, Rp = actual average production rate (pc / min)
Tp = the actual average production time
The ideal production rate is given by
Rc = 1/Tc
 Line efficiency and Downtime
The machine tool builder uses the ideal production rate, Rc, in the proposal for the
automated transfer line & calls it as the production rate at 100% efficiency because of
downtime. The machine tool builder may ignore the effect of downtime on production
rate but it should be stated that the amount of downtime experienced on the line is the
responsibility of the company using the production line.
Line efficiency refers to the proportion of uptime on the line & is a measure of
reliability more than efficiency.
Line efficiency can be calculated as follows:
E = Tc/(Tc + FTd)
Where E = the proportion of uptime on the production line.

An alternative measure of the performance is the proportion of downtime on the line

which is given by:
D = FTd/ Tp

D=FTd/(Tc+FTd)

Where D = proportion of downtime on the line

E + D = 1.0
Cost per piece
An important economic measure of the performance of an automated
production line is the cost of the unit produced. The cost of 1 piece includes
the cost of the starting blank that is to processed, the cost of time on the
production line & the cost of the tool consumed. The cost per unit can be
expressed as the sum of three factors:

Cpc = Cm + CoTp + Ct
Where Cpc = cost per piece (Rs / pc)
Cm = cost per minute to operate the time (Rs / min)
Tp = average production time per piece (min / pc)
Ct = cost of tooling per piece (Rs / pc)
Co = the allocation of capital cost of the equipment over the service life,
labour to operate the line, applicable overheads, maintenance, & other
relevant costs all reduced to cost per min.
 Upper Bound Approach:
 
The upper bound approach provides an upper limit on the frequency on the line stops per
cycle. In this approach we assume that the part remains on the line for further processing. It
is possible that there will be more than one line stop associated with a given part during its
sequence of processing operations. Let
Pr = probability or frequency of a failure at station i where i = 1, 2,………. η
Station i where i = 1, 2, ……………. η
Since a part is not removed from the line when a station jam occurs it is possible that the
part will be associated with a station breakdown at every station. The expected number of
lines stops per part passing through the line is obtained by summing the frequencies Pi over
the n stations. Since each of the n stations is processing a part of each cycle, then the
expected frequency of line stops per cycle is equal to the expected frequency of line stops
per part i.e.
F=
where F = expected frequency of line stops per cycle
Pi = frequency of station break down per cycle, causing a line stop
2. = number of workstations on the line
If all the Pi are assumed equal, which is unlikely but useful for computation purposes, then
F = η.P when all the Pi are equal
P1 = P2 = ………….. P = P
Lower Bound Approach:
The lower bound approach gives an estimate of the lower limit on the expected
frequency of line stops per cycle. Here we assume that a station breakdown results in
destruction of the part, resulting in removal of the part from the line & preventing its
subsequent processing at the remaining workstations.

Let Pi = the probability that the workpiece will jam at a particular station i.
Then considering a given part as it proceeds through the line, Pi = probability that the
part will jam at station 1
(1 - Pi) = probability that the part will not jam station 1 & thus will available for
processing at subsequent stations. A jam at station 2 is contingent on successfully
making it through station 1 & therefore the probability that the same part will jam at
station 2 is given by P (1 – P )

Generalising the quantity P (1 – Pi - 1) (1 – Pi - 2) = (1 – P2) (1 – P1)

Where i = 1,,2, ………. n
is the probability that a given part will jam at any station i. Summing all these
probabilities from i = 1 through i = η gives the probability or frequency of line stops per
cycle.
Therefore the frequency of line stops per cycle is:
F=1-[(1-P1)(1-P2)(1-P3)…..(1-Pn)]
Analysis of Transfer Lines with Storage Buffers
In an automated production line with no internal storage of parts, the workstations are
interdependent. When one station breaks down all other stations on the line are affected
either immediately or by the end of a few cycles of operation.
The other stations will be forced to stop for one or two reasons
1) Starving of stations
2) Blocking of stations

Starving on an automated production line means that a workstation is prevented from

performing its cycle because it has no part to work on. When a breakdown occurs at any
workstation on the line, the stations downstream from the affected station will either
immediately or eventually become starved for parts.

