Simulation of a Robotic Manufacturing Cell for Digital Factory Concept Implementation

The Digital Factory concept has been introduced in the field of production engineering as a new approach to improve product quality and production system performance through integration of diverse digital methodologies and tools. The role of simulation is fundamental in this approach, and can have several purposes on the basis of the category of the simulation software tool employed. In this paper, the digital mock-up of a robotic manufacturing cell, dedicated to the production of aircraft engine components, is modelled with a 3D simulation software to study the cell layout and issues related to robot motion, such as reachability of objectives and safety of movements. The results of the simulation, including layout modifications and robot loading/unloading and displacement times, are then employed to input detailed data in a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) software, where the behaviour of the manufacturing cell can be analysed with reference to productivity and utilization of the available resources.