This paper seeks to investigate the work of a small company involved in researching techniques and designing equipment for assembly automation.
The development of a fully automated CNC machine for drilling aircraft wing sub‐assemblies is described. The importance of accurate process simulation is discussed, and a research project combining physics‐based gaming hardware with factory simulation software is presented. Its application to the laying‐up of carbon composite materials is explained.
Effective and affordable simulation software is essential to small companies to avoid risk in one‐off projects. AMTRI leverages new developments and puts them together to form powerful new systems. The automation of innovative composite processing is intrinsically connected with the behaviour of the material itself.
The paper points out the importance of automation to the future of European manufacturing, in the light of increasing fuel costs.
