A semi-automatic assembly sequence planner

To assist the user in determining feasible assembly sequences, an assembly sequence planner has been developed and implemented. With the aid of this planner, the user first groups the parts of the product into subassemblies and clusters. Next, the feasible sequences for each group are determined. A feasible sequence consists of valid assemblies and valid assembly actions only. An assembly is valid if it is accessible to the part to be assembled. These criteria, stability and accessibility, are used by the sequence planner to check whether an assembly sequence is feasible. The user may always overrule the result of these checks, and can thus direct the planning process. The basic algorithms that the planner uses and implementation results are discussed