Search results

The purpose of this paper is to develop an intelligent robot assembly system for the moving production line. Moving production lines are widely used in many manufacturing factories, including automotive and general industries. Industrial robots are hardly used to perform any tasks on the moving production lines. One of the main reasons is that it is difficult for conventional industrial robots to adjust to any sort of change. Therefore, more intelligent industrial robotic systems have to be developed to adopt the random motion of the moving production lines. This paper presents an intelligent robotics system that performs an assembly process while the object is moving, using synergic combination of visual servoing and force control technology.

The developed intelligent robotic system includes some rules to ensure the success of the assembly processes. Also visual servoing and force control are used to deal with the random motion of the moving objects. Since the objects on the moving production lines are moving with random speed, visual servoing is adopted to tracking the motion of the moving object. Force control is also integrated to control the motion of the robot and keep the robotic system compliant with the moving objects to avoid the damage of the whole system.

The developed intelligent robotic technology has been successfully implemented. The wheel loading process is used as example.

Since the developed technology is based on the low‐level motion control, safety has to be considered. Currently, it is done by motion supervision.

The developed technology can be used to perform assemblies in the moving production lines. Since the developed platform is based on the synergic combination of visual servoing and force control technology, it can be used in other areas, such as seam tracking and seat loading, etc.

This paper provides a practical solution of performing assemblies on the moving production lines, which is not available on the current industrial robot market.

Briefly reviews previous literature by the author before presenting an original 12 step system integration protocol designed to ensure the success of companies or countries in their efforts to develop and market new products. Looks at the issues from different strategic levels such as corporate, international, military and economic. Presents 31 case studies, including the success of Japan in microchips to the failure of Xerox to sell its invention of the Alto personal computer 3 years before Apple: from the success in DNA and Superconductor research to the success of Sunbeam in inventing and marketing food processors: and from the daring invention and production of atomic energy for survival to the successes of sewing machine inventor Howe in co‐operating on patents to compete in markets. Includes 306 questions and answers in order to qualify concepts introduced.

The following paper is a “Q&A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal as a method to impart the combined technological, business and personal experience of a prominent, robotic industry engineer-turned entrepreneur regarding his pioneering efforts in the industrial robot industry and the commercialization and challenges of bringing robotic inventions to market. This paper aims to discuss these issues.

The interviewee is Brian Carlisle, President and Co-founder of Precise Automation, a robot manufacturer that specializes in collaborative robots. Carlisle discusses the highlights of his 40-year career that led to groundbreaking innovations in small parts assembly and handling robots, along with some of the challenges. He also shares his thoughts on the future of the industry.

Brian Carlisle received his BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. After Stanford, Carlisle and colleague Dr Bruce Shimano worked for Vicarm, a three-person company started by robotics pioneer Victor Scheinman. Vicarm was sold to Unimation and Carlisle became Unimation’s Director of R&D where he and his team developed the PUMA™ series of electric robots and grew sales from $0 to $40m in five years. In 1983, Carlisle and Shimano co-founded Adept Technology and as its CEO for 20 years, Carlisle grew Adept to over $100m in robot sales. In 2004, Carlisle co-founded with Shimano, Precise Automation, and is the President and CEO.

Brian Carlisle is a pioneer of the small parts assembly and handling robot. He was one of the key members of the team that developed the PUMA™ robot for Unimation. The PUMA™ robot was the watershed product that launched the assembly robot business in the USA and Europe. At Adept, he led the design of the first Direct Drive SCARA Robot and under his helm, Precise Automation introduced the first commercially available collaborative robots. Carlisle was President of the Robotic Industries Association for three years, is the recipient of the Joseph Engelberger Award for Leadership in Robotics, and an elected IEEE Fellow. He has served on the Board of the National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing, the Boards of the National Center for Manufacturing Science, the Automation Forum of NEMA and is a founding member of the National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative. He holds multiple patents for robot designs.

This study aims to deliver an approach of how lightweight robot systems can be used to automate manual processes for higher efficiency, increased process capability and enhanced ergonomics. As a use case, a new collaborative testing system for an automated water leak test was designed using an image processing system utilized by the robot.

The “water leak test” in an automotive final assembly line is often a significant cost factor due to its labour-intensive nature. This is particularly the case for premium car manufacturers as each vehicle is watered and manually inspected for leakage. This paper delivers an approach that optimizes the efficiency and capability of the test process by using a new automated in-line inspection system whereby thermographic images are taken by a lightweight robot system and then processed to locate the leak. Such optimization allows the collaboration of robots and manual labour, which in turn enhances the capability of the process station.

