ELCAT

ELCAT: Enhanced Low-Cost Automation Technology

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.

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.

Omni Factory Robots. Photography by Alex Wilkinson Media (43 of 54).jpg

PROJECT PARTNERS

GKN Aerospace (Project Lead)
Exechon Enterprises LLC
University of Bath

FUNDING

Aerospace Technology Institute

Project Ref.: IUK113235

DELIVERABLES

Physical system and digital infrastructure to support low-cost multi-product automated assembly.
Reduction in non-recurring costs of automation and increase in asset utilisation.
Targeted knowledge transfer through dedicated CPD modules.
Physical demonstration of approach in Omnifactory, at the University of Nottingham.

KEY INNOVATIONS

Open manufacturing system integration framework and data flow to support virtual commissioning for a GKN Aerospace use case.
Methodology and decision-making process for implementation and optimisation of the digital architecture.
Robust and low-cost auto-adaptive reconfigurable assembly cell for multi-product manufacture.
Definition and implementation of context awareness for auto-adaptive cell.