3D Design Support for Rapid Virtual Prototyping of Manufacturing Systems

Abstract

The paper presents several 3D layout configurator software tools and a library of manufacturing system components to rapidly build up the 3D models of manufacturing systems; some analysis tools to analyze the created 3D models; and some methods to rapidly create 3D models from point cloud of scanned manufacturing facilities. Within the configurators the user can define the following data as input: production process (e.g. type and order of operations), type of production equipment, type of material handling systems (e.g. robots, conveyors), type and sub-type of layout, and some spatial constraints (e.g. distance between machines, spatial arrangement). The configurators are able to create the 3D model of the manufacturing systems based on the selection of an appropriate layout template. The layout templates are defined by the species identified with a cladistic classification system or by the sub-species where each sub-species inherits the characteristics of its species. Based on the selected layout template and the defined production process the appropriate elements of the manufacturing system can be selected by the user from a predefined component library. Such library includes the 3D models and technical data of workstations, machine tools, material handling equipment, etc. Two analysis tools have been developed to evaluate the created 3D models: a collision elimination tool and a robot programming tool. The paper also presents two solutions to rapidly create 3D models from point cloud of scanned manufacturing facilities; as well as an application to automatically create a simplified quasi-volumetric point cloud model that can be used for collision detection.