Browse Topic: Factory automation

Items (88)

Raising the Ergonomics Bar with Smart Electric Actuators

TBMG-3814512/01/2020

Electric linear actuators have long delivered ergonomic benefits by automating tasks that are repetitive, dirty, or dangerous. Recently, the integration of onboard intelligence into electric actuators has raised their ergonomic contribution to a new level. Smart features such as digital motor control, position feedback, synchronization, and real-time monitoring make it even easier to apply automation to improve workplace comfort, safety, and efficiency.

Unsettled Issues on Human-Robot Collaboration and Automation in Aerospace Manufacturing

EPR2020024

11/30/2020

This SAE EDGE™ Research Report builds a comprehensive picture of the current state-of-the-art of human-robot applications, identifying key issues to unlock the technology’s potential. It brings together views of recognized thought leaders to understand and deconstruct the myths and realities of human- robot collaboration, and how it could eventually have the impact envisaged by many.Current thinking suggests that the emerging technology of human-robot collaboration provides an ideal solution, combining the flexibility and skill of human operators with the precision, repeatability, and reliability of robots. Yet, the topic tends to generate intense reactions ranging from a “brave new future” for aircraft manufacturing and assembly, to workers living in fear of a robot invasion and lost jobs.It is widely acknowledged that the application of robotics and automation in aerospace manufacturing is significantly lower than might be expected. Reasons include product variability, size, design

Webb, Philip, Fletcher, Sarah

Diagnosing COVID-19: Anatomy of an LFI Test Device

TBMG-3784710/01/2020

Every minute matters when an individual needs to know whether he or she has contracted COVID-19. Beyond social distancing and masks, COVID-19 testing solutions have an important role in preventing virus spread. By offering some certainty about the presence or absence of infection, diagnostic testing helps public health efforts to control the virus.

System Eases Networking Lag in Massive IoT Devices

TBMG-3782510/01/2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) spans from WiFi-connected home appliances, to manufacturing machines that use connected sensors to time tasks on an assembly line, to warehouses that rely on automation to manage inventory, to surgeons who can perform precise surgeries with robots. But for these applications, timing is everything — a lagging connection could have disastrous consequences.

Thin Film Electrodes Show Potential for Transforming Neurosurgery

TBMG-3759409/01/2020

Advances in thin film technology could soon offer a less invasive and more cost-effective solution to enhance neurosurgery for people with neurological brain conditions, including epilepsy.

Capability-Driven Adaptive Task Distribution for Flexible Multi-Human-Multi-Robot (MH-MR) Manufacturing Systems

2020-01-130304/14/2020

Collaborative robots are more and more used in smart manufacturing because of their capability to work beside and collaborate with human workers. With the deployment of these robots, manufacturing tasks are more inclined to be accomplished by multiple humans and multiple robots (MH-MR) through teaming effort. In such MH-MR collaboration scenarios, the task distribution among the multiple humans and multiple robots is very critical to efficiency. It is also more challenging due to the heterogeneity of different agents. Existing approaches in task distribution among multiple agents mostly consider humans with assumed or known capabilities. However human capabilities are always changing due to various factors, which may lead to suboptimal efficiency. Although some researches have studied several human factors in manufacturing and applied them to adjust the robot task and behaviors. However, the real-time modeling and calculation of multiple human capabilities and real-time adaptive task

Zhang, Shaobo, Jia, Yunyi

Automated Production of Advanced Materials

TBMG-3601202/01/2020

Engineers have developed an automated way to produce polymers, making it much easier to create advanced materials aimed at improving human health. The innovation is a critical step in pushing the limits for researchers who want to explore large libraries of polymers, including plastics and fibers.

Unsettled Technology Domains in Robotics for Automation in Aerospace Manufacturing

EPR201901012/20/2019

Cost reduction and increasing production rates are driving automation of aerospace manufacturing. Articulated serial robots may replace bespoke gantry automation or human operations. Improved accuracy is key to enabling operations such as machining, additive manufacturing (AM), composite fabrication, drilling, automated program development, and inspection. New accuracy standards are needed to enable process-relevant comparisons between robotic systems. Accuracy can be improved through calibration of kinematic and joint stiffness parameters, joint output encoders, adaptive control that compensates for thermal expansion, and feedforward control that compensates for hysteresis and external loads. The impact of datuming could also be significantly reduced through modeling and optimization. Highly dynamic end effectors compensate high-frequency disturbances using inertial sensors and reaction masses. Global measurement feedback is a high-accuracy turnkey solution, but it is costly and has

Muelaner, Jody

Automation: The Future of Medical Manufacturing

TBMG-3536710/01/2019

Manufacturers in the medical industry face unique challenges in terms of product mix, throughput requirements, quality standards, and regulatory guidelines. Whether a company is developing imaging equipment, orthopedic implants, or diagnostics, the manufacturing process must be absolutely error free while delivering high throughput. Device companies are looking more and more to factory automation to ensure that they are addressing these disparate requirements.

