This master thesis deals with a structural design of the modular roller conveyor which is part of the flexible assembly line of automotive seats. The work includes design and functional solution for a driven roller track. Present structural design of roller conveyors is summarized in the first part of the work.

Today, majority of the manufacturing industries are willing to implement automation in their plants depending on their specific benefits. Implementing automation into an existing production line requires a pre-study of all the operations to find out the optimal working area and working sequence that is possible to automate with the highest possible degree of efficiency. Thereby, this thesis work involves the study on the potential of implementation of collaborative robot in manual assembly lines of 13-Litre diesel engines thereby creating a human-robot collaboration scenario in the assembly line. This project was carried out at Volvo's powertrain production plant located in Skövde, Sweden. The initial study of assembly lines consisting of a predefined number of stations in the production of diesel engines was conducted. Concepts were developed and evaluated considering the results from pre-study using a suitable method. The finalized concept was simulated to visualize the practical benefits, obtain accurate timing data, and also to check for bottlenecks in the presented solution. A preliminary risk assessment process was carried out to identify and evaluate the possible risks that were involved in the finalized concept. The risk assessment process ensures the safety of the operator within the collaborative robot work cell. The study is concluded with an economic analysis which includes the figures for investment, payback period as well as the profit estimation for the simulated automation solution.

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The concept Industry 4.0 brings several technologies that could be useful for the factories and manufacturers to become more competitive. One of these technologies is the robots in collaborative environments which operate fenceless together with the operators. The interest of these robots in the manufacturing sector has been getting more attention in recent years. These implementation types require the organizations to determine their readiness levels to have success with the robot. Currently, the successful implantations of the robots in collaborative environments in industry are few, and the success factors must be mapped. Therefore, investigating the potential barriers, enablers and establishing a road map for a case company could be useful to fill this gap and assist the organizations with what is necessary to accomplish a successful implementation. A case study was conducted at a manufacturing company in Sweden, which allowed for insights into how an actual organization approaches the situation. The case company organization was in the process of acquiring a robot in a collaborative environment, hence, the data from the case company was relevant to answer the research questions. Furthermore, the data was collected using interviews, observations, and documents at the case company. A literature review was performed to provide information regarding the common factors within a RCE implementation, which also was a base for the interview guide. The data was analysed by comparing the theoretical framework and with the empirical findings to bring forth a conclusion and to establish a road map for the case company. A road map was created with sets of questions to address the identified barriers and enablers found in both literature and at the case company. The constructed road map contains questions concerning the areas of knowledge about the robot in collaborative environments, communication & information, organizational aspects, and resistance towards the change. By addressing the questions developed in the framework, the organization could get an advantage when considering the implementation of the robot. For the case company, as they are further along in the process, the road map could indicate how well they have performed in current projects. Furthermore, it could generate a more successful project the next time.

