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The assembly simulation in tolerance analysis is one of the most important steps for the tolerance design of mechanical products. However, most assembly simulation methods are based on the rigid body assumption, and those assembly simulation methods considering deformation have a poor efficiency. This paper aims to propose a novel efficient and precise tolerance analysis method based on stable contact to improve the efficiency and reliability of assembly deformation simulation.

The proposed method comprehensively considers the initial rigid assembly state, the assembly deformation and the stability examination of assembly simulation to improve the reliability of tolerance analysis results. The assembly deformation of mating surfaces was first calculated based on the boundary element method with optimal initial assembly state, then the stability of assembly simulation results was assessed by the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise algorithm to improve the reliability of tolerance analysis. Finally, combining the small displacement torsor theory, the tolerance scheme was statistically analyzed based on sufficient samples.

A case study of a guide rail model demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method.

The present study only considered the form error when generating the skin model shape, and the waviness and the roughness of the matching surface were not considered.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the proposed method is original in the assembly simulation considering stable contact, which can effectively ensure the reliability of the assembly simulation while taking into account the computational efficiency.

Owing to the numerous part models and massive datasets used in automobile assembly design, virtual assembly software cannot simulate a whole vehicle smoothly in real time. For this reason, implementing a new virtual assembly environment for massive complex datasets would be a significant achievement. The paper aims to focus on this problem.

A new system named “Grid‐enabled collaborative virtual assembly environment” (GCVAE) is proposed in the paper, and it comprises three parts: a private grid‐based support platform running on an inner network of enterprise; a service‐based parallel rendering framework with a sort‐last structure; and a multi‐user collaborative virtual assembly environment. These components would aggregate the idle resources in an enterprise to support assembly simulation with a large complex scene of whole vehicle.

The system prototype proposed in the paper has been implemented. The following simulations show that it can support a complex scene in a real‐time mode by using existing hardware and software, and can promote the efficient usage of enterprise resources.

Using the GCVAE, it is possible to aggregate the idle resources in an enterprise to run assembly simulations of a whole automobile with massively complex scenes, thus observably reducing fault occurrence rates in future manufacturing.

The paper introduces a new grid‐enabled methodology into research on collaborative virtual assembly system which can make the best use of idle resources in the enterprise to support assembly simulations with massively complex product models. A video‐stream‐based method was used to implement the system; this enables designers to participate ubiquitously in the simulation to evaluate the assembly of the whole automobile without hardware limitations.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a novel assembly simulation method to reduce the repetitive and tedious assembly simulation work. Currently, assembly simulation is always carried out by human–computer interaction, which is a time-consuming and tedious work. The most important reason for this problem is that the assembly simulation is a mapping between human intent and movements of models; at the same time, assembly information is transferred from semantic level to geometric level. However, some essential assembly information is lost during the transfer, and it must be accomplished through manual definition. To address the issue, a novel assembly simulation method is proposed in this paper based on semantics and geometric constraint.

First, an assembly operation semantic model is put forward to integrate and manage the semantic information of assembly, and some rules for modeling are generalized. Second, method for transferring assembly information from semantic level to geometric level is presented by dividing assembly operation into a set of simulation actions and providing some rules for this division. Then, a geometric constraint-based calculation method is proposed to obtain the essential parameters of each simulation action. Finally, cases are studied to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.

Results show that laborious work would be reduced, and the redundant human participation would be avoided in assembly simulation.

It has the potential and possibility to change the current pattern of assembly simulation.

A novel assembly simulation method based on semantics and geometric constraint is presented to make assembly simulation more convenient and faster.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the benefit of pre-emptive disruption management measures for assembly systems towards the target dimension adherence to delivery times.

The research was conducted by creating simulation models for typical assembly systems and measuring its varying throughput times due to changes in their disruption profiles. Due to the variability of assembly systems, key influence factors were investigated and used as a foundation for the simulation setup. Additionally, a disruption profile for each simulated process was developed, using the established disruption categories material, information and capacity. The categories are described by statistical distributions, defining the interval between the disruptions and the disruption duration. By a statistical experiment plan, the effect of a reduced disruption potential onto the throughput time was investigated.

Pre-emptive disruption management is beneficial, but its benefit depends on the operated assembly system and its organisation form, such as line or group assembly. Measures have on average a higher beneficial impact on group assemblies than on line assemblies. Furthermore, it was proven that the benefit, in form of better adherence to delivery times, per reduced disruption potential has a declining character and approximates a distinct maximum.

Characterising the benefit of pre-emptive disruption management measures enables managers to use this concept in their daily production to minimise overall costs. Despite the hardly predictable influence of pre-emptive disruption measures, these research results can be implemented into a heuristic for efficiently choosing these measures.

The paper aims to present interactive simulation with haptic feedback as a valid method for solving complex assembly problems in the context of industrial product development. Its purpose is to clarify the position of interactive simulation with respect to other methods, and to emphasize its specific value for design engineers.

