 | 2005 |
Abstract:
The irnportance of rigid and self supporting space frarne structures for the automotive and aerospace industry continually increases. To rneet the rnarket requirernents for a flexible and cornpetitive srnall batch production, innovative rnachine concepts rnust be investigated. By integrating handling and rnachining capabilities into one rnachine structure, redundant degrees of freedorn can be reduced and a forrner idle econornic potential can be made use of. This paper introduces a systernatic approach to reveal synergetic potentials that ernerge by integrating two different fields of function, the handling and the rnachining. Therewith a rnatrix with technical solutions for a cornbination of handling and rnachining is generated. These solutions are the base for new rnachine concepts that fulfill both tasks with a minimal nurnber of rnachine axes. A detailed rnodel of an innovative rnachine concept is presented that allows a flexible and cost-efficient production of three-dimensional curved extrusions.