Flexible manufacturing cell comes to life at N.C. State: 1989.

A prototype flexible manufacturing cell for the production of wooden furniture components was developed at North Carolina State University and demonstrated to the American Furniture Manufacturers Assn. at its February meeting. This research project was begun in January 1988 by the Furniture Manufacturing and Management Program under the sponsorship of the AFMA, the International Woodworking Fair, the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, the Woodworking Machinery Importers Assn. and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The objective was to demonstrate the feasibility of flexible automation in woodworking and to establish a test facility for further research and education in advanced manufacturing systems for the woodworking industry.

The design of a flexible manufacturing system is a complex, multi-discipline task. The major project activities include:

1. Part population analysis

2. Woodworking equipment selection

3. Design of flexible work-holding fixtures

4. Selection of material delivery systems

5. Selection of robotics systems

6. End-effector (gripper) design

7. Development of cell communication/ control system

The FFMC represents more than a system's integration effort. Several of the activities listed above required the design and development of technology specifically for the automated manufacture of wood parts.