Automation of Connector Mating to Improve Wire Harness Assembly on Instrument Panel of Trucks
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Product development (MPPDE), MSc
Publicerad
2024
Författare
Rahmani, Amir
Singh, Harshit Praveen
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
The assembly of wire harnesses in the automotive industry is predominantly a manual
process that presents numerous ergonomic challenges, often resulting in musculoskeletal
disorders among operators. One of the significant challenges in this
assembly process is the mating of connectors. This thesis aims to automate the mating
process to alleviate operator strain and enhance working conditions. This work
is part of the Empowering Human Workers in Wire Harness Assembly (EWASS)
project, in collaboration with Scania Group, Volvo Group, Volvo Cars, and academic
partners including Chalmers University of Technology, University of Skövde,
and Fraunhofer Chalmers for Industrial Mathematics (FCC). The research was conducted
at the Smart Factory Lab at Scania Group. The focus of the experimentation
was the instrument panel of the Scania truck, being manufactured at the
Oskarshamn factory, due to identified ergonomic issues at the pre-assembly stations
of the instrument panel.
A comprehensive study was conducted on current assembly procedures and automation
technologies for wire harness assembly. The product development methodology
was utilized, following the concept development funnel. Tools such as the function
mean tree and morphological matrix were employed to generate concepts, which
were then screened using elimination and Pugh matrices. The optimal concepts
were further evaluated using the Kesselring matrix. The thesis culminates in the
development of a functional setup capable of performing the connector mating process
on the instrument panel, providing insights and learnings that can be applied
to develop improved products for the automation of wire harness assembly.