ABSTRACT
This chapter develops a state space model characterizing variation propagation in a multistage rigid-part assembly process. First, the background of a multistage assembly process is briefly described using automotive body assembly processes. Major variation sources are then identified and modeling assumptions are summarized, on which a station-indexed state space model is subsequently developed. The state space model for depicting stream of dimensional variation is actually a result of recursively applying standard kinematic analysis to individual operation stages. However, the state space model is not a simple summation of multiple single-stage models, because the across-stage transitions will affect how variation propagates and complicate the dynamics of the entire system. The model is validated through a comparison with commercially available variation simulation software.