This is a bachelor thesis which handles a balancing problem in a manual assembly line for mixed models. Many product variations that are assembled in an assembly line have different cycle times in each operation in the process. The products that are assembled in the line have also large variations in their lead times. This leads to large balancing losses leading to reduced productivity and efficiency. Many balancing losses occur due to the inefficient time that one of the products causes. Other balancing losses occur due to bottlenecks that occur in some operations. The purpose of this study is to investigate the balancing losses in a manual assembly line with mixed models. The goal is to develop a proposal for a balanced layout, as well as to minimize balancing losses and waste and maximize productivity as much as possible. Two research questions have been developed as guidelines for the study: RQ1: What factors can lead to balancing losses in a mixed-model assembly line? RQ2: How can a mixed-model assembly line be balanced without leading to other types of losses? The study is a case study that looks for problems in one case company. It is based on a literature study and the collection of real-world data, which has been collected at the case company by observations, interviews and documents that include data about production times and balancing reports.  A proposal on how balancing losses can be reduced in the best possible way has been developed. The inefficient time has been reduced and the assembly line has become more efficient and productive. With help of this improvement proposal, other types of losses could be avoided, such as losses of human resources and financial resources. This study aimed to reduce the balancing losses that one product causes in the assembly line. No rebalancing of the other products was done, but other products were considered so that the balancing of the product does not lead to extra imbalance on the other products in the line. It was important for the fall company to be able to implement a solution that does not lead to a lot of other losses. Based on the three solutions proposed, this solution was the most suitable for what the company wants. A new layout for the product’s stations has been proposed. With this layout, efficiency will increase, and downtime will decrease, thus increasing productivity. Proposal three shows that it is possible to balance a mixed-model assembly line, by terminating a product and removing it earlier from the assembly line.   Keywords: Line balancing, manual assembly, balancing loss, mixed products, mixed-model assembly / Det här är ett examensarbete på grundnivå, som behandlar ett balanseringsproblem i en manuell monteringslinje för mixade modeller. Det monteras många produktkonfigurationer som har olika cykeltider i varje station i processen. Produkterna som monteras i linan har även stora variationer i deras ledtider. Detta medför stora balanseringsförluster som leder till minskad produktivitet och effektivitet. Många balanseringsförluster uppstår på grund av den ineffektiva tiden som en av produkterna orsakar. Andra balanseringsförluster uppstår på grund av flaskhalsar som förekommer i vissa stationer.  Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka balansringsförlusterna i en manuell monteringslinje med mixade modeller. Målet är att ta fram ett förslag på en balanserad layout, samt att minimera balanseringsförlusterna och slöseri och maximera produktiviteten så mycket som möjligt.   Två forskningsfrågor har tagits fram som riktlinjer för studien: F1: Vilka faktorer kan leda till balanseringsförluster i en mixad-modellmonteringslinje?  F2: Hur kan en mixad-modellmonteringslina balanseras utan att leda till andra typer av förluster? Studien är en fallstudie som undersöker problem hos ett fallföretag. Studien är baserad på en initial litteraturstudie och insamlad data, som har samlats in från fallföretaget via observationer, intervjuer samt dokument med data om produktionstider och balansrapporter.  Ett förslag på hur balanseringsförlusterna kan minskas på bästa möjliga sätt har tagits fram. Den ineffektiva tiden har minskats och monteringslinan har blivit effektivare och produktivare. Med hjälp av det här förbättringsförslaget, kunde andra typer av förluster undvikas, som exempelvis förluster av mänskliga resurser och ekonomiska resurser.   Denna studie är gjord för att minska balanseringsförlusterna som en av produkterna orsakar i monteringslinjen. Ingen ombalansering på de andra produkterna gjordes, men det togs hänsyn till andra produkter så att balanseringen av den produkten inte leder till extra obalans på de andra produkter i linan. Det var viktigt för fallföretaget att kunna implementera en lösning som inte leder till massa andra förluster. Utifrån de tre lösningarna som föreslagits var denna lösning den mest lämplig för vad företaget önskar sig. En ny layout på produktens stationer har tagits fram. Med denna layout kommer effektiviteten att öka och dötiden minska, och därmed ökas produktiviteten. Förslag tre visar sig att det är möjligt att kunna balansera en mixad-modellmonteringslina, genom att avsluta en produkt och ta ut den tidigare ur monteringslinan.   Nyckelord: Line balancing, manuell montering, balanseringsförluster, mixed products, mixed-model assembly line.

