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ELCAT
ELCAT: Enhanced Low-Cost Automation Technology
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Currently, there is no standard approach to manufacturing systems integration. The systems developed are typically bespoke and designed to produce only a single product type. Detailed knowledge on the manufacturing system is not transferred back to the system owner. Together these factors restrict the ability for the end-users to adapt their system for future needs and drive up the non-recurring costs of automation. ​
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ELCAT addresses these challenges through the implementation of an open manufacturing system integration framework and a low-cost reconfigurable assembly cell for multi-product assembly. ELCAT will develop and demonstrate the physical and digital infrastructure to support multi-product automated assembly, alongside the business case evaluation and knowledge transfer back into industry.
​PROJECT PARTNERS
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Exechon Enterprises LLC
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University of Bath
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FUNDING
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Aerospace Technology Institute
Project Ref.: IUK113235
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DELIVERABLES
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Physical system and digital infrastructure to support low-cost multi-product automated assembly.​
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Reduction in non-recurring costs of automation and increase in asset utilisation.​
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Targeted knowledge transfer through dedicated CPD modules.​
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Physical demonstration of approach in Omnifactory, at the University of Nottingham.
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KEY INNOVATIONS
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Open manufacturing system integration framework and data flow to support virtual commissioning for a GKN Aerospace use case. ​
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Methodology and decision-making process for implementation and optimisation of the digital architecture.​
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Robust and low-cost auto-adaptive reconfigurable assembly cell for multi-product manufacture. ​
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Definition and implementation of context awareness for auto-adaptive cell.