基于偏差传递的二维多工位装配夹具系统公差可行稳健设计

提出一种基于偏差传递的二维多工位装配夹具系统公差可行稳健设计方法。分析二维多工位装配尺寸偏差传递关系,建立由定位销和零件定位孔(槽)公差引起夹具定位偏差的偏差流状态空间模型。采用数论网格方法对定位销和零件定位孔(槽)公差进行采样,将得到的公差样本代入夹具定位偏差模型,求得夹具定位偏差样本空间,将夹具定位偏差作为状态空间模型的输入偏差,提出基于状态空间模型的二维多工位装配成功率计算方法。继而应用Taguchi正交试验直观分析方法,分析得到影响装配成功率的主要因素即夹具系统定位销副关键公差,运用回归正交组合设计拟合得到二维多工位装配成功率与夹具系统定位销副关键公差的响应面模型。以定位销、零件定位孔(槽)制造成本所构成的装配成本最小化为目标,二维多工位装配成功率为约束,建立二维多工位装配夹具系统定位销和零件定位孔(槽)公差可行稳健设计模型。以汽车车身地板二维三工位装配为例,建立其公差可行稳健设计模型并对该模型进行计算与分析,结果表明在装配成本增幅较小的情况下,采用稳健约束后可显著提高公差设计的可行稳健性。该方法为二维多工位装配夹具系统公差稳健设计提供了一种新途径。     

薄板装配工艺系统可靠性建模与分析

提出一种计入销/孔(槽)公差面向产品质量的薄板装配工艺系统可靠性建模方法。综合考虑定位销公差、零件孔(槽)公差和定位销磨损量,构建薄板装配偏差统计数字特征模型;分析推导定位销过程磨损模型,探讨装配质量与工艺系统可靠性之间的关系,综合考虑定位销故障率和过程磨损量对工艺系统可靠性的影响,建立工艺系统结构可靠性模型和面向装配质量的可靠性模型,继而形成薄板装配工艺系统可靠性建模方法;以车身侧板装配为例,应用提出的建模方法分析车身侧板装配工艺系统可靠性。结果表明：定位销磨损、夹具布局和销/孔(槽)公差是影响车身侧板装配工艺系统可靠性的重要因素。该方法为薄板装配工艺系统可靠性研究提供了一种新的思路。     

基于敏感度分析的多工位薄板装配过程测点优化设计

提出了一种多工位薄板装配过程测点优化设计方法。该方法利用薄板装配偏差流传递的状态空间模型确定优化设计的目标函数,采用遗传算法实现测点在多工位间坐标位置的优化设计。装配过程实验表明,该优化方法显著提高了测量数据对夹具定位偏差反应的敏感度,有助于在夹具定位偏差产生的早期发现问题,避免因夹具定位偏差引起的产品质量缺陷。     

面向装配系统可靠性分析的车身夹具系统优化设计

为描述多工位车身装配系统的渐进衰退特性,建立了面向车身产品尺寸质量和夹具系统要素的装配系统可靠性模型。结合夹具设计稳定性参数约束,提出了面向白车身装配系统可靠性的车身多工位焊装过程的夹具布局优化方法;在给定夹具布局下构建了定位销制造成本函数,提出多工位夹具定位销磨损率的优化模型并对其进行优化分配。将上述方法应用于侧围装配案例,分析发现优化后装配系统可靠性衰退过程得到较大改善,并有效提升了夹具系统的使用寿命。     

车身柔性虚拟装配偏差模拟分析

在轿车样车试制阶段,为了减少车身尺寸功能评估周期和降低评估成本,引入了车身的虚拟装配.针对功能评估中虚拟装配关键技术,包括装配过程夹具偏差、焊接处理及多工位装配等提出解决方案,实现了在考虑制造偏差、夹具偏差、连接偏差和多工位装配基础上的车身虚拟装配.通过案例论证了提出的虚拟装配方法的可行性.结果表明,该模型的准确度较高,适用于柔性薄板零件的装配偏差分析.     

