Adelaide Marzano

Ergonomic optimization of a manufacturing system work cell in a virtual environment

The paper deals with the development of a methodology for studying, in a virtual environment, the ergonomics of a work cell in an automotive manufacturing system. The methodology is based on the use of digital human models and virtual reality techniques in order to simulate, in a virtual environment, human performances during the execution of assembly operations. The objective is to define the optimum combination of those geometry features that influence human postures during assembly operation in a work cell. In the demanding global marketplace, ensuring that human factors are comprehensively addressed is becoming an increasingly important aspect of design. Manufacturers have to design work cells that conform to all relevant Health and Safety standards. The proposed methodology can assist the designer to evaluate the performance of workers in a workplace before it has been realized. The paper presents an analysis of a case study proposed by COMAU, a global supplier of industrial automation systems for the automotive manufacturing sector and a global provider of full maintenance services. The study and all the virtual simulations have been carried out in the Virtual Reality Laboratory of the Competence Regional Center for the qualification of transportation systems (CRdC “Trasporti” - www.centrodicompetenzatrasporti.unina. it), which was founded by the Campania region with the aim of delivering advanced services and introducing new technologies into local companies operating in the field of transport.

A Virtual-Reality-based evaluation environment for wheelchair-mounted manipulators

The design of solutions for robotic extenders of wheelchairs must take into account both objective and subjective metrics for everyday activities in human environments. Virtual Reality (VR) constitutes a useful tool to effectively test design ideas and to verify performance criteria. This paper presents the development of a simulation environment, where three different manipulators to be mounted on a commercially available wheelchair have been considered. Experimental results are discussed in a significant case study, based upon users’ feedback.

Computer-aided design model parameterisation to derive knowledge useful for manufacturing design decisions

This article presents a number of novel approaches for deriving intelligence from the parameterisation of computer-aided design models to assist the engineer in making manufacturing-related decisions. During the design process, a disjoint can occur between the nominally defined computer-aided design feature parameters and the dimensions which govern manufacture and influence ease of product assembly. In this work, a link between the two representations is established, which simplifies the process of using the parameters defining the features in the computer-aided design model to make manufacturing-related decisions such as the allocation of dimensional tolerances or dealing with fit issues. It also offers insights about how the model should be parameterised to provide the optimal model utility from the designer’s perspective with respect to the manufacturing domain.