Papers by George Michalos
CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, 2014
ABSTRACT The currently widespread mass customisation paradigm greatly affects the planning and op... more ABSTRACT The currently widespread mass customisation paradigm greatly affects the planning and operation of manufacturing networks. The increasing need towards customised products in combination with the volatile product demand calls for efficient ways to design and plan manufacturing network configurations. The work discussed in this paper aims at enabling a mass customisation and personalisation implementation, by engaging the customer in the design of unique products and by enabling the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to efficiently plan manufacturing and transportation activities of highly customised products by exploiting an innovative decentralised manufacturing approach. The suggested method, which is implemented into a web-based platform consists of (a) the “User Adaptive Design System” (UADS), focused on providing user-friendly design tools that allow unique product design changes, in a constrained way, (b) the “Decentralised Manufacturing Platform” (DEMAP) that allows the generation, evaluation and selection of manufacturing/transportation network alternatives, and (c) the “Environmental Assessment Module” (EAM) that assesses through simulation the environmental footprint of the alternative network configurations. The applicability of the suggested architecture is validated through its pilot installation to a European automotive manufacturer and a CNC machine building company.
Procedia CIRP, 2014
This paper presents the vision and architectures, proposed by the EU project ROBO-PARTNER. The pr... more This paper presents the vision and architectures, proposed by the EU project ROBO-PARTNER. The project aspires to the integration of the latest industrial automation systems for assembly operations, in combination with human capabilities. Focus is given to combining robot strength, velocity, predictability, repeatability and precision with human intelligence and skills to get at a hybrid solution that would be involving the safe cooperation of operators with autonomous and adapting robotic systems. The main enablers are: the development of intuitive interfaces for safe human-robot cooperation (HRC), the use of safety strategies and equipment, allowing fenceless human robot assembly cells, the introduction of methods and tools for the efficient planning programming and execution of assembly operations, as well as the use of mobile robots, acting as assistants to human operators. The project also provides a more flexible integration and communication architecture by utilizing a distributed computing model along with ontology services. A pilot case from the automotive industry is used as the ground for developing and testing the aforementioned technologies.
Procedia CIRP, 2014
This paper investigates into the use of a dual arm robot system for performing manual assembly op... more This paper investigates into the use of a dual arm robot system for performing manual assembly operations. The investigation is based on a case study, originating from the final assembly area of an automotive assembly plant. The motivation as well as the benefits derived from the employment of a dual arm robot are discussed. The station layout, tooling design and robot programming are elaborated. The use of a dual arm robot enables the performance of operations that are carried out by humans, while the comparison of using single arm robots offers a number of advantages, which are discussed in the paper. The assembly of a vehicle dashboard is used as the use case coming from the automotive industry.
7th International Conference on Digital Enterprise Technology (DET 2011), 2011
The currently promoted mass customization paradigm generates complexity in manufacturing and high... more The currently promoted mass customization paradigm generates complexity in manufacturing and high costs, issues that manufacturers need to address. The work discussed in this paper aims at bridging the gap between mass production and mass customization, by engaging the customer in the design of unique products and by enabling the OEMs to efficiently handle the production by exploiting the benefits of decentralized manufacturing. The conceptual framework presented in this paper is a web-based collaboration platform that consists of a) the user design system which focuses on providing user-friendly design tools that will allow the customer to perform unique design changes, in a controlled way, b) the decentralized manufacturing decision making tool, which allows the systematic generation, evaluation and selection of cost-efficient and eco-friendly manufacturing/supply procedures for the manufacturing of the product and c) the network infrastructure for providing and maintaining the interoperability among the aforementioned systems. The software implementation tools are presented and the expected results from the exploitation of the platform are indicated.
Proceedings of the IFAC Workshop on Manufacturing Modelling, Management and Control, 2007
The objective of this work is to examine the limitations in the human-centred assembly process an... more The objective of this work is to examine the limitations in the human-centred assembly process and to discuss solutions for eliminating their impact on manufacturing systems, especially in the automotive ones. Further limitations are introduced during the planning of assembly operations and need to be accounted for by the manufacturers. In an attempt to overcome such constraints, several approaches are examined in the context of this work. The primary subject is the information flow at shop floor level. Solutions giving on-line instructions to the workers and an integrated information flow network are some of the technologies addressed in this paper. Furthermore, a kanban system enhanced by the RFID technology is also discussed.