Despite decades of automation initiatives, manual assembly still represents one of the most cost-effective approaches in scenarios with high product variety and complex geometry. It represents 50% of total production time and 20% of total production cost. Understanding human performance and its impact in the assembly line is key in order to improve the overall performance of an assembly line. Along this thesis work, by studying the deviations occurring in the line, it is aimed to understand how human workers are affected by certain functioning aspects of the assembly line. To do so, three different influence factors have been chosen, and then observed its impact in human performance: i. How past events occurring in the line affect the current action of the worker. ii. How do scheduled stops affect the current action of the worker. iii. How does theoretical cycle time affect the performance of the worker. In order to observe these influence relationships, it has been used data gathered in the shop floor from SCANIA's Manufacturing Execution System (MES). By applying methods of Knowledge Discovery in Database (KDD) data has been indexed and the analyzed providing the necessary results for the study. Finally, from the results shown, it can be inferred that variability on the functioning of the line does have an impact on human performance overall. However, due the complexity of the manufacturing system, impact in human performance might not be as regular as initially thought. / Trots decennier av automatiseringsinitiativ utgör manuell montering fortfarande en av de mest kostnadseffektiva metoderna i scenarier med hög produktsortiment och komplex geometri. Den representerar 50% av den totala produktionstiden och 20% av den totala produktionskostnaden. Att förstå mänsklig prestanda och dess inverkan i monteringsledningen är nyckeln för att förbättra den totala prestandan hos en monteringslinje. Utöver detta avhandlingsarbete, genom att studera avvikelserna som uppstår i linjen, syftar det till att förstå hur mänskliga arbetstagare påverkas av vissa fungerande aspekter av monteringslinjen. För att göra det har tre olika inflytningsfaktorer valts och sedan observerat dess inverkan i mänsklig prestation: i. Hur tidigare händelser som uppstår i linjen påverkar arbetarens nuvarande åtgärder. ii. Hur påverkar planerade stopp arbetstagarens nuvarande åtgärder. iii. Hur påverkar teoretisk cykeltid arbetarens prestation. För att observera dessa inflytningsrelationer har det använts data som samlats in i butiksgolvetfrån SCANIAs Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Genom att tillämpa metoder för Knowledge Discovery i Database (KDD) har data indexerats och analyseras vilket ger de nödvändiga resultaten för studien. Slutligen kan det framgå av de visade resultaten att variationen i linjens funktion har en inverkan på den mänskliga prestationen övergripande. På grund av tillverkningssystemets komplexitet kan emellertid effekten i mänsklig prestanda inte vara så regelbunden som ursprungligen tänkt.

Purpose: The thesis investigates the automation of screwing operation on moving assembly line, that can be integrated with the current workflow using automation technology and collaborative robots. The study focuses on reducing the number of manual tasks in screwing operation while considering the ergonomics and safety factor of the operator.    Method: The study uses mixed methods research approach, such as interviews and observation, along with literature review on the desired topics. The study focus on details of the company and their production layout. Practical challenges are derived from the combination of data, providing a guidance on developing an automated solution.    Findings: The research questions were answered, using the data derived from the interviews. The empirical data was compared with the theoretical data to enhance the validity. The resulted data identified to develop a new concept to satisfy all the technical functions.    Implications: The research finds out that a collaboration with an industrial robot, can help the operators to perform desired task. The robot needs to be supported with other aspects such as motion of robot, monitor system and safety. The research identified a conceptual design to overcome these challenges, and to change the production layout to accommodate them is recommended.    Delimitations: The study is focused on the screwing technology on a moving assembly line, and a concept is developed to overcome the challenges. There is no prototype constructed, the proposed idea is designed in robot studio to showcase the idea.    Keyword: Moving assembly line, Human-robot collaboration, Screwing technology, Automated screwing technology, industrial robots, Automobile manufacturing

