Assembly is crucial in the automotive industry, and regulations aimed to increase circularity impact the production systems. From this perspective different strategies are emerging related to sustainability and to the End-of-life Vehicles directive, perspectives often captured by “R-words” like Reuse, Recycle, Rethink etc. This paper is based on a literature search inspired by different R-words related to circularity and assembly in the automotive industry in combination with industrial workshops on the same theme. The results explore what challenges to manage during the ongoing green transition in the context of assembly in automotive. Recover, Repair, Reuse and Recycle are the most common terms found in the literature. Furthermore, Remanufacturing stands out as of particular interest to the automotive industry. However, based on the industrial workshops, Rethink as a collective word is an important perspective as well. The conclusions indicate that digitalization can be an enabler but also that there is a need for developing a common understanding about definitions and utilization of engineering tools supporting circularity.

The remanufacturing industry currently relies significantly on manualwork when, for example, sorting and disassembling. Due to several issues, includingprocess time and sequence, operations number, disassembly planning andscheduling, process cost, and performance measurement, it is challenging to staycompetitive. Based on this, it is assumed that more extensive use of robots andautomation in these industries can facilitate higher efficiency and better workconditions. This research paper aims to explore how remanufacturing of carcomponents can be made automatic. The paper describes a case where a specific carcomponent was selected and a specific step in its remanufacturing process exploredfrom the perspective of automating that task. When conducting remanufacturing ofthe selected car component, some machines are used for the testing, cleaning, andgrinding of materials. However, all assembly work is done manually. Incollaboration with the case company, the process step of applying sealant for theassembling of a lid that covers electronic components was selected. Thedemonstrator shows that it is possible to apply sealant with a human-robot layoutwith a good result. One of the advantages of using a robot for this step is that a highquality result was achieved. 

Robot safety standards defines Collaborative Operation as a state in which purposely designed robots work in direct cooperation with a human within a defined workspace. That is, an operator and an industrial robot complete assembly tasks at the collaborative workspace. A prerequisite to ensuring safety during all phases of operation is an understanding of the nature of hazards pertinent to collaborative systems. An automotive assembly station, where plastic panels are assembled on a continuously moving line, formed the basis for research operations meant to understand safety issues when a large industrial robot aids an operator in assembly tasks. This led to the development of a laboratory demonstrator whose design and functioning will be presented in this article. Additionally, the hazards identified during risk assessment along with measures to mitigate the associated risks will be presented in order to highlight the nature of hazards pertinent to collaborative systems.

Remanufacturing is the industrial process of returning used products(cores) to a like-new or better condition. During this industrial process, the cores go through several process steps, e.g., inspection, disassembly, cleaning, reprocess (repairs), storage, reassembly and final testing. Manufacturing companies also see remanufacturing as a way to become more circular and sustainable in economic, environmental and social terms. Technological advancements within the robot industry have increased the possibilities for using more automation within there manufacturing industry, while recently, the remanufacturing of electric and electronic equipment (EEE) has grown around the world. This paper aims to identify the automation potentials of the remanufacturing of EEE. A multiple case study at four EEE remanufacturing companies was conducted to meet this aim. The case study, along with previous research, shows examples of EEE remanufacturing steps that are mainly performed manually. The results from this research show the possible automation potential for the process steps of cleaning, disassembly and reassembly at the four remanufacturing case companies.

In order for humans and robots to collaborate on an assembly line, safety of operations is a prerequisite. In this article, two assembly stations where a large industrial robots collaborate with humans will be analysed with the aim to 1. determine the characteristics of hazards associated with human-robot interaction and 2. design solutions that can mitigate risks associated with these hazards. To support the aim of this article, a literature review will attempt to characterize automation and detail the problems associated with human-automation interaction. The analysis points at situational awareness and mode-awareness as contributing factors to operator and process safety. These underlying mechanisms, if recognised by the risk assessment team as hazards, can mitigate risks of operator injury or production delays. This article details the function of visual and physical interfaces that allow operators to comprehend system-state in order to avoid undesirable situations

With increasing use of fiber reinforced polymer composites follows a natural pursuit for more rational and effective manufacturing. Robotic pick-and-place systems can be used to automate handling of a multitude of materials used in the manufacturing of composite parts. There are systems developed for automated layup of prepreg, dry fibers and thermoplastic blanks as well as to handle auxiliary materials used in manufacturing. The aim of this paper is to highlight the challenges associated with automated handling of these materials and to analyze the main design principles that have been employed for pick-and-place systems in terms of handling strategy, reconfigurability, gripping technology and distribution of gripping points etc. The review shows that it is hard to find generic solutions for automated material handling due to the great variety in material properties. Few cases of industrial applications in full-scale manufacturing could be identified.

Activities to support manufacturing research are carried out with the intention to gain knowledge of industrial problems and provide solutions that addresses these issues. In order for solution to be viable to the industry, research activities are carried out in close collaboration with participants from the industry, academia and research institutions. Interactive research approach motivates participants with multi-disciplinary perspective to collaborate and emphasizes joint learning in the change process. This article, presents a methodology, where participants with different expertise can collaborate to develop safety solutions. The concept of a demonstrator, which represents cumulative result of a series of research activities, is presented as a tool to showcase functioning and design intent in a collaborative research environment. The results of a pilot study, where manufacturing professionals evaluated design decisions that resulted in a demonstrator, will be presented. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

To enable transitioning the Swedish economy into a bioeconomy, Swedish wood industry need to increase added value and introduce new products to market by introducing new technology and improving the product and production development processes. Research in automotive industry have shown the need for integrating product and production development when introducing new technology in existing production systems, and have indicated a possibility of using specifically designed student case projects in order to generate qualitative data. In this paper, one student case project on product and production development in the Swedish wood industry, involving IoT wood products, is presented and evaluated.

The production planning is a repetitive process that demands engineering hours and expertise. Many parameters must be considered, and inefficiencies lead to increased lead times. The hypothesis is that valuable time within the manufacturing stages can be saved through improved engineering tools. This article will explore to possibilities to increase the utilization of digital tools to support the engineers in their production planning activities, and to improve the efficiency of manufacturing processes. Through study visits and interviews at a product owning company with manufacturing in-house, proposals for areas that could be improved with design automation will be presented.

Risk assessment is a systematic and iterative process, which involves risk analysis, where probable hazards are identified, and then corresponding risks are evaluated along with solutions to mitigate the effect of these risks. In this article, the outcome of a risk assessment process will be detailed, where a large industrial robot is used as an intelligent and flexible lifting tool that can aid operators in assembly tasks. The realization of a collaborative assembly station has several benefits, such as increased productivity and improved ergonomic work environment. The article will detail the design of the layout of a collaborative assembly workstation, which takes into account the safety and productivity concerns of automotive assembly plants. The hazards associated with hand-guided collaborative operations will also be presented.