RFID driven robotic assembly for random mix manufacturing

This paper discusses an integration driven framework for enabling the RFID based identification of parts to perform robotic assembly operations in a random mix. The RFID infrastructure senses the newly arriving parts to be assembled and via an integration framework, the robots are able to recognize them and perform cooperative welding operations. The parts to be welded have different characteristics, in particular, variable in both dimensions and materials. The integration framework is demonstrated in a case study coming from the automotive industry. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.