Methodology for the Support of Reconfiguration Processes in the Automotive Body Shop

Abstract

Due to rapidly changing market conditions in combination with increasingly individualised products new strategies in carbody production will be inevitable. Classical approaches to designing and commissioning new lines for new products will not be suitable any more under economic as well as environmental constraints. Consequently, production equipment will be in use for considerably longer periods and the number of reconfiguration tasks in order to integrate new models in existing production lines or to adapt production capacity is bound to increase. This paper presents a methodology which supports reconfiguration processes in highly automated assembly cells, both on the operational planning and the technical level. Including a model of interoperability, a process model and an evaluation model the presented methodology helps to reduce planning and design effort necessary for the reconfiguration of manufacturing systems.