This paper examines the development of a new application for lightweight robotic systems and provides a suitable process whereby the system was optimized regarding technical, ergonomic and safety-related aspects.

A new automated testing process in combination with a processing algorithm was developed. A modular system suitable for the integration of human–robot collaboration into the assembly line is presented as well.

To optimize and validate the system, it was set up in a true to reality model factory and brought to a prototypical status. Several original equipment manufacturers showed great interest in the system. Feasibility studies for a practical implementation are running at the moment.

The direct human–robot collaboration allows humans and robots to share the same workspace without strict separation measures, which is a great advantage compared with traditional industrial robots. The workers benefit from a more ergonomic workflow and are relieved from unpleasant, repetitive and burdensome tasks.

A lightweight robotic system was implemented in a continuous assembly line as a new area of application for these systems. The automated water leak test gives a practical example of how to enrich the assembly and commissioning lines, which are currently dominated by manual labour, with new technologies. This is necessary to reach a higher efficiency and process capability while maintaining a higher flexibility potential than fully automated systems.

In the redesign process of assembly components that need adaptation to robotic assembly, designers can find support from structured methodologies for innovation, such as the theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ). This paper aims to illustrate the authors’ methodology for redesigning gas hobs components for adaptation to robotic assembly.

A designer approaching a redesign task of an assembly component of any kind for adaptation to robotic assembly must consider, first of all, the features and limitations of existing robotic assembly systems; the generation of new design ideas that best fit the requirements may result to be a very challenging task. Here, the TRIZ methodology has proven useful for generating design ideas and finding the best solution.

The authors’ methodology approaches the challenges of redesign tasks for robotic assembly adaptation, which exploits knowledge of automatic and robotic assembly systems and the TRIZ method for innovation; it has proven useful in the redesign, checks and prototyping of gas hobs components.

This paper shows how the TRIZ methodology can be integrated into the redesign process and its impact on an industrial environment. The work’s main value is to provide a set of steps to help the designers change their design components approach that is necessary but not still implemented to optimize the use of the automation.

This paper seeks to review the Assembly and Automation Expo in Chicago with emphasis on new robot innovations and applications on display.

The paper includes in‐depth interviews with exhibitors of robots as well as system integrators who apply robots to specific categories of applications.

Robots are an ever increasingly important part of assembly automation. Robot suppliers continue to innovate to expand the capabilities and adaptabilities of their offerings. System integrators are smarter about applying robots to maximize their benefit to the overall system.

Automated assembly system customers can find smarter and more cost‐effective answers to their requirements as the robots become better at addressing requirements for an ever‐widening range of applications.

The paper aims to deliver an approach of how lightweight robot systems can be used to automate manual processes for higher efficiency, increased process capability and enhanced ergonomics. To show how these systems can be utilized in practice, a new collaborative testing system for an automated water leak test was designed using an image processing system utilized by the robot.

The “water leak test” in an automotive final assembly line is often a significant cost factor due to its labour-intensive nature. This is particularly the case for premium car manufacturers as each vehicle is watered and manually inspected for leakage. This paper delivers an approach that optimizes the efficiency and capability of the test process by using a new automated in-line inspection system whereby thermographic images are taken by a lightweight robot system and then processed to locate the leak. Such optimization allows the collaboration of robots and manual labour which, in turn, enhances the capability of the process station.

This paper examines the development of novel applications for lightweight robotic systems and provides a suitable process whereby the systems are optimized in technical, ergonomic and safety-related aspects.

A new automated testing process in combination with a processing algorithm was developed.

To optimize and validate the system, it was set up in a true to reality model factory and brought to a prototypical status. Several original equipment manufacturers showed great interest in implementing the system in their assembly line.

The direct human–robot collaboration allows humans and robots to share the same workspace without strict separation measures which is a great advantage compared with traditional industrial robots. The workers benefit from a more ergonomic workflow and are relieved from unpleasant, repetitive and burdensome tasks.

A lightweight robotic system was implemented in a continuous assembly line as a new area of application for these systems. The automated water leak test gives a practical example of how to enrich the assembly and commissioning lines, which are currently dominated by manual labour, with new technologies. This is necessary to reach a higher efficiency and process capability while maintaining a higher flexibility potential than fully automated systems.

At the Robot '84 show in Gothenburg ASEA Robotics introduced a new robot assembly system. Capable of short cycle times, it also has a series of intelligent peripherals designed to reduce the cost of special engineering. Brian Rooks reports.