Simulation and Implementation of Sustainable Automated Robotics at Volvo CE : Ergonomic and Economic Analysis of Automated Logistic Processes.

Sammanfattning: The development of advanced manufacturing opens new possibilities regarding cooperation between robots and humans, leading to a more sustainable industry. The study aims to research how automated processes with collaborative applications can be implemented in manual production systems and analyse the economic and ergonomic consequences this leads to. The process examined in the thesis is the de-labelling of wooden pallets conducted at the case company Volvo Construction Equipment in Braås, Sweden. Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used. The study started with an analysis of the current situation regarding process design and the ergonomic aspect. The equipment needed to design the robot cell for testing had to be evaluated before a simulation of the automated process was done. Finally, the concept was tested in a laboratory environment. The result of the study shows that it is possible to automate if the removal of the labels is carried out completely perpendicularly. The economic analysis shows that the automated solution becomes a cheaper alternative after one year and four months. When the current manual process consists of unsustainable ergonomic elements, an automated solution will lead to improvements and more sustainable physical and organisational ergonomics.