A surge in the battery industry and market was observed a few years back. Currently, the leaders in producing batteries are Asian countries. Nevertheless, countries are attempting to penetrate the battery market and become stable manufacturing competitors of batteries, one of which is Sweden. One of the driving factors of the surge in battery usage is sustainability awareness. Industry 4.0 and digitalization have become popular within industries and firms with the years, where new concepts have emerged; one of these is the digital twin. There are different definitions of what a digital twin is. This study defines a digital twin as a virtual representation of a physical object that automatically transfers real-time data; if one of the states is altered, the other state should change. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the different applications of a digital twin, specifically in a battery manufacturing organization. Furthermore, it also gives an overview of the digital twin concept and its applications, where benefits, challenges, technologies, and data are investigated. In order to narrow and delimit the research, the primary focus has been on the assembly line, where both a manufacturing and sustainability perspective have been investigated. The research question has thus been “How could a digital twin be utilized in a fast-growing battery manufacturing firm?". With an inductive approach, both primary and secondary data have been collected through interviews and literature studies. Methods utilized for the research have been conducting, transcribing and coding the interviews. The results indicated that the technology is considered new and there are many different applications of a digital twin. Therefore, a firm needs to benchmark with other organization and lock down the digital twin's purpose before developing it. Applications recognized were visualization, measuring manufacturing KPIs as well as recording material for the material declaration of the products, to calculate the carbon footprint, and measuring the energy consumption of the machines. Depending on the purpose and application of the digital twin, the firm will know what data needs to be collected and what software is most suitable. / Sedan några år tillbaka har en ökning i batteriindustrin och marknaden observerats. För närvarande är asiatiska länder de ledande inom tillverkning av batterier. Dock försöker också andra länder etablera närvaro i batterimarknaden genom att bli en stabil tillverkningskonkurrent av batterier, ett av dessa länder är Sverige. En av de drivande faktorerna bakom ökningen av batterianvändning är ökningen av hållbarhetsmedvetenheten. Med introduktionen av Industri 4.0 har digitalisering blivit populärt inom olika industrier och företag, vilket har lett till att nya koncept dykt upp, ett av dessa koncept är digital tvilling. Det finns flera definitioner på vad en digital tvilling innebär. I denna studien är en digital tvilling en virtuell representation av ett fysiskt objekt som överför realtidsdata automatisk, om något ändras i ena objektet då ändras det i det andra också. Syftet med studien är därför att undersöka de olika tillämpningarna för en digital tvilling, särskilt för en organisation som tillverkar batterier. Denna rapporten visar en översikt över konceptet digital tvilling och dess tillämpningar, dess fördelar och utmaningar, teknologier och data som behövs. För att avgränsa forskningen har det primära fokus legat på produktionslinan, där både ett tillverknings- och hållbarhetsperspektiv har undersökts. Forskningsfrågan har alltså varit "Hur skulle en digital tvilling kunna användas i ett snabbväxande företag som tillverkar batterier?". Med ett induktivt tillvägagångsätt har både primär- och sekundärdata samlats in, i form av intervjuer och en litteraturstudie. Metoder som använts för forskningen har varit att genomföra, transkribera och koda intervjuerna. Resultaten indikerade att teknologin anses vara ny och det finns många olika applikationer av Digital Tvilling. Därmed behöver ett företag analysera hur en digital tvilling används i andra företag. Därför måste företaget låsa in syftet med den digitala tvillingen innan den börjar utvecklas. Applikationer som påträffades var visualisering för mätning av tillverknings-KPI:er samt registrering av material för materialdeklarationer av produkterna, för att beräkna koldioxidavtrycket, samt mätning av maskinernas energiförbrukning. Beroende på syftet och tillämpningen av den digitala tvillingen kommer företaget att veta vilken data som behöver samlas in och vilken programvara som är mest lämplig.

Volvo CE at Hallsberg, Sweden is specialized in the production of cabs for construction equipment. The organization employs the one-line (mixed-model assembly) method, where cabs for different products are all assembled on the same main line. Operations on the main line are not standardized for all products. The future vision of the company is to establish the fishbone factory concept, where the diversity is introduced in sub-flows and variation is reduced on the main line.This is primarily to reduce balancing losses and eventually reduce the total throughput time of the plant. The thesis work focuses on a new product known as the Next Gen Cab. These cabs are designed to support the fishbone factory concept. Next Gen cabs comprise of physical modules that provide different customer features, but are designed with standard interference and toolpoints. They follow the common architecture approach. The aim of this thesis work is to develop an assembly setup for the production of the front module within the next gen cabs, and investigate a suitable material feeding technique. The work also focuses on the transition phase, which comprise of the production of both existing and Next Gen cabs. The methodology used for the work includes the understanding of the current state to determine possibilities of utilizing the existing setup. The report explains part and process similarities between the existing cabs and Next Gen cabs which aids in the development of an assembly setup through line