In which order can a product be assembled or disassembled? How many hands are required? How many degrees of freedom? What parts should be withdrawn to allow the removal of a speciied subassembly? To answer such questions automatically, important theoretical issues in geometric reasoning must be addressed. This paper investigates the planning of assembly algorithms specifying (dis)assembly opera...

We describe the implementation and performance of Archimedes 2, an integrated mechanical assembly planning system. Archimedes 2 includes two planners, two assembly sequence animation facilities, and an associated robotic workcell. Both planners use fully 3 dimensional data. A rudimentary translator from high level assembly plans to control code for the robotic workcell has also been implemented...

The Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPMs) based lithographic techniques have been demonstrated as an extremely capable patterning tool. Manipulating surfaces, creating atomic assembly, fabricating chemical patterns, imaging topography and characterizing various mechanical properties of materials in nanometer regime are enabled by this technique. In this paper, a qualified overview of diverse lithog...

A generalized Monte Carlo simulation method is presented for tolerance analysis of mechanical assemblies with small kinematic adjustments. This is a new tool for assembly tolerance analysis based on vector-loop-based assembly models with kinematic assembly constraints. Methods have been developed for simulating both closed loop and open loop assembly constraints as well as over-determined assem...

The Direct Linearization Method (DLM) for tolerance analysis of 3-D mechanical assemblies is presented. Vector assembly models are used, based on 3-D vector loops which represent the dimensional chains that produce tolerance stackup in an assembly. Tolerance analysis procedures are formulated for both open and closed loop assembly models. The method generalizes assembly variation models to incl...