Abstract
The extensive use of robots in flexible manufacturing systems and other engineered systems has created the need for developing a design tool for workcells in which robots are used. In current practice, the location of a robot within a workcell is determined by evaluating reachability and mobility criteria. Using reachability and mobility criteria, the robot can be located in a wide area within a workcell. In this paper, a computer aided design procedure that addresses the issues of minimum cycle time of the robot, optimum location of the robot within the cell and location of the workstations for time optimal motion, is provided. Significant results for three, four and six workstation cases are presented along with a design procedure for using these results.