公差稳健优化设计的研究

为了解决产品加工成本与质量稳健的协调性问题,提出了一种新的公差稳健优化设计数学模型.依据公差稳健设计的思想,考虑产品质量的模糊性,以封闭环误差分布概率密度函数的方差和优质品概率之比为设计目标,建立了公差优化设计产品质量稳健性损失成本目标函数,并研究了优质品率和封闭环误差分布方差的确定方法.以加工成本和产品质量稳健性损失成本为目标,以模糊装配可靠度、可取公差极限范围为约束条件,建立了公差多目标优化数学模型.举例说明了文中所述的公差稳健优化设计方法的应用,采用遗传算法实现了公差的多目标优化设计.实例表明,该方法能够协调零件的加工成本和产品质量的稳健性损失成本,使优化指标的综合性能最佳.     

车身多工位装配系统可靠性评估与维护策略研究

针对车身多工位装配系统夹具的衰退过程,提出了夹具元件磨损、来料零件偏差以及定位元件配合公差等多因素集成影响下的车身装配系统可靠性评估方法。在给定车身波动阈值条件下,提出了基于可靠性模型的多工位夹具部件的动态维护策略。通过一个四工位薄板件装配案例对所提方法进行了应用验证,为夹具系统维护与车身尺寸质量控制提供了理论指导。     

动态多工位车身串并联混合装配系统可靠性评估研究

针对当前车身装配系统可靠性评估体系对偏差因素、可靠性要素间的相关性、过程衰退等方面的评价不完备的问题,对定位销定位偏差源的组成结构、结合来料零件定位孔、槽的尺寸质量和定位销本身定位能力水平的定位销磨损模型进行了研究。分析了系统要素可靠性间的相关性,根据Copula连接函数理论建立了相关性模型;对产品上所有关键产品特性(KPC)点在整体产品尺寸质量可靠性中所占权重进行了分配并建模,基于来料-产出流思想对串并联混合系统进行了简化,最终提出了一种综合考虑各偏差源动态输入的动态多工位车身串并联混合装配系统可靠性评估模型;利用此模型对车身某分总成装配系统进行了制造成本优化分配,并且给出了一套动周期预防性维护策略。研究结果表明:该可靠性模型精确度较高,适用于指导生产制造成本的优化和建立预防性维护策略。     

多工位薄板装配偏差流传递的状态空间模型

借鉴控制理论中的状态空间方法,研究多工位薄板装配过程中偏差流传递、变换和累积关系的状态空间模型.以零件偏差为状态矢量,夹具偏差为控制矢量,研究夹具偏差和零件偏差之间的对应关系以及零件在工位间转换过程中的重定位偏差,建立多工位装配过程偏差流传递的状态方程;以零件测量偏差为输出矢量,建立表征测点位置和数量的输出方程.最后通过实际零件的装配过程说明该模型的应用方法.     

基于数论网格法的三维单工序装配成功率计算方法

提出了一种基于数论网格法的三维单工序装配成功率计算方法。首先,基于三维单工序装配偏差模型,考虑销-孔/槽副任意布局下夹具定位偏差对装配偏差的影响,建立销-孔/槽副任意布局的三维单工序装配偏差模型。然后,阐述了数论网格采样的基本原理,运用数论网格法对零件偏差采样,基于所建立的销-孔/槽副任意布局下的三维单工序装配偏差模型,建立三维单工序装配成功率模型。最后,针对三维薄板零件装配实例,采用所建立的装配成功率模型计算其装配成功率,并采用3DCS对所建立的装配成功率模型进行仿真验证,仿真结果与理论模型计算结果相比,装配成功率相对误差为0.21%,表明了该方法的有效性。     

Product and process dimensioning and tolerancing techniques. A state-of-the-art review

Dimensioning and tolerancing are important engineering processes in the different phases of a product development cycle. The two main phases in a product cycle where dimensioning and tolerancing techniques are extensively employed are in the areas of product design and process planning. Tolerance and dimension assignment in both product design and process planning has an equally important role in keeping the production cost down and, hence, requires equal attention as far as research into these areas are concerned. Another important motivating factor for research is that manual dimension and tolerance assignment is often tedious, time-consuming and requires a considerable amount of skill and experience on the part of the engineer, resulting in inconsistencies and errors. Extensive research, in the area of dimensioning and tolerancing in both product design and process planning, has been carried out with the advancement in computers since the 1970s. The purpose of this paper is to review the state-of-the-art dimensioning and tolerancing techniques in both product design and process planning and explore the opportunities for future research in these areas.     

