Module 2

Automated
Production Lines and
Assembly Systems
D R . N I T H YA N A N D A B S

A S S O C I AT E P R O F E S S O R

D E P T. O F M E

V VC E
MODULE 2: Automated production lines and Assembly Systems

Fundamentals of automated production lines: System Configurations, Work part

Transfer Mechanisms, Storage Buffers, Control of the Production line, analysis of
transfer lines. Fundamentals of Automated Assembly Systems: System
Configurations, Parts Delivery at Workstations, Applications. Analysis of automated
assembly systems with part delivery system at workstations.

Textbook 1: Ch.16, Ch.17

Self-Study Component: Sensors for automation and process control.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, students will be able to:

1. Understand the fundamentals of automated production lines and automated assembly systems, including system
configurations, work part transfer mechanisms, and storage buffers.
2. Analyze production and assembly line operations, focusing on control methods, part delivery systems, and efficiency
parameters.
3. Explore the role of sensors in automation and process control to enhance productivity, quality, and reliability.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, the student will be able to:
•Explain different configurations of automated production and assembly systems and their key components.
•Evaluate transfer line and assembly system performance using appropriate analytical methods.
•Select and integrate suitable sensors and control strategies for specific automation applications.
Introduction
• An automated flow line consists of several machines or workstations which are linked by work
handling devices that transfer the parts between stations
Configurations of Automated Flow Line
Inline type

•Advantages:
•Simple layout, easy to understand and control
•Short material handling path
•Ideal for high-volume, standardized products
•Disadvantages:
•Low flexibility; disruption at one station can halt the entire line
•Difficult to add or remove stations without redesign
•Applications:
•Automotive assembly lines
•Electronic product assembly
Segmented inline type
Rotary Type
Work part Transfer Mechanisms
• The various transfer mechanism used to move parts between stations are grouped as

1. Linear transfer Mechanism.

2. Rotary transfer Mechanism.

1. Linear transfer mechanism

✓ Walking beam systems

✓ Powered roller conveyor system

✓ Chain-drive conveyor system

Walking Beam Mechanism
Powered Roller Conveyor System
 Chain-drive Conveyor System

Two configurations:

• over-and-under (Pulley rotate about horizontal axis)

• Around-the-corner (Pulley rotate about vertical axis)

Rotary Transfer Mechanism

• Mechanisms are used to index a circular table or dial at various

equal angular positions corresponding to workstations location
✓ Rack and pinion

✓ Ratchet and pawl

✓ Geneva Mechanism
Rack and pinion
• This mechanism is simple of all types. It uses a piston to drive the rack, which
causes the pinion gear and attached indexing table to rotate. Clutch or other
device is used to provide rotation in desired direction.
• Can not be used for high speed operations
Ratchet and Pawl
• A ratchet is a device that allows linear or rotary motion in only one
direction, while preventing motion in the opposite direction.
• Ratchets consist of a gearwheel and a pivoting spring loaded finger
called a pawl that engages the teeth.
• Either the teeth, or the pawl, are slanted at an angle, so that when the
teeth are moving in one direction, the pawl slides up and over each tooth
in turn, with the spring forcing it back with a 'click' into the depression
before the next tooth.
• When the teeth are moving in the other direction, the angle of the pawl
causes it to catch against a tooth and stop further motion in that
direction.
• A ratchet mechanism is based on a wheel that has teeth
cut out of it and a pawl that follows as the wheel turns.
Studying the diagram you will see that as the ratchet wheel
turns and the pawl falls into the 'dip' between the teeth. The
ratchet wheel can only turn in one direction - in this case
anticlockwise.
Geneva Mechanism
• Geneva mechanism uses a continuously rotating driver to index a table
through partial rotation. If a driver has a six slots for a six slots-station dial
indexing machine, each turn of the driver will cause the table to advance one-
sixth of the turn. The driver causes only a portion of rotation.