Vision Sensors in Factory Automation

TBMG-3457706/01/2019

There are a number of ways to extract data from a production line. In factory automation, sensors are used in work cells to gather data for inspection or to trigger other devices. These sensors fall into multiple categories – photoelectric, fiber optic, proximity, ultrasonic, and vision are the most common.

Industrial Blue Lasers

TBMG-3441505/01/2019

Industrial lasers are integrated into manufacturing and fabrication facilities around the world. Every moment, there is an industrial laser somewhere that is cutting, etching, or welding. But the energy from traditional industrial lasers is not absorbed well by copper, so using them for copper processing has been slow and produced inferior quality.

Investigating Collaborative Robot Gripper Configurations for Simple Fabric Pick and Place Tasks

2019-01-069904/02/2019

Fiber composite materials are widely used in many industrial applications - specially in automotive, aviation and consumer goods. Introducing light-weighting material solutions to reduce vehicle mass is driving innovative materials research activities as polymer composites offer high specific stiffness and strength compared to contemporary engineering materials. However, there are issues related to high production volume, automation strategies and handling methods. The state of the art for the production of these light-weight flexible textile or composite fiber products is setting up multi-stage manual operations for hand layups. Material handling of flexible textile/fiber components is a process bottleneck. Consequently, the long term research goal is to develop semi-automated pick and place processes for flexible materials utilizing collaborative robots within the process. Collaborative robots allow for interactive human-machine tasks to be conducted. The immediate research is to

Alebooyeh, Morteza, Wang, Bowen, Urbanic, Ruth Jill, Djuric, Ana, Kalami, Hamed

SUPPLIER EYE

19AUTP01_0701/01/2019

Welcome to 2019, a new year that's already brimming with challenges for mobility-industry suppliers. As they deal with escalating technology investments, unpredictable product-launch cadences, an influx of non-traditional competitors, extreme U.S. import tariffs, and other factors, most suppliers (and their OEM customers) are in a reactive mode to stabilize the bottom line. The tariffs-25% on steel and 10% on aluminum-have been a thorny issue since March 2018. According to IHS Markit, the Steel Producer Price Index in September 2018 was up over 22% year over year, significantly impacting material economics for this metals-intensive industry. Exposure to such unplanned economic price hikes depends upon who is the importer of record, as well as whether or not they're participating in OEM material resale programs.

Robinet, Michael

SAE Eye on Engineering: Factory Automation Marches On

1240612/20/2018

The impact of automation in the auto industry marches on. In this episode of SAE Eye on Engineering, Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Brooke looks at the increase of automation on the plant floor. SAE Eye on Engineering also airs Monday mornings on WJR 760 AM Detroit's Paul W. Smith Show.

Motion Control in Factories: Choosing the Right Solution

TBMG-3307610/01/2018

The need for Ethernet-based communication within the factory has grown over the past 10 years. Detailed information about the tasks and performance of machines at every stage is critical to productivity. As capabilities have expanded from performance reporting to predictive maintenance warnings and beyond, the need to connect multiple controllers within the same machine and elsewhere in the factory has also grown.

Collaborative Robots Fill Automation Gaps For Medical Device Manufacturers

TBMG-3308310/01/2018

When small and mid-sized medical device manufacturers envision a robot, many think of either huge industrial robots working in fenced-off areas in large factories or futuristic cyberbots mimicking human behavior. But between these two scenarios lies a new emerging reality: A class of robots dubbed collaborative robots — or simply cobots — are bridging the gap between fully manual assembly and fully automated manufacturing lines. This new technology is filling automation gaps for larger manufacturers that have processes that couldn't be cost-effectively automated in the past and is bringing the advantages of automation within reach for even small, specialty manufacturers.

Medical Equipment Enclosures: Automated Manufacturing Improves Quality, Speed of Production

TBMG-2868104/01/2018

Most medical diagnostic and testing equipment involves some type of enclosure, cart, or cabinet that serves as a user workstation or protects sensitive electronics, controls, and hardware. Although not as sophisticated as the actual diagnostic device itself, these enclosures are nevertheless critical to the use and overall service life of the finished product.

