This paper describes the design of a 4-axis SCARA-Type robot in the form of a scalar robot for the loading and unloading of workpieces in machine tools. The 4-axis dedicated robot is a 4-degrees-of-freedom robot consisting of a joint 1, 2, 3 motor and a 180° rotating gripper made up of a horizontal gripper and a vertical gripper. It was designed in a scalar shape that is suitable for machine tools, and the size of each link and elbow was determined through structural analysis. Through additional structural analysis, the deflection of the end center of the workpiece fixed to the horizontal gripper and the vertical gripper was designed to be within 0.1 mm, and based on the design result, a 4-axis SCARA-Type robot was manufactured, and the basic motion characteristics of the manufactured robot were tested. As a result of the characteristic test, the manufactured 4-axis SCARA-Type robot operated smoothly, so it is judged to be adequate for usage in loading and unloading the workpieces in machine tools.

This paper proposes a new improved methodology to assess reconfiguration manufacturing system (RMS) adaptability in small and medium manufacturing industries. The evaluation of scenarios and alternatives for a reconfigurable design in manufacturing systems requires efficient and convenient methodologies to confirm the comparative evaluation metrics of the assigned KPI. Customizable factors are extracted and mapped for the design structure matrix and the analytic hierarchy processes. Reconfiguration event information is visualized as bill of resource. Evaluation format of KPI choice is then suggested. The reconfiguration control manager is designed to extract and combine the objects and the resource library of the reconfigurable assembly module and line. This paper first proposes the improved evaluation modeling frame and format with the newly refined KPI for the assessment of reconfiguration adaptability. Second, it shows the applicable suitability through a partly designed domain at the real automotive components manufacturing and assembly factory. Finally, it discusses the issues related with the customization and case results by the suggested evaluation methods.