Multi-criterial algorithm for the efficient and ergonomic manual assembly process

Turk, Maja (author), Šimic, Marko (author), Pipan, Miha (author), Herakovič, Niko (author)

Industry 4.0 introduces smart solutions throughout the company’s supply chain, including manual assembly, where the goal is to ensure shorter work cycle time, increase productivity and quality, while minimizing costs. Following the principles of this paradigm, this paper proposes a digital transformation of the manual assembly process by implementing a multi-criterial algorithm (MCA) for adjusting and configuring a human-centered smart manual assembly workstation to ensure efficient and ergonomic performance of the manual assembly process. The MCA takes into account various influential parameters, such as the anthropometry of the individual worker, gender, complexity of the assembly process, product characteristics, and product structure. The efficiency of the MCA was verified both in the laboratory environment with the time analysis and in the virtual environment using Digital Human Modelling through several ergonomic analyses. The results of the implementation of the MCA on a manual assembly workstation support the digital (re)design of the manual assembly process with the aim of creating an efficient and ergonomically suitable workstation for each worker, thus increasing the productivity and efficiency of the human-centered manual assembly process.

• Language: English
• Keywords: digitalization, Industry 4.0, multi-criterial algorithm, smart technologies, smart tools, ergonomic workplace, productivity, assistance systems
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 17 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 19, iss. 6, art. 3496
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135607
• UDC: 658.5:007.52
• ISSN on article: 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19063496
• COBISS.SI-ID: 101798659
• Publication date in RUL: 22.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of environmental research and public health
• Shortened title: Int. j. environ. res. public health
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1660-4601
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1818965

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 16.03.2022

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: digitalizacija, industrija 4.0, večkriterijski algoritem, pametne tehnologije, pametna orodja, ergonomska delovna mesta, produktivnost, asistenčni sistemi

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0248
• Name: Inovativni izdelovalni sistemi in procesi

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Funding programme: Young researchers