Flexible Production Systems

Recommended Prerequisites

Automation, CAD/CAM, mechanical technology, industrial control, programming

Teaching Methods

Theoretical Lectures

Presentation of concepts addressed in the curricular unit. This process occurs with the aid of audiovisual technology. An invited speaker from industry gives a talk. In addition, the responsible of the curricular unit organizes a workshop with invited speakers from academy and industry. Students are invited to participate in a study visit to a manufacturing plant.

Practical Lectures

Problems related to the subjects taught in theoretical lectures are discussed and resolved. Moreover, students are invited to present the final project of a flexible production cell.

Learning Outcomes

This unit objective consists in transmit to the students knowledge and skills related to modern production systems. At the end of this units students should be albe to:

1. Know and understand several concepts and technologies related to modern production systems (flexible), from the machine level to the company level;

2. Understand the importance of the computer in the operation and connection among several production systems agents;

3. Design a production system;

4. Propose improvements to na existing production system: Migration to more flexible and automated systems;

5. Identify and solve problems in an autonomous way, by applying concepts and tools related to flexible production systems;

6. Be able to maintain a technical dialogue with an expert in flexible production systems.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

- Introduction to flexible manufacturing systems: production systems, automation strategies, manufacturing operations, processing and assembly tasks.

- Product lifecycle management (PLM) and cloud manufacturing.

- Automation of production systems: basic elements of an automatic system, levels of automation, distributed control, sensors and actuators.

- Industrial communications: TCP/IP and serial port.

- Robotics: mechanics, spatial descriptions and transformations, direct kinematics and inverse kinematics.

- Robot programming: off-line (simulation in virtual environment), on-line and advanced.

- Integration of sensors, vision, robot, conveyor, frequency inverters and PLC in a flexible production cell.

- Human-machine interfaces.

Head Lecturer(s)

Pedro Mariano Simões Neto

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Project: 40.0%
Exam: 60.0%

Bibliography

Groover, M. P., Automation, Production Systems, and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, Pearson, 2008

Craig, J. J., Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics and Control (3rd Edition), Prentice Hall, 2004

Groover, M. P., Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing: Materials, Processes, and Systems, Wiley, 2012

Rehg, J. A. and Kraebber H. W., Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, Pearson, 2005

Kusiak, A., Computational Intelligence in Design and Manufacturing, Wiley, 2000