360
 =
ns
Where = angle of rotation of work table during indexing

ns = number of slots
1200 of driver rotation used to index table
2400 is dwell
Storage Buffers
A location in the sequence of workstations where parts can be collected and temporarily stored
before proceeding to subsequent downstream stations
Reasons for using storage buffers:
• To reduce effect of station breakdowns
• To provide a bank of parts to supply the line
• To provide a place to put the output of the line
• To allow curing time or other required delay
• To smooth cycle time variations
• To store parts between stages with different production rates
Control of Production Line
1. Sequence Control
•Purpose:
To coordinate the order in which actions occur on the transfer system and at each workstation.
•Description:
In an automated production line, operations must occur in a specific order (sequence).
Sequence control ensures that:
•Parts are transferred at the right time.
•Workstations start and finish operations in the correct order.
•No step is missed or started prematurely.
Example:
Activating the conveyor to move a part only after machining at a station is completed.

2. Safety Monitoring
•Purpose:
To protect both the equipment and operators from damage or injury.
•Description:
Safety monitoring systems continuously check for unsafe conditions and can stop the system when a fault occurs.
Includes:
•Emergency stop systems.
•Interlocks that prevent machines from operating when guards are open.
•Detection of jams, misalignments, or equipment overheating.
Example:
If a guard door is open, the machine cannot start.
3. Quality Control

•Purpose:
To ensure that the products meet required specifications during and after processing.

•Description:
Automated inspection systems and sensors are integrated into the line to check dimensions, surface finish,
and other quality parameters.
•Can be in-process (during manufacturing) or post-process (after completion).
•Defective parts can be automatically rejected or diverted.

Example:
A vision system checking hole diameters and rejecting parts outside tolerance.
Automated Assembly Systems
An automated assembly system consists of a series of workstations, automated material
handling and positioning systems, and control equipment arranged to perform the assembly of
products automatically.
Types of Automated Assembly Systems
A. Single-Station Assembly Machines
• Performs multiple assembly operations at one station.

• Often uses indexing tables or rotary indexing machines.

Example: Automated machine for inserting screws into housings.

B. Multi-Station Assembly Systems
• Multiple workstations arranged in-line, rotary, or carousel configurations.

• Each station performs a specific operation.

Example: Electronics assembly lines

System Configurations
Parts Delivery at Workstations

1. Hopper
2. Part Feeder
3. Selector and Orientor
4. Feed track
5. Escapement and Placement
Device
Analysis of automated assembly systems with part
delivery system at workstations
• Feeding and Orientation

• Parts are taken from a bulk hopper at a feed rate f (parts/s). Since the parts are in random
orientation, they must pass through a selector/orientor (like a vibratory feeder or orienting
chute).
• Initially, parts are in random orientation and must pass through a selector/orientor.

• Only a fraction, 𝜃, of parts are correctly oriented; the rest are recirculated.

• Effective delivery rate to the feed track = 𝑓𝜃. This ensures that only usable, correctly oriented
parts are delivered further into the system.
Buffering in the Feed Track:
• Feed track stores oriented parts temporarily before transfer to the workhead. The feed track acts as a
temporary storage buffer between the orientor and the workstation. It ensures continuity of supply and prevents
starvation of the workhead.
𝐿
• Capacity of feed track = 𝜂f2 = f2 ,where:
𝐿𝑐

• Where,Lf2 = track length defined by the high-level sensor,

Lf1 = track length defined by the low-level sensor,
Lc = part length.
• Thus, the track can store between ηf1 and ηf2 parts.
𝐿
• Low-level sensor is placed further upstream, defining 𝜂f1 = f1 .
𝐿𝑐

• Thus, the track can store between ηf1 and ηf2 parts.

• The sensors act as a closed-loop control system: when the buffer is full (high sensor), feeding stops; when it is
low (low sensor), feeding resumes.
Consumption by Workhead
• Workhead consumes parts at a cycle rate, 𝑅𝑐 =1/(cycle time).

• If 𝑓𝜃 ≥ 𝑅𝑐 ,the feeder can keep up with demand.

• 𝑓𝜃 ≥Rc, the feeder keeps up with demand, ensuring smooth operation.

