Study of the Application of Automation to Composites Manufacture

摘要

Several alternative manufacturing technologies have been developed to replace current labor intensive manual fabrication methods for advanced thermoset composites. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of direct labor savings, quality improvements and process flexibility on manufacturing cost and to identify desirable characteristics for new equipment. To estimate the cost benefits of replacing manual laborers with equipment, an economic model based on data from the literature and industry was developed. Knowledge of process physics and human error models was used to assess overall quality and estimate related costs such as rework, inspection and scrap. To evaluate process flexibility, system simulation techniques were used to analyze the tradeoffs between response time, work-in-progress inventory, equipment utilization and manufacturing cost. Keywords: Composites; Manufacturing; Automation; Resign transfer molding; Pultrusion; Filament winding; Economic analysis. (kt)