ABSTRACT This paper presents the development of a method for the calculation of coordinates of a ... more ABSTRACT This paper presents the development of a method for the calculation of coordinates of a part's features in a world reference frame (WRF), using images acquired from a camera. The method is used to identify multiple, randomly placed, similar objects from the consumer goods industry. The geometry and the intensity differences among multiple points are used for the identification, due to the objects' complicated geometry and the non-discrete characteristics. All the general (e.g. orientation) and special (e.g. visible side) purpose features are identified. It was implemented within a software tool using MATLAB and tested in the case of shaver handles' feeding. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of International Scientific Committee of the 2nd CIRP Global Web Conference in the person of the Conference Chair Dr. Sotiris Makris
Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 2012
This paper discusses an integration driven framework for enabling the RFID based identification o... more This paper discusses an integration driven framework for enabling the RFID based identification of parts to perform robotic assembly operations in a random mix. The RFID infrastructure senses the newly arriving parts to be assembled and via an integration framework, the robots are able to recognize them and perform cooperative welding operations. The parts to be welded have different characteristics,
International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 2012
In this work, a method of deriving assembly line design alternatives and evaluating them against ... more In this work, a method of deriving assembly line design alternatives and evaluating them against multiple user-defined criteria has been presented. The design problem has been formulated in a way that it can be transformed from a decision-making problem into a search problem. A systematic way of generating the solution space of the search problem, based on the real-life design project requirements, has been described in detail. An intelligent search algorithm that uses the three control factors to guide the search was introduced and applied to efficiently derive high-quality line designs. Investment cost, availability, equipment reutilisation, annual production volume and flexibility metrics have been used for evaluating the alternative designs. The method was implemented in a software tool, which can automatically generate discrete event simulation models for the calculation of several performance metrics. The results of the application, in an automotive case, indicate that the tool is appropriate for supporting decision making during the stage of rough planning, although several functionalities can be used during more advanced stages such as the detailed planning concept.
CIRP Annals-Manufacturing Technology, 2011
This paper presents a method implemented in a web based tool able to generate job rotation schedu... more This paper presents a method implemented in a web based tool able to generate job rotation schedules for human based assembly systems. Through a user friendly web interface, production engineers can represent an assembly line, the tasks to be performed for each product, and the operator’s characteristics. An intelligent search algorithm is used for generating alternative solutions to the scheduling problem. Multiple criteria decision making is used for evaluating the job rotation schedule alternatives, according to criteria deriving from industrial assembly line requirements. The tool is tested on a truck assembly case study and can provide high quality solutions.
… Journal of Computer …, 2011
This article discusses the key features of cooperating robotic cells in the automotive assembly, ... more This article discusses the key features of cooperating robotic cells in the automotive assembly, highlighting the key elements in the engineers' decision-making process, while designing and implementing an assembly line for the Body In White. The main issues, ...
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 2008
Digital manufacturing has been considered, over the last decade, as a highly promising set of tec... more Digital manufacturing has been considered, over the last decade, as a highly promising set of technologies for reducing product development times and cost as well as for addressing the need for customization, increased product quality, and faster response to the market. This paper describes the evolution of information technology systems in manufacturing, outlining their characteristics and the challenges to be addressed in the future. Together with the digital manufacturing and factory concepts, the technologies considered in this paper include computer-aided design, engineering, process planning and manufacturing, product data and life-cycle management, simulation and virtual reality, automation, process control, shopfloor scheduling, decision support, decision making, manufacturing resource planning, enterprise resource planning, logistics, supply chain management, and e-commerce systems. These technologies are discussed in the context of the digital factory and manufacturing concepts.
CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, 2010
In this paper, emerging technologies in the automotive assembly are discussed, along with techniq... more In this paper, emerging technologies in the automotive assembly are discussed, along with techniques used in the vehicle assembly plants. The discussion involves technologies directly dealing with assembly processes such as handling, joining, human resources etc. as well as with supporting systems, mainly the information technologies. An overview of the existing technologies is provided. The assembly systems are unable to cope with the requirements of mass customization and need to be enriched with new technologies for a higher flexibility potential. Concepts integrating various new technologies into supporting both automated and human based assembly operations are presented and discussed versus this identified inability for mass customization. Future assembly plants need to utilize flexibility systematically, both for the system design and its operation. For this purpose, a close loop approach is discussed.
International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 2012
Decentralised decision making and real-time response to the unforeseen changes, often taking plac... more Decentralised decision making and real-time response to the unforeseen changes, often taking place in both the manufacturing and market environments, are two important factors that affect the flexibility, required for a production chain to follow demand. This article describes an agent-based methodology, for addressing both realtime and decentralised manufacturing decision-making challenges. At the manufacturing levels of production and processes, the agents employ a mechanism to generate local alternatives as well as a message exchange procedure to build decision trees, which are traversed and evaluated via user-defined objective functions. The generic structure used in the approach allows in a wide range the application of production system configurations. The real-time information, required for monitoring the system status and for generating valid alternatives, is obtained through integration with the existing information systems. An application to the textile industry is presented and discussed.
Uploads
Papers by George Michalos