Cyclic robot scheduling for 3D printer-based flexible assembly systems

This paper proposes and analyzes an efficient robot task sequence for a flexible assembly system that consists of multiple 3D printers, post-processing, assembly, inspection machines, and a material handling robot. The flexible assembly system, which has been built in many large cities in Korea, has been designed to fabricate customized products for start-ups or individuals. We consider cyclic scheduling of the system in which the robot repeats a certain sequence to produce identical products. We propose a robot task sequence to minimize the cycle time. The system behavior with the proposed robot task sequence is modeled with a timed event graph (TEG), and the optimality of the sequence is proved by analyzing the circuits in the TEG. The results are extended for producing multiple types of products simultaneously.

Automated summary

The paper proposes an efficient robot task sequence for a flexible assembly system to minimize cycle time and produce multiple types of products simultaneously.