Simulation offers the key to faster automation

Emerging simulation techniques could help machine builders to design complex automation systems more quickly and efficiently. The Advanced Manufacturing Technology Research Institute (Amtri), which leads the PhysVis project, says that many complex products should be designed in parallel with the production process and production machinery – though this is easier said than done. However, the development of new algorithms makes it possible to speed up the simulation of ‘discrete’ events – such as the separate stages of a production process. Bob Lloyd, simulation manager at Amtri, says the algorithms optimise the sampling rate so that no data is ‘missed’. He says the production of smart composite components is a potential beneficiary of the technique. “Smart composite parts are becoming more widespread – but their production will have to be automated at some point in the future,” he says. He will speak on the subject at Eureka’s ‘Automation for the Future’ Design Day – which is held in Cambridge on 11 September. To book a place at the event, click here.