The design of reconfigurable assembly stations for high variety and mass customisation manufacturing

Authors

  • Jared Padayachee Discipline of Mechanical Engineering School of Engineering University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • G Bright Discipline of Mechanical Engineering University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7166/24-3-553

Keywords:

Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems, Automated Assembly, Mass Customization

Abstract

The economical production of mass customised and high variety goods is a challenge facing modern manufacturers. This challenge is being addressed, in part, by the on-going development of technologies that facilitate the manufacturing of these goods. Existing technologies require either excessive inbuilt flexibility or frequent changes to the machine set up to provide the manufacturing functions required for the customisation process. This paper presents design principles for automated assembly stations within the scope of mass customisation. Design principles are presented that minimise the hardware and operating complexities of assembly stations, allowing stations to be easily automated for concurrent mixed model assembly with a First In First Out (FIFO) scheduling policy. A reconfigurable assembly station is developed to demonstrate how the proposed design methods simplify the creation and operation of an assembly station for a product family of flashlights.

Downloads

Published

2013-11-26

How to Cite

Padayachee, J., & Bright, G. (2013). The design of reconfigurable assembly stations for high variety and mass customisation manufacturing. The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 24(3), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.7166/24-3-553

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 3 (2013)

Section

General Articles

License

Authors who publish in the Journal agree to the following terms:
  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this Journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the Journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this Journal.