A touching movement : force control turns machining robots into universal tools

ABB has written a new chapter in the book of robot applications. While in the past it had been a tedious and time-consuming effort to program a robot for delicate fine-tuning operations, robots can now learn how to best manage such tasks themselves. This innovative approach can reduce overall programming times by up to 80 percent for robots used to grind castings, vastly improving productivity levels. With ABB’s new Flex Finishing system featuring RobotWare Machining FC (force control), one of the last real barriers to productivity improvement in this sector has been lifted

Set up time Reduction and Quality Improvement on the Shop floor using different lean and quality tools

The purpose of this thesis document is to describe a method developed for reducing setup time in machining processes and simultaneously improve the quality of production after setup. Bosch Rexroth at Fountain Inn is a semi-automated plant and is still in its initial stages of standardizing the setup process. Setup time at different machining centers includes: machining time, inspection time, loading and unloading times and deburring. The focus of the described method is in reducing setup times related to inspection time and loading and unloading times. To achieve success in these problems the following new tools were developed: first piece inspection charts, design inspection fixture and design of new handling tools. This work involved interaction with operators, collection of data, and analyzing and developing new plans based on the analysis. Tools like Failure Modes Effects Analysis (FMEA), 5S and Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) techniques helped in making and implementing these changes on the production line. Implementation of first piece inspection charts and inspection reduced inspection time by almost 50%. Design of handling tools helped in reducing stress on the operator and also in reducing loading and unloading time by 40%. Also quality was improved through a related project. This subproject\u27s aim is to reduce shaft alignment problems as reported by the customer. To achieve this goal I designed a fully automatic shaft alignment tool, which helps operator in installing the shaft into the pump without any difficulty. This shaft alignment tool is installed on the line and eliminated the shaft alignment problems completely. Also the quality improvement techniques and set up time reduction techniques used at BOSCH are discussed in this documen

Extending an industrial root controller : implementation and applications of a fast open sensor interface

An overview is given of the design and implementation of a platform for fast external sensor integration in an industrial robot system called ABB S4CPlus. As an application and motivating example, the implementation of force-controlled grinding and deburring within the AUTOFETT-project is discussed. Experiences from industrial usage of the fully developed prototype confirms the appropriateness of the design choices, thus also confirming the fact that control and software need to be tightly integrated. The new sensor can be used for the prototyping and development of a wide variety of new application

Low cost turbopump study Final report, 30 Jun. 1969 - 13 Feb. 1970

Low cost turbopump design and developmen

Experimental Study of Inconel 718 Surface Treatment by Edge Robotic Deburring with Force Control

We present the results of investigations into the application of robotics for deburring and chamfering to a predefined geometric quality. The robotic application was used for a part of the manufacturing process of an aircraft engine detail.Представлены результаты исследования по оценке использования робототехники для снятия заусенец и фасок с жестким геометрическим допуском. Робототехнические средства использовались для части процесса изготовления деталей авиационных двигателей

Technological preparation of a manufacturing process to produce a part “lever arm”

Manufacturing technology is the techniques and processes designed to improve manufacturing quality, productivity and practices, including quality control, shop floor management, inventory management and worker training, as well as manufacturing equipment and software. However, there are different manufacturing processes to obtain a part. But in this study, the process chosen were casting and finally machining to required standard with consideration to choice of material. This project work is focused on the design and manufacturing technological processes of producing a part. Firstly, the part was studied to see the feasibility of its manufacturability, with respect to (DFM), Hence, the part was designed. Furthermore, the technological processes which involved: Analysis of the part in the assembly unit, the type of material for production, taken into account The condition of service environment, the size and weight of the part, best locating scheme. Production, the cutting tools and its cutting forces, the production type and the choice of machine were all integrated into the study. Hence, the economic indicators of the production technology of the part are presented

Vision-assisted robotic finishing of friction stir-welded corner joints

One required process in the fabrication of large components is welding, after which there may be a need for machining to achieve final dimensions and uniform surfaces. Friction stir-welding (FSW) is a typical example after which a series of deburring and grinding operations are carried out. Currently, the majority of these operations are carried out either manually, by human workers, or on machine tools which results in bottlenecks in the process flows. This paper presents a robotic finishing system to automate the finishing of friction stir-welded parts with minimum human involvement. In a sequence, the system can scan and reconstruct the 3D model of the part, localise it in the robot frame and generate a suitable machining path accordingly, to remove the excess material from FSW without violating process constraints. Results of the cutting trials carried out for demonstration have shown that the developed system can consistently machine the corner joints of an industrial scale part to desired surface quality which is around 1.25 μm in, Ra, the arithmetic average of the surface roughness