Offline programming and hardware simulation has been undergoing rapid and dramatic changes as software technologies have provided advanced capabilities. The application of simulation to verify specific autofastening operations has become a timesaving capability to maintain production rates as well as avoid costly collisions and subsequent downtime. Through the use of simulation, engineers can develop additional insight into the autofastening process, including useful parameters that affect maintenance, cost, and cycle time reductions. The work documented here outlines several advances that have been made including the software simulation methods developed and implemented, and the resulting operational benefit achieved. Specific areas that are covered include operation tracking and reporting, predictive wear for tooling, fastener-specific operations, tool path optimization.