Blocking means that a station is prevented from performing its work cycle because it
cannot pass the part it just completed to the neighbouring downstream station. When a
break down occurs at a station on the line, the stations upstreams from the affected
station become blocked because the broken down station cannot accept the next part for
processing from the neighbouring upstream station. Therefore none of the upstream
stations can pass their just completed parts for work.
 Analysis of Transfer Lines with Storage Buffers
By Adding one or more parts storage buffers between workstations production lines
can be designed to operate more efficiently. The storage buffer divides the line into
stages that can operate independently for a number of cycles.
The number depending on the storage capacity of the buffer
 If one storage buffer is used, the line is divided into two stages.
 If two storage buffers are used at two different locations along the line, then a three
stage line is formed.
The upper limit on the number of storage buffers is to have a storage between every
pair of adjacent stations.
The number of stages will then be equal to the number of workstations.
For an η stage line, there will be η – 1 storage buffers. This obviously will not include
the raw parts inventory at the front of the line or the finished parts inventory that
accumulates at the end of the line.
Two extreme cases of storage buffer effectiveness can be identified:
1. No buffer storage capacity at all.
2. Infinite capacity storage buffers
 Partial Automation:
Many assembly lines in industry contain a combination of automated & manual work
stations. These cases of partially automated production lines occur for two main reasons:
1. Automation is introduced gradually on an existing manual line. Suppose that demand
for the product made on a manually operated line increases, & it is desired to increase
production & reduce labour costs by automating some or all of the stations. The simpler
operations are automated first, & the transition toward a fully automated line is
accomplished over a long period of time. Meanwhile, the line operates as a partially
automated system.
2. Certain manual operations are too difficult or too costly to automate. Therefore,
when the sequence of workstations is planned for the line, certain stations are designed
to be automated, whereas the others are designed as manual stations.

Examples of operations that might be too difficult to automate are assembly procedures
or processing steps involving alignment, adjustment, or fine-tuning of the work unit.
These operations often require special human skills and/or senses to carry out. Many
inspection procedures also fall into this category. Defects in a product or a part that can
be easily perceived by a human inspector are sometimes extremely difficult to identify by
an automated inspection device. Another problem is that the automated inspection
device can only check for the defects for which it was designed, whereas a human
inspector is capable of sensing a variety of unanticipated imperfections & problems.
To analyze the performance of a partially automated production line
To analyze the performance of a partially automated production line, we build on our
previous analysis & make the following assumptions:
1. Workstations perform either processing or assembly operations;
2. Processing & assembly times at automated stations are constant, though not
necessarily equal at all stations;
3. Synchronous transfer of parts;
4. No internal buffer storage ;
5. The upper bound approach is applicable &
6. Station breakdowns occur only at automated stations.
Breakdowns do not occur at manual workstations because the human workers are
flexible enough, we assume, to adapt to the kinds of disruptions & malfunctions that
would interrupt the operation of an automated workstation. For example, if a human
operator were to retrieve a defective part from the parts bin at the station, the part
would immediately be discarded & replaced by another without much lost time. Of
course, this assumption of human adaptability is not always correct, but our analysis is
based on it.
The ideal cycle time Tc is determined by the slowest stations on the line, which is
generally one of the manual stations. If the cycle time is in fact determined by a manual
station, then Tc will exhibit a certain degree of variability simply because there is a
random variation in any repetitive human activity.
 Automated Assembly Systems
Assembly involves the joining together of two or more separate parts to form new
entity which may be assembly or subassembly.

Automated assembly refers to the use of mechanized and automated devices to

perform the various functions in an assembly line or cell.

Automated assembly system performs a sequence of automated operations to

combine multiple components in to a single entity which can be a final product or
sub assembly.

Automated assembly technology should be considered when the following condition

exists.

 High product demand

 Stable product design
 The assembly consists of no more than a limited number of components.
 The product is designed for automated assembly.
Automated assembly system involves less investment compared to transfer lines
because
1. Work part produced are smaller in size compared to transfer lines.
2. Assembly operations do not have the large mechanical forces and power
requirement
3. Size is very less compared to transfer lines.
TYPES OF AUTOMATED ASSEMBLY SYSTEMS
Based on the type of work transfer system that is used in the assembly system:
• Continuous transfer system
• Synchronous transfer system
• Asynchronous transfer system
• Stationary base part system

The first three types involve the same methods of workpart transport described in
automated flow line. In the stationary base part system, the base part to which the
other components are added is placed in a fixed location, where it remains during
the assembly work.

Based on physical configuration:

• Dial-type assembly machine
• In-line assembly machine
• Carousel assembly system
• Single-station assembly machine
In-line configuration for assembly system

Rotary configuration
 configuration of a
carrousel assembly
system

single-station assembly machine

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