Robotic System for Aerospace Batch Manufacturing; Task C--Definition of Robot Assembly Capability, Technical Report AFML-TR-79-4202, Final Report for period July 1978 - December 1979

xvii, 251, [1] pages. Illustrations. Title written on the spine in ink. At the time of publication distribution was limited to U.S. Government agencies only. Given the passage of time and advances in technology it is understood that this limitation no longer applies. Includes Introduction, Discussion, Conclusion, Recommendations, References, and Appendices (including Laboratory Tooling, Solid Photography Incorporated Final Report, and SRI International Final Report). Also includes 14 full page black and white illustrations, as well as a Summary, Introduction, Discussion, Conclusion, Recommendations, References, Glossary of Terms, and three Appendices. Integrated Computer-Aided Manufacturing (ICAM) is a US Air Force program that develops tools, techniques, and processes to support manufacturing integration. It influenced the computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) project efforts of many companies. The ICAM program was founded in 1976 and initiative managed by the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson as a part of their technology modernization efforts. The program initiated the development a series of standards for modeling and analysis in management and business improvement, called Integrated Definitions, short IDEFs. The ICAM program was visionary in showing that a new approach was necessary to achieve integration in manufacturing firms. Wisnosky and Shunk developed a "wheel" to illustrate the architecture of their ICAM project and to show the various elements that had to work together. Wisnosky and Shunk were among the first to understand the web of interdependencies needed for integration. Their work represents the first major step in shifting the focus of manufacturing from a series of sequential operations to parallel processing. The ICAM program has spent over $100 million to develop tools, techniques, and processes to support manufacturing integration. The Air Force's ICAM program recognizes the role of data as central to any integration effort. Data must be common and shareable across functions. The concept still remains ahead of its time, because most major companies did not seriously begin to attack the data architecture challenge until well into the 1990s. The ICAM program also recognizes the need for ways to analyze and document major activities within the manufacturing establishment. Thus, from ICAM came the IDEFs, the standard for modeling and analysis in management and business improvement efforts. The objective of ICAM Project 812-8 was to identify effective robotic applications in aerospace batch manufacturing, establish techniques to more fully take advantage of robotic capabilities, and develop requirements for applications in a production environment. This final technical report only addresses the Task C assembly effort and related elements thereto performed on the applicability of robotic research efforts and development needs into a theoretical assembly station which could be expanded to an assembly cell that could be potentially operational by the mid-1980's. A number of aircraft assemblies amenable to robotization were identified along with the necessary internal and external assembly cell equipment requirements. Some robotic equipment has yet to be completely developed e.g., vision which generates systems limitations and constraints. The robot itself is limited in that ancillary equipment is required for assembly completion e.g., the robot must manipulate the assembly in the yoke of an external fastening device for fastener installation. These system limitations and constraints are addressed along with possible solutions. The socio-economic ramifications emanating from robotic assembly were studied with the resulting conclusion that the sociological impact could be minimized through effective implementation strategy.…