Purpose – This paper seeks to describe a new flexible, robot‐based welding line, installed at an American DaimlerChrysler vehicle assembly plant. Design/methodology/approach – This paper first considers the motivations behind flexible manufacturing strategies (FMSs) and then describes a...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on new technology concerning multi‐arm robots. Design/methodology/approach – The operating details of tread base multi‐arm robots are discussed. Comparisons to traditional robot are made. Application areas are outlined. Findings – Tread...

Purpose – This paper aims to present the critical issues and methodologies to improve robotic machining performance with flexile industrial robots. Design/methodology/approach – A complete solution using active force control is introduced to address various issues during the robotic...

Purpose – The paper aims to describe the design and development of an automated guided vehicle (AGV) that incorporates artificial intelligence techniques to increase its autonomy and flexibility. The aim is developing a flexible AGV that operates as a flexible material handling system (MHS) in...

Purpose – Moving production lines are widely used in many manufacturing factories, such as automotive and general industries. However, industrial robots are hardly used to perform any tasks on the moving production lines. One of the main reasons is that it is difficult for conventional...