• 𝑓𝜃<Rc, stockouts occur, and throughput drops since the workstation experiences idle time
waiting for parts.
Dynamics of Filling and Depletion
• When the high-level sensor is reached: feeding stops, buffer has 𝜂f2 parts.

• Buffer depletes at rate 𝑅𝑐 .

• Time to drop from 𝜂f2 to 𝜂f1 :

𝜂f2 −𝜂f1
• 𝑡depletion =
𝑅𝑐

• When low-level sensor is actuated: feeding resumes.

• Net refill rate = 𝑓𝜃 − 𝑅𝑐 .

• Time to refill from 𝜂f1 to 𝜂f2 :

𝜂f2 −𝜂f1
• 𝑡refill =
𝑓𝜃−𝑅𝑐
ANALYSIS OF AUTOMATED FLOW LINE
Terminology & Analysis of transfer lines with no Internal storage:

There are a few assumptions that we will have to make about the operation of the Transfer line & rotary
indexing machines:
1. The workstations perform operations such as machining & not assembly.

2. Processing times at each station are constant though they may not be equal.

3. There is synchronous transfer of parts.

4. No internal storage of buffers.

In the operation of an automated production line, parts are introduced into the first workstation & are
processed and transported at regular intervals to the succeeding stations. This interval defines the ideal
cycle time, Tc of the production line. Tc is the processing time for the slowest station of the line plus the
transfer time; i.e. :
Tc = max (Tsi) + Tr ---------------- (1)
Tc = ideal cycle on the line (min)
Tsi = processing time at station i (min)
Tr = repositioning time, called the transfer time (min)
In the operation of a transfer line, random breakdowns & planned stoppages cause downtime on the line.
Common reasons for downtime on a Automated Production line:
1. Tool failures at workstations.

2. Tool adjustments at workstations

3. Scheduled tool charges

4. Limit switch or other electrical malfunctions.

5. Mechanical failure of a transfer line.

6. Stock outs of starting work parts.
7. Insufficient space for completed parts.
8. Preventive maintenance on the line worker breaks.
The frequency of the breakdowns & line stoppages can be measured even though they occur randomly when the
line stops, it is down for a certain average time for each downtime occurrence. These downtime occurrences
cause the actual average production cycle time of the line to be longer than the ideal cycle time.
The actual average production time Tp:

Tp = Tc + FTd ------------------------ 2
F = downtime frequency, line stops / cycle
Td = downtime per line stop in minutes

The downtime Td includes the time for the repair crew to swing back into action, diagnose the cause of failure, fix it & restart the drive.
FTd = downtime averaged on a per cycle basis
Production can be computed as a reciprocal of Tp
Rp = 1 / Tp ----------------------------- 3
Where, Rp = actual average production rate (pc / min)
Tp = the actual average production time

The ideal production rate is given by

Rc = 1 / Tc ------------------------------ 4
Where Rc = ideal production rate (pc / min)
Line efficiency refers to the proportion of uptime on the line & is a measure of reliability more than
efficiency.
Line efficiency can be calculated as follows:

E = Tc / Tp = Tc ----------------- 5
Tc + FTd
Where E = the proportion of uptime on the production line.
An alternative measure of the performance is the proportion of
downtime on the line which is given by:
D = FTd / Tp = FTd ----------------- 6
Tc + FTd
Where D = proportion of downtime on the line
E + D = 1.0
An important economic measure of the performance of an automated production line is the cost of the unit produced. The cost of 1 piece includes
the cost of the starting blank that is to be processed, the cost of time on the production line & the cost of the tool consumed. The cost per unit can
be expressed as the sum of three factors:
Cpc = Cm + CoTp + Ct ------------------------ 7
Where Cpc = cost per piece (Rs / pc)
Cm = cost per minute to operate the time (Rs / min)
Tp = average production time per piece (min / pc)
Ct = cost of tooling per piece (Rs / pc)
Co = the allocation of capital cost of the equipment over the service life, labour to operate the line, applicable overheads,
maintenance, & other relevant costs all reduced to cost per min.
THANK YOU