An adaptive and flexible framework for convergent manufacturing with robot manipulators

Abstract

December 2024School of EngineeringRobots have become indispensable in industrial manufacturing, with easy reconfigurability,high repeatability, and the ability to operate in harsh environments. They play a crucial role in factory production lines, executing pre-programmed motions in tasks such as packaging, welding, and assembly. Despite their ability to perform repetitive tasks with speed and precision, robots still face limitations in handling certain payloads (e.g., flexible or bulky objects) or complex tasks which require significant setup, calibration, or programming efforts (e.g., multi-robot coordination). A significant challenge to the universal deployment of industrial robotics in advanced manufacturing is integration and lack of robust planning. Currently, robot motion involves manually teaching waypoints and actions through a teach pendant or pre-program motions through commercial offline software packages. Further, the prevailing practice often involves running robots in the open-loop mode without optimization or feedback, overlooking the potential for improved performance and shorter cycle times with sensor-guided operation. To address these challenges, this thesis proposes an innovative and systematic approach to enhance industrial robotic performance and efficiency by focusing on robot interoperability, coordination, and robustness. This is achieved by integrating various sensors across representative manufacturing processes. This thesis explores the standardization of highlevel robot control, robust motion planning and tracking algorithm, and a combination of sensors with feedback to optimize the overall flexibility and performance of the robotic system. The integration of multiple robots and sensors into a unified framework is essential for convergent manufacturing, enhancing both performance and robustness. Several milestones have been achieved in this thesis work, including successful robotic manufacturing projects involving a mock assembly line, dual arm spraying, metal additive manufacturing, and fabric handling. The ultimate goal of this work is to demonstrate a convergent manufacturing system, comprised of multiple robots and sensors that can achieve new or improved capabilities.Ph