Automatic Assembly (1/16)

I re-design products so that they cost less to make.  Redundant parts are eliminated and design features are integrated.  The least number of components are used to meet functional requirements.  Parts handling is made easier and assembly operations are simplified.

Here's an article that I originally presented at the 6th Annual British Design Engineering Conference ...


Product design for ease of assembly is a factor that should be considered alongside other parameters from the start of product creation. Considerations, such as minimizing the number of parts and reducing the difficulty levels of handling and assembly, are of major importance for both manual and automatic assembly. Additional areas of investigation are needed when employing assembly automation, due to the use of relatively 'sensor-less' human imitators.