Dimensional and geometrical tolerance balancing in concurrent design

In conventional design, tolerancing is divided into two separated sequential stages, i.e., product tolerancing and process tolerancing. In product tolerancing stage, the assembly functional tolerances are allocated to BP component tolerances. In the process tolerancing stage, the obtained BP tolerances are further allocated to the process tolerances in terms of the given process planning. As a result, tolerance design often results in conflict and redesign. An optimal design methodology for both dimensional and geometrical tolerances (DGTs) is presented and validated in a concurrent design environment. We directly allocate the required functional assembly DGTs to the pertinent process DGTs by using the given process planning of the related components. Geometrical tolerances are treated as the equivalent bilateral dimensional tolerances or the additional tolerance constraints according to their functional roles and engineering semantics in manufacturing. When the process sequences of the related components have been determined in the assembly structure design stage, we formulate the concurrent tolerance chains to express the relations between the assembly DGTs and the related component process DGTs by using the integrated tolerance charts. Concurrent tolerancing which simultaneously optimizes the process tolerance based on the constraints of concurrent DGTs and the process accuracy is implemented by a linear programming approach. In the optimization model the objective is to maximize the total weight process DGTs while weight factor is used to evaluate the different manufacturing costs between different means of manufacturing operations corresponding to the same tolerance value. Economical tolerance bounds of related operations are given as constraints. Finally, an example is included to demonstrate the proposed methodology.     

Representation of similarity and dependency for assembly modularity

Researchers have expanded the definition of product modularity from function-based modularity to life-cycle process-based modularity, and developed a measure of product modularity and validated a corresponding modular product design method. However, a correct modularity measure and modular design method are not enough to realize modular product design. How the measure and design method are used, especially the role of product representation, is an important aspect of modular design and imperative for realizing the promised cost savings of modularity. In this paper, we develop a representation that includes similarity and dependency for assembly modularity. The similarity representation is based on assembly cost factors including tool changes and fixture changes. The process-based design dependency representation is based on design features that impact the assembly process (faces, fasteners, assembly interference, etc.). This representation captures the cost benefits of modularity and can be extended to other life-cycle processes. A set of products is used to show the application of this representation in association with a modularity measure and modular design method.     

Precisely positioning pallets in multi-station assembly systems

In multi-station assembly systems, common for mass-customization manufacturing strategies, the product being assembled is held in a fixture attached to a pallet, and the pallet is conveyed between workstations. In high-precision assembly systems, variation in the position of the pallet is one of the largest sources of variation within the error budget, reducing quality and yields. Conventional approaches to locating pallets use pins and bushings, and a method for predicting their repeatability is presented. This paper also presents an exact constraint approach using a split-groove kinematic coupling, which reduces variation in pallet location by an order of magnitude.     

Concurrent tolerancing for design and manufacturing based on the present worth of quality loss

The quality loss function developed by Taguchi provides a monetary measure for the deviation of the product quality characteristic from the target value. Product use causes degradation on its quality characteristic, and since such a deviation can be changing over time, so can the quality loss. However, most studies on concurrent tolerancing theory do not consider the quality loss caused by the degradation. In this paper, the present worth of expected quality loss expressed as the function of the pertinent process tolerances in a concurrent tolerancing environment is derived to capture the quality loss due to product degradation over time as a continuous cash flow function under continuous compounding. A new tolerance optimization model, which is to minimize the summation of manufacturing cost and the present worth of expected quality loss, is established to realize the concurrent tolerance allocation for products with multiple quality characteristics. An example of the bevel gear assembly involving concurrent allocation of design and process tolerances is given, demonstrating that the proposed model is feasible in practice.