Lessons learned from a second generation assembly planning system

Briefly describes Archimedes 2, a second generation assembly planning system that both provides a general high-level assembly sequencing capability and, for a smaller class of products, facilitates automatic programming of a robotic workcell to assemble them. Because Archimedes can input CAD data in several standard formats, the authors have been able to test it on a number of industrial assembly models more complex than any before attempted by automated assembly planning systems. These experiments, and the authors, interaction with industrial manufacturing engineers, have led them to a number of conclusions about the state of assembly planning research, and their own future directions in particular.