Product lifecycle-oriented virtual assembly technology

VA (virtual assembly) provides a more efficient, intuitive and convenient method for assembly process modeling, simulation and analysis. Previous researches about VA are almost isolated and dispersive, and have not established the understanding and definition of VA from a macroscopical and integrated view. Based on the analysis of the connotations of VA, a PLO-VATA (product lifecycle-oriented virtual assembly technology architecture) is proposed, in this architecture, VA is decomposed into four basic elements: principles and methodology of DFA (design for assembly), assembly analysis and evaluation, virtual assembly model and virtual assembly toolkits. Immersion, concurrence, integration and collaboration are the four main characteristics of VA being put forward. The key techniques of VA including virtual assembly model, virtual assembly analysis and evaluation, and virtual assembly process planning are discussed. Finally, a prototype system is built to validate the feasibility of the proposed method.