An agent-based collaborative platform for the design of assembly lines

摘要

This paper presents an internet-based approach for the performance of assembly line balancing and design in an integrated manner. The resulting software is capable of generating, simulating and evaluating a series of alternative assembly line configurations and is implemented as a cloud service, taking into account diverse market and manufacturing scenarios. The platform, which the discrete applications are based on, is a multi-agent system comprising different software agents, which assist engineers in the collaboration processes. Special focus is given to the problem of designing mixed-model assembly lines based on the existing engineering information with new calculations. A multi-agent framework and a common data repository are used for the integration of the stakeholders along the engineering chain. The proposed approach is demonstrated through an automotive case study.