Standardization of a modular on-trackgantry system

Abstract: This thesis is an investigation of how a modular on-track gantry system intendedfor arc-welding robots can be standardized by using the existing product portfolio ofon-track gantry systems of a company.The company in this thesis have chosen to be anonymous, and will be referred toas the company. The need for a standardized product is high, since robot solutionsis consistently becoming more prevalent in all industries year by year. They havethe ability to execute commands with precision for longer than any manual labourcould. To keep up with the demand for robot solution, the company is interestedin standardizing their current on-track gantry system to speed up their process.Standardizing is the process of developing and implementing specifications based onthe consensus of the views of firms, users, interest groups and governments. Thecompany currently customizes most of their on-track gantry systems but wants tostandardize this process.The purpose of this thesis is to propose and evaluate a standardized model of anon-track gantry system. This is done by dividing the work in three separate phases.One pertaining to collecting information about the on-track gantry. The followingphase involves processing the information and establishing a baseline for the model.The final phase is contains the creation of a new on-track gantry system that isconstructed from existing parts and and new parts and simulated regarding stressand frequency.The information that could be extracted from existing on-track gantry were anumber of parameters, such as stroke lengths, production costs, part numbers etc.From the information, a set of needs could also be established. Further, the infor-mation is processed by comparing how many different parts exists in the modules ofexisting on-track gantry. A decision is also done here with the help of two decisionanalyses, to choose the best existing gantry to base the standardized model on. Fi-nally, a proposed standardized model is constructed with a set 2 stroke lengths inz-direction, 1500 mm and 2000 mm and 3 stroke lengths in x-direction, 2000 mm,3000 mm and 4000 mm. The model also includes the option to choose whether anattached arc-welding robot is placed stiff in a position or if it should move the entireinterval in the z- and x-directions.In conclusion, the new proposed model is standardized due to there being a clearguideline for how the model is set up, what it can hold and the stroke lengths.