ABSTRACT
Although design for assembly is an important consideration for manually assembled products and can reap enormous benefits, it is a vital consideration when a product is to be assembled automatically. The simple example shown in Figure 8.1 serves to illustrate this. The slightly asymmetrical screwed part would not present significant problems in manual handling and insertion whereas, for automatic handling, an expensive vision system would be needed to recognize its orientation. For economic automatic assembly, therefore, careful consideration of product structure and component part design is essential. In fact, it can be said that one of the advantages of introducing automation in the assembly of a product is that it forces a reconsideration of its design, thus reaping not only the benefits of automation but also those of improved product design. Not surprisingly, the savings resulting from product redesign will often outweigh those resulting from automation.
