Assembly process and assembly control development - a holistic and consistent approach

Simultaneous engineering usually covers the integration of design and planning during product development. Yet there is still a gap between the planning and the subsequent implementation of assembly systems. This article describes an approach to the consistent integration of assembly systems planning into the control system of a real assembly facility within the same environment. The control mechanism developed can be used to simulate manufacturing cells for validation purposes as well as to communicate with real assembly fixtures and equipment.