Modeling and simulation of programmable universal machine for assembly (PUMA) industrial robot for automotive-related assembly process

For more than a decade, robot had been a widely utilized in assisting human in executing specific tasks. Robots had been utilized in various fields of application for different purposes thus are generally categorized into two main categories - service robot and industrial robot. Manufacturing organizations use industrial robot to perform production tasks and the utilization had improved manufacturing productivity effectively. However, in order to optimize the efficiency of an industrial robot, the entire operation parameters of the particular purpose should be carefully taken into consideration starting from the planning stage (Inigo, 2000). One of an effective method is through the simulation of the operation, which could be done virtually. The technological expansion of virtual reality had proved to be very significant. As a result, the utilization of virtual simulation is widening and is keep replacing physical simulation in numerous circumstances (Baldini et al., 2005). In the area of manufacturing industry, virtual technology had proved to be successful in simulating various manufacturing processes (Denavit and Hartenberg, 1955). This project outlines two main objectives which are to study the synthesis criteria of robot selection strategy and to establish robot selection strategy for material handling application in automotive industry.