LoCoMo
Invest-Minimal and Highly Efficient Electric Vehicle Assembly
Motivation and Procedure
A large part of the value creation in the final assembly of automobiles takes place in a few large-scale mass-production facilities in the central core markets. Various developments indicate that such cost-intensive, inflexible production systems are not suited to meet future requirements.
For this reason, new approaches ensuring efficient production of automobiles in decentral, close-to-market value creation structures must be developed. The approach taken by the LoCoMo research project consists of flexible, low-cost assembly units that are based on technological process innovations within four spheres of action.
Research Objectives
- Development of a self-driving electric vehicle chassis to ensure structural flexibility and reduce infrastructure investments
- Automated derivation of assembly design plans from product design blueprints and printing of fixtures
- Breaking down of expensive and highly iterative adjustment processes in the assembly process by using printed elements to counterbalance tolerances
- Investigation of flexible low-cost assembly structures including a real-time capable control logic and implementation of a demonstrator assembly
Research and Project Partners
- RWTH Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL)
- PTC, Inc.
- Götting KG
- e.GO Mobile AG
RWTH Aachen University uses Simio simulation software under a grant from Simio LLC (www.simio.com).