Flexible Beam-Based Modeling of Sheet Metal Assembly

In this paper, a flexible beam-based modeling method is proposed for dimensional control of the sheet metal assembly process. This method uses developed decomposition principles of key design and manufacturing characteristics for integration of assembly process and product design. It allows for modeling of assembly processes and product in the early design stage of process and product design. The method indudes principles of decoupling automotive parts into beam members, beam connectivity selection, beam-to-beam joint geometry modeling, and process locating points identification. The procedure of incorporating these principles into modeling methodology for a dimensional control approach is presented. The presented modeling method was implemented to diagnose multiple dinlensional faults of flexible sheet metal assembly.