Virtual assembly planning and assembly-oriented quantitative evaluation of product assemblability

Abstract

Assembly motion navigation and assemblability evaluation play key roles in assembly design, assembly operation analysis, and assembly planning. The accurate positioning of parts and realistic simulation of the assembly process are the premise of the evaluation and optimization of product design. The product assemblability evaluation is needed during the initial design stage in order to identify potential assembly problems. This paper presents a motion navigation method based on force guidance, which achieves a realistic simulation of the assembly process. A novel approach to assemblability and assembly sequence analysis and evaluation is developed. The calculation methods of assembly force, contact force, and assembly torque under the influences of part properties, visual, and human factors etc. are given. Quantitative evaluation of component assemblability (CA) according to the assembly time and assembly trial times is developed. Then, from an overall perspective, a product assemblability (PA) evaluation system is established on the basis of assemblability of each component and the assembly sequence is optimized according to the PA evaluation results. This algorithm has been applied to a self-developed desktop virtual assembly prototype system. An example is illustrated, and the results prove that this algorithm provides a realistic and accurate assembly motion navigation in virtual space and gives a correct and appropriate quantitative evaluation of the product assemblability.