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Session 1626

Implementing a Flexible Assembly Cell (FAC) - Phase II

Winston F. Erevelles GMI Engineering& Management Institute

Abstract The paper describes the second phase of the development of a Flexible Assembly Cell (FAC) in the CIM Lab at GMI. The funding for the cell was obtained under the auspices of the NSF ILI program and matched by GMI and industry. In the first phase equipment was acquired and installed. In addition experiments were outlined. Initial planning evaluations were also conducted. This paper describes the second phase which deals with the integration of the cell into the overall CIM facility. Three student research projects were conducted using the FAC environment and this led to the implementation and integration of the hardware in the cell. The cell was also used for several term projects in undergraduate courses in CIM and Robotics. This paper describes the synthesis between the objectives of the cell and undergraduate education at GMI. The paper examines the effectiveness of the learning experiences that were conceived in Phase I of the project. The results of the implementation evaluation - an activity under Phase II that was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the project - are presented and discussed

Introduction This paper is the second one in a series of three describing the development, implementation, integration, and evaluation of a Flexible Assembly Cell (FAC) in the Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) laboratory at GMI. The first year of the project saw the acquisition and installation of the majority of the capital equipment for the cell. Over the same period of time the author was able to attend several training sessions to gain proficiency in the operation and maintenance of the equipment. Several experiments were developed and a planning evaluation was conducted internally. Over the second year of the project the cell was further developed and integrated into the CIM environment at GMI.

FAC Implementation and Integration The implementation of FAC was an effort that featured the active participation of the author, a senior laboratory technician, several students working under the College Work Study program, a group of students taking a course in Robotics, and three students working on independent research projects for college credit. A Gantt Chart was developed at the onset of the project and was used to guide the project through various stages of implementation. Milestones were identified and tasks associated with each milestone were elaborated upon in the implementation plan. Precedence relationships between various tasks were identified, resources were allocated, and a Critical Path was identified. The participation of several is described in the following paragraphs. The work was supervised by the author over a nine-month period.

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Erevelles, W. F. (1996, June), Implementing A Flexible Assembly Cell (Fac) Phase Ii Paper presented at 1996 Annual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia. 10.18260/1-2--6098