Mounting system with virtual representation

• Subject Area: Production Technology
• Term: Funded in 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 420692727

The mounting system with its virtual representation shall integrate the research topics of the four research groups of the Chair of Production Systems (LPS) at Ruhr University Bochum. The cross-group research topics are among other things: planning tools for hybrid assembly systems with Human-Robot-Collaboration workstations, handling of different and changing component variants in one process, line balancing, digital worker assisting and guiding systems for variant control as well as with the integrated networking of linked assembly stations and processes. These topics can only be further developed and validated within a realistic and complete assembly process in a mounting system.An increasingly important contribution is made by virtual representations of mounting systems. They form the basis for simulating assembly processes, conducting virtual commissioning, offline programming, providing information and data for digital worker assisting and guiding systems as well as monitoring process behaviour on the digital twin in real time. Hence, this in total shall contribute to optimize the real assembly process. One particular challenge is the integration of a heterogeneous component structure, as found in hybrid assembly systems, into a functional virtual representation. In addition, the human simulation should be emphasized. As simulations of robot cells or purely manual assembly work already represent the state of the art, simulation systems still show considerable deficits in the case of influences between man and machine within one production process. This also applies to the real-time data acquisition of human work to monitor the system behaviour by the digital twin. Here, technical solutions have to be found in order to record relevant data and make it available to the digital twin in the ongoing process. In addition, process simulations in assembly need to be extended to include handling and feeding systems. Simulation of physical component behaviour with chaotic component provision, as they can be found with vibratory feeders, has little use in the planning of feeding systems and separating technology to date. With the associated fundamental research at the LPS in the field of dynamic and changing process conditions, the simulation of production systems on the basis of the requested assembly system should reach a much more realistic and complex level than it is the case in today's simulation models.The LPS already has excellent competences from various fields and projects concerning production engineering and management, digitalisation in production, automation technology as well as industrial robotics. The applied mounting system with its virtual representation should strengthen, complete and expand the field of assembly in industrial production at the LPS as an essential technical equipment module.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Montagesystem mit virtuellem Abbild
• Instrumentation Group: 2320 Greif- und Hebewerkzeuge, Verladeeinrichtungen
• Applicant Institution: Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• Leader: Professor Dr.-Ing. Bernd Kuhlenkötter