The paper describes the challenges faced by design engineers in the context of design for assembly and assembly process planning. It introduces and compares automatic path planning and interactive simulation as two different approaches for checking the feasibility of assembly tasks. It provides a review of the scientific challenges and technical issues faced when implementing interactive simulation with haptic feedback in this context. It presents recent research results in the domains of final insertion and human model simulation.

The paper provides an overview of the scientific, technological and practical aspects of interactive simulation with haptic feedback. It explains how this method benefits from the manual skills and cognitive capabilities of the human operator for solving complex assembly problems. It proposes an assessment of the technical maturity using the Technology Readiness Level approach.

The paper gives insights about the maturity and usability of interactive assembly simulation with haptic feedback, for the benefit of design engineers seeking new ways to decrease product development time and costs while increasing quality.

Computer simulation techniques are used to evaluate the performance of a welding assembly line which requires modification to achieve some of the philosophies of a just‐in‐time manufacturing environment. The simulation of the existing line using GPSS/H confirmed the operational problems which had been previously identified, and allowed the validation of the computer model. The computer model was then altered to evaluate the performance of several alternative modified assembly lines which would avoid the present operational problems. Discusses some of the techniques used to develop these models, their simulation using the GPSS/H simulation language, and the benefits of using simulation in analysing manufacturing processes.

This paper aims to propose and implement an integrated augmented-reality (AR)-aided assembly environment to incorporate the interaction between real and virtual components, so that users can obtain a more immersive experience of the assembly simulation in real time and achieve better assembly design.

A component contact handling strategy is proposed to model all the possible movements of virtual components when they interact with real components. A novel assembly information management approach is proposed to access and modify the information instances dynamically corresponding to user manipulation. To support the interaction between real and virtual components, a hybrid marker-less tracking method is implemented.

A prototype system has been developed, and a case study of an automobile alternator assembly is presented. A set of tests is implemented to validate the feasibility, efficiency, accuracy and intuitiveness of the system.

The prototype system allows the users to manipulate and assemble the designed virtual components to the real components, so that the users can check for possible design errors and modify the original design in the context of their final use and in the real-world scale.

This paper proposes an integrated AR simulation and planning platform based on hybrid-tracking and ontology-based assembly information management. Component contact handling strategy based on collision detection and assembly feature surfaces mating reasoning is proposed to solve component degree of freedom.

Because of the intense competition in the current global economy, a company must conceive, design, and manufacture new products quickly and inexpensively. The design cycle can be shortened through simulation. Rapid technical advances in many different areas of scientific computing provide the enabling technologies for creating a comprehensive simulation and visualization environment for assembly design and planning. An intelligent environment has been built in which simple simulation tools can be composed into complex simulations for detecting potential assembly problems. The goal in this research is to develop high fidelity assembly simulation and visualization tools that can detect assembly related problems without going through physical mock‐ups. In addition, these tools can be used to create easy‐to‐visualize instructions for performing assembly and service operations.

The paper aims to present the processing pipeline of an assembly immersive simulation application which can manage the interaction between the virtual scene and user using stereoscopic display and haptic devices. A new set of elements are integrated in a Collaborative Virtual Environment (CVE) and validated using an approach based on subjective and objective users’ performance criteria. The developed application is intended for Assembly/Disassembly (A/D) analysis, planning and training.

A mobility module based on contact information is used to handle the assembly components’ movements through real-time management of collision detection and kinematically constraint guidance. Information on CVE architecture, modules and application configuration process are presented. Impact of device type (3 degrees of freedom (DoFs) vs 6 DoFs) over user’s experience is evaluated. Parameters (number of assembled components and components assembly time) are measured for each user and each haptic device, and results are compared and discussed.

Test results proved the efficiency of using a mobility module based on predefined kinematic constraints for reducing the complexity of collision detection algorithms in real-time assembly haptic simulations. Also, experiments showed that, generally, users performed better with 3 DoFs haptic device compared to 6 DoFs haptic equipment.

The proposed immersive application automates the kinematical joints inference from 3D computer-aided design (CAD) assembly models and integrates it within a haptic-based virtual environment, for increasing the efficiency of A/D process simulations.

The purpose of this paper is to give a comprehensive survey on the physics-based virtual assembly (PBVA) technology in a novel perspective, to analyze current drawbacks and propose several promising future directions.

To provide a deep insight of PBVA, a discussion of the developing context of PBVA and a comparison against constraint-based virtual assembly (CBVA) is put forward. The core elements and general structure are analyzed based on typical PBVA systems. Some common key issues as well as common drawbacks are discussed, based on which the research trend and several promising future directions are proposed.

Special attention is paid to new research progresses and new ideas concerning recent development as well as new typical systems of the technology. Advantages of PBVA over CBVA are investigated. Based on the analysis of typical PBVA systems and the evolution of PBVA, the core elements of the technology and the general structure of its implementation are identified. Then, current PBVA systems are summarized and classified. After that, key issues in the technology and current drawbacks are explored in detail. Finally, promising future directions are given, including both the further perfecting of the technology and the combination with other technologies.

The PBVA technology is put into a detailed review and analysis in a novel way, providing a better insight of both the theory and the implementation of the technology.