International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

Knowledge gained from the Digital factory field needs to be expanded and further disseminated. The use of the Digital factory concept is mainly in laboratory conditions. It is essential for new knowledge to be made it more accessible for further experiments and for acquiring new knowledge for faster and easier deployment. The visualization of machines, devices, and entire manufacturing systems allows for almost faultless design of such systems. It is an expense saving and time-efficient solution. The article represents an experiment aimed at exploring simulation methods used in design and development of production systems by use of simulation digital tool. Comparison of the results obtained by examining the simulation model and real model will be made for acquisition of deviation between virtual model and real model. The task of optimization is, in this case, to create an optimal timetable for individual production lines by increasing flexibility and lowering costs, with prediction that the conditions are met and all orders will be made on time, minimize downtime, reduce production of waste and consider the efficient use of electricity.

At present, there is an increasing emphasis on planning production and assembly systems. In the planning phase, it is important to eliminate as much as possible, ideally all deficiencies and errors of the intended system. Simulation software helps to find shortcomings in production or assembly systems. Using simulation, we can analyze individual parts of production systems in a virtual environment before they are implemented. This all leads to cost savings in the implementation of production systems. The article deals with simulation of production systems and their planning. The case study will illustrate the simulation process in choosing the right manufacturing system.

One of the factors that influence the production and assembly systems based on robotic cooperation is the reachability of the required locations as well as the design of the robotic arm paths without the need for initial testing at a real workplace, which could lead to damage of some parts in the workplace. The resulting robot paths must be collision-free, they cannot correlate with other elements of the automated workplace, they should also follow the set production cycle. The trajectory time described by the industrial robot end effector influences the overall production cycle time. For this reason, it is necessary to create a trajectory which represents the shortest path described by the industrial robot. The design of the end effector path of an industrial robot must in general meet many criteria, either in terms of tact or safety. By simulating multiple path trajectory variants in the digital environment, it is possible to select the ideal trajectory of motion of the industrial robot depending on the layout of individual elements of the production or assembly system and the elimination of collisions. When designing a robotic workstation, the main parameters of the industrial robot are range and load capacity. By implementing CAD data and customer requirements into the digital environment of the selected software, we can verify the data and choose the most appropriate solution. The main benefits of industrial robot application and the use of available software to efficiently design a robotic system include benefits such as shorter production times and associated higher productivity, labor cost savings and wage costs reduction, robots are used in other applications after the end of the production cycle of the original product, thereby achieving savings in investment costs.

Flexible Manufacturing Systems provide a fast reaction possibility to the changes in production conditions. As production conditions change, other changes in the final product like changes of the product variants, or other unpredictable events may be also expected. Nowadays most of the products are designed by using the CAx software. The product design 3D model contains not only the geometrical data of product, but may contain a part of the process plan and technological data as well.

This fact is a reason to quick reaction time possibilities in the manufacturing system settings.

In frame of the project KEGA 027STU-4/2014 at our institute, we are building a virtual laboratory of robotics. The main objective is to build a laboratory together with a set of training modules in the field of automation and industrial robotics that will serve to teach the principles of automatic control of manipulation and programming of industrial robots, which are now increasingly implemented in production practice. Built laboratory will develop the knowledge and expertise of students in the field of automated and robotic systems, application of innovative educational program and methodology of using modern technologies, including CA and e-learning.