balancing. Two material feeding concepts have been developed and a framework has been established for part presentation at Point-of-Use. It is followed by a comparison of the concepts based on factors such as kitting time, headcount cost, stock value and required investment. The concepts are evaluated and finally, a conclusion is made along with a recommendation on how the company can proceed when the new products are introduced. / Volvo CE i Hallsberg, Sverige är specialiserat på produktion av hytter för entreprenadmaskiner. Organisationen använder en enkellinje metod (blandad-modellmontering), där alla hytter för olika produkter monteras på samma huvudlinje. Operationerna på huvudlinjen är inte standardiserad för alla produkter. Framtidsvisionen för företaget är att etablera fiskbensfabrikskonceptet, där mångfalden införs i delflöden och variationen minskas påhuvudlinjen. Detta är främst för att minska balanseringsförlusterna och så småningom minska anläggningens totala genomströmningstid. Examensarbetet fokuserar på en ny produkt som kallas Next Gen Cab. Dessa hytter är utformade för att stödja fiskbensfabrikskonceptet. NextGen-hytterna består av fysiska moduler som ger olika kundfunktioner, men är utformade med standardkopplingar och verktygspunkter. De följer den gemensamma arkitekturstrategin. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att utveckla ett monteringsupplägg för framställning av frontmodulen inom next gen hytter, och undersöka lämplig materialmatningsteknik. Arbetet fokuserar också på övergångsfasen, som består av produktion av både befintliga och NextGen-hytter. Metoden som används för arbetet inkluderar förståelse för det aktuella tillståndet för att bestämma möjligheterna att använda den befintliga uppställningen. Rapporten förklarar likheter mellan delar och processer för de befintliga hytterna och Next Gen-hytterna vilket hjälper till att utveckla en monteringsuppställning genom linjebalansering. Två materialförsörjningskoncept har utvecklats och ett ramverk har skapats för delpresentation vid Point of-Use. Detta följs av en jämförelse av koncepten baserat på faktorer som ”kittnings”-tid, antal anställda, aktievärde och nödvändiga investeringar. Koncepten utvärderas och utmynnar i en slutsats tillsammans med en rekommendation om hur företaget kan gå vidare när de nya produkterna introduceras.

Future manufacturing will be characterized by the complementarity between humans and automation (human-robot collaboration). This requires new methods and tools for the design and operation of optimized manufacturing workplaces in terms of ergonomics, safety, efficiency, complexity management and work satisfaction. There have been some efforts in the recent years to propose a tool for determining optimal human-automation levels for load balancing. Although the topic is quite new, it shares some similarities with some of the existing research in the area of robotic assembly line balancing. Therefore, it is crucial to review the existing literature and find the most similar models and methods to facilitate the development of new optimization models and algorithms. One of the two contributions that this thesis gives to the research world in the RALBP context is a literature review that involves high quality articles from 1993 to beginning 2018. This literature review includes visual and comprehensive tables—and a label system— where previous research patterns and trends are highlighted. Visualization of data and results obtained by assembly line optimization tools is a very important topic that has rarely been studied. Data visualization would provide a: 1. better comprehension of patterns, trends and qualitative data 2. more constructive information absorption 3. better visualization of relationships and patterns between operations, and 4. better contribution to data manipulation and interaction. The second contribution to research found in this thesis is the use of a human modelling (DHM) tool (called IPS), which is proposed as an assessment to the ergonomic risk that a robotic assembly line may involve. This kind of studies are necessary in order to reduce one of the most frequent reasons of work absence in our today society i.e. musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs are often the result of poor work environments and they lead to reduced productivity and quality losses at companies. In view of the above, IPS was used in order to resolve the load handling problem between human and robot, depending on their skills and availability, while fulfilling essential ISO standards i.e. 15066 and 10218:1 and :2. The literature review made it possible to select highly useful documents in developing assumptions for the experiment and contributed to consider real features detected in the industry. Results show that even though IPS is not capable of calculating an entire robotic assembly with human-robot collaboration, it is able to simulate a workstation constituted of one robot and one human. Finite and assembly motions for both human and robot are expected to be implemented in future versions of the software. Finally, the main advantages of using DHM tools in assessing ergonomic risks in RALB can be extracted from the results of this thesis. This advantages include 1. ergonomic evaluation for assembly motions 2. ergonomic evaluation for a full working day (available in future version) and 3. essential ISO standard testing (available in future version).