This blog will explore the processes utilised in the development of a small manufacturing and assembly line.
A customer, Phones-R-Us, has requested that the lower part of fifty-thousand phone cases be produced according to their specifications. They need to be manufactured within a year, and produced to tight enough tolerances to be compatible with the other phone components and the assembly line.
First, the part will be replicated in CAD utilising the technical drawings provided by Phones-R-Us, and this model will be prototyped using additive manufacturing. The customer has requested that the case is produced using Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF).
The prototype part will be tested and assembled on the Festo CP Lab production line. This consists of six stations that will test critical dimensions of the part and then assemble it with the other components. The design and printing processes will be adjusted until the part is able to pass all of the stations. Once this is successful the timings on the production line will be measured and
The development will proceed over ten weeks and will be documented in the following blog posts:
01 – Week One – Introduction
02 – Week Two – CAD Drawing
03 – Week Three – Choosing a Manufacturing Method
04 – Week Four – Initial Prototyping
05 – Week Five – Initial Assembly Line Testing
06 – Week Six – Traceability
07 – Week Seven – Resolving Issues
08 – Week Eight – Design Finalisation
09 – Week Nine– Technomatix Plant – Simulation
10 – Week Ten – Conclusion
Next week will see the creation of the CAD model from the engineering drawing.
TL Weston 