Press Release
Released
August 2005
update -
web used for interactive collaboration of automation projects
The European E-RACE
project is currently developing a new, computer based, customer
oriented, assembly system specification tool. This has now produced
a working prototype, as the project enters it’s final year.
The specification tool
will aid the rapid and accurate specification of an assembly project
and the product to be assembled. It also enables collaborative design
of the assembly system solution by all of the participants; Supplier,
System Integrator and Customer.
The other elements of
the E-Race
system assist in equipment specification for increased system flexibility.
There is also a model of the system with 3D visualisation, plus
the system provides detailed predictions of all performance and
cost data.
This European project
is led by TQC Ltd, Nottingham and involves 23 partners in Finland,
Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The project is partially funded
by the relevant local governments and comes under the EUREKA
Factory Framework 6 Umbrella. A full list of the partners can be
found at: www.e-race.info
The E-Race
project aims to develop a series of web-based tools that will; enable
the rapid specification of a reconfigurable assembly system, assist
in the negotiation and trade-off analysis between the customer and
system integrator and will provide 3D visualisation and performance
analysis of the design. By achieving these goals, the consortium
aims to increase the accuracy of customer specifications and system
reconfigurability whilst reducing both production lead times and
overall costs.
The initial goals have
been realised and the consortium is currently in the pursuit of
the remaining objectives. These will be obtained through the development
of several different web tools as well as completing the architecture.
The specific work areas are:
Analysis of the State-of-the-Art
and of industrial requirements. This research was conducted during
the early phases of the project and provided the project with a
solid base for further development.
Models and methodologies
for requirements engineering and design for reconfigurability as
well as the development of a knowledge meta-model. Currently, this
work is at the second prototype stage and is being evaluated for
finalisation. The work will allow a fast, accurate and simple elicitation
of the User Requirement Specification (URS) and it will assist the
engineers in the development of the System Requirement Specification
(SRS).
Tools for assembly planning,
conceptual design and module selection. These will call to the SRS
and their output will be full details of one or more proposed assembly
system(s). These tools are also in their second prototype phase.
Visualisation, simulation
and verification tools. These tools will take the proposed system
and provide a 3D visualisation as well as performance analysis.
The performance data will also be compared to the URS to confirm
the validity of the system. Much of the visualisation package is
complete; there have also been significant developments in the performance
analysis.
Economic analysis. This
package will provide full cost predictions for the entire lifecycle
of the system. This will also be linked to the earlier elements
of the project, thus enabling the cost implications to be a crucial
decision-making factor. Work in this area is in advanced stages
and is being linked to the modelling elements of E-Race.
System architecture
and legacy modelling. This area, which receives input from almost
every partner, is fundamental to the overall construction and format
of the E-Race system and also includes the storage of information
libraries. Though considerable work has been done in this area,
it must also be open to evolutions as the individual elements develop.
Pilot implementation
and assessment and the dissemination of the results. This final
section will not commence until close to the end of the project,
though preparations for this phase are ongoing. This section is
fundamentally important to the project to ensure that E-Race
is a success.
Within the UK there
are a total of nine consortium members. There are two “Development
Partners”: TQC Ltd and The University of Nottingham. TQC are the
project co-ordinators and as such provide the overall management
of the project. TQC also provide information and research for the
project. The University of Nottingham are conducting research towards
the system architecture, assembly planning and the requirement specification
tool as well as the development of a prototype web portal.
There are five further
industrial partners; Bespak Europe, Desoutter, GlaxoSmithKline,
Riley Automation and System Devices. These partners are providing
the consortium with information and feedback from both a customer’s
and a supplier’s point of view. They will also be assisting with
the dissemination activities, which is the specialist role of the
final two partners; The British Automation and Robot Association
(BARA) and The PRIME Faraday Partnership. More details on all of
the partners can be found on the project website.
TQC have been driving
the industrial input into this project, being aided by the partnership
with the University of Nottingham. Previous experience has been
gained by both lead partners through involvement in European and
DTI funded projects such as Assembly Net. In addition, the work
being performed within the UK for E-Race has been supporting effort
in the EUPASS project,
which both TQC and The University if Nottingham are involved.
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TQC Ltd, Hooton Street, Carlton Road,
Nottingham, NG3 2NJ, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)115 9503561
Fax: +44 (0)115 9484642
E-mail: sales@tqc.co.uk
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