Digital Factory Simulation Tools for the Analysis of a Robotic Manufacturing Cell

Modern manufacturing systems need continuous improvement in order to meet the rapidly changing market requirements. A new concept in the field of production engineering has been conceived to optimize manufacturing systems design and reconfiguration: the Digital Factory. This approach is based on the integration of diverse digital methodologies and tools, including production data management systems and simulation technologies. In this paper, the Digital Factory approach is applied to the analysis of an existing manufacturing system dedicated to aircraft engine components production. Different manufacturing cell configurations involving the employment of handling robots are studied through integration of modelling and simulation activities carried out by means of both Discrete Event Simulation (DES) and 3D motion simulation software tools.