Virtual prototyping a innovative and suitable verification tool for rapid prototyping of assembly processes

In this paper, we propose a strategy for a new organisation of the assembly process in order to have an efficient utilisation of CAx tools and VR techniques. Furthermore, we present a Virtual Prototyping (VP) software environment that integrates CAx and VR. This environment supports the data preparation between CAD and VR, and also provides two VR applications to verify assembly tasks. The main difference between both VR applications is that one is using a simultaion system as a backbone expanded with VR interaction techniques and the second one tries to support the overall assembly process by using only various VR interaction capablilities. Finally, a user survey in an industrial field evaluates both VR applications regarding for example handling, efficiency and potential. The archived results show that VR is a suitable technology for verification of virtual assembly process. Furthermore, the VR application with a simulation system as a backbone seems to be the better way to support efficiently the assembly process.