Diagnostics Manufacturing: Strategies for Outsourcing

TBMG-2867904/01/2018

When new assays or diagnostic tests are ready for commercialization, there can be tremendous hurdles to overcome, including significant investment in the infrastructure for automated manufacturing and test equipment and hiring and retaining highly trained personnel, as well as implementing high-end quality management systems. In addition, FDA, ISO, GMP, and other approvals or certifications may be required. This article examines the requirements for manufacturing these complex diagnostics as well as the critical factors to consider when selecting a manufacturer.

Cobots and Industrial Robots Choose the Right Robot for the Job

TBMG-2880904/01/2018

Automating manufacturing processes is a complex issue, with no one-size-fits-all solution. Robots range from insect-like microrobots to industrial robots powerful enough to move automotive chassis or airplanes. Toward the lower end of the spectrum is a class of robots referred to as collaborative robots (or cobots) because they are designed to share a workspace with human workers.

Electromagnetic Actuator Decouples Linear and Rotary Motions

TBMG-2773410/01/2017

A lightweight module for rapid, accurate, and versatile positioning of semiconductor chips features a novel electromechanical actuator that can move objects both linearly and rotationally. The technology was developed by researchers at the A*STAR Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (A*STAR SIMTech) and National University of Singapore (SIMTech-NUS) Joint Lab.

Ultra-Thin Force-Sensitive Resistors Enable Greater Command of Robotic Manufacturing

TBMG-2774010/01/2017

Every product endures a complex manufacturing journey that begins at assembly and ends at delivery. Especially in robotic manufacturing operations, this journey often involves programming a multifaceted, meticulously calculated sequence of manufacturing touch points to be executed in a precise order.

Ruggedization of Imaging Lenses

TBMG-2722707/01/2017

Imaging lenses used in many industrial machine vision applications have special requirements beyond those of standard imaging lenses. The lenses used in factory automation, robotics, and industrial inspection have to work in specific and demanding environments, which could involve vibrations, shocks, temperature changes, and contaminants. Because of these environmental requirements, new classes of ruggedized lenses are being designed specifically to work in a multitude of different scenarios, therefore creating different types of ruggedization. There are three distinct types of ruggedization available: industrial ruggedization, ingress protection ruggedization, and stability ruggedization.

Drilling Material Stacks: Can it be both automated and affordable?

SN-000106/26/2017

Automating a manufacturing process often comes with substantial investment or sustained operational costs of complex subsystems. But, by reducing complexity and using technologically mature components, it is possible to develop viable scaled and robust automated solutions. For the past several years, aerospace manufacturers have endeavored to automate manufacturing processes as much as possible for both production efficiencies and competitive advantage. Automating processes like drilling, fastening, sealing, painting, and composite material production have reaped a wide range of benefits; from improving quality and productivity to lowering worker ergonomic risks. The results have improved supply chains from small component manufacturers all the way up to airframe assemblers. That said, automation can be very expensive, and difficult to introduce when a product is anywhere beyond the beginning of its life cycle. In this Solution Notes, engineers address those two challenges with a mix

Automated FML Manufacturing for Aircraft Fuselages

2016-01-211209/27/2016

As a new material FML, made by aluminum foils and Glasfiber-Prepreg, is a real alternative to common materials for fuselages of aircrafts like monolithic aluminum or CFRP. Since experiences within A380 this material has some really good advantages and develops to the status as alternative to aluminum and composite structures. To become FML as a real alternative to aluminum and carbon structures there are many things to improve: design, material, costs and process chain. So following one of the main goals for an industrial application for high production rates of aircrafts is the automation of production processes inside the process chain for FML-parts like skins and panels for fuselages. To reach this goal for high production rates first steps of automation inside this new process chain have been developed in the last two years. Main steps is the automated lay-up of metallic foils and Glasfiber-Prepreg. Over this there are some more steps within positioning of i.e. stringers and

Apmann, Hilmar

High Performance Motion Control Without a Foundation For Fuselage Fastening Automation

2016-01-210309/27/2016

This technical paper details an optimized Drivmatic machine design delivered to a Tier 1 aero structure supplier to automate drilling and installation of rivets, hi-loks, lockbolts & swage collars for individual fuselage panel assemblies with high throughput & strict quality requirements. While certain robot solutions continue to be explored for specific applications at many Tier 1 aero structure suppliers, robot payload capacity has limitations beyond certain criteria, which often times point towards an alternative machine design as in this case study. A typical approach for adding more automation is to allocate shop floor space based on the solution’s foot print, however contrary to most approaches this solution had to be designed to fit within a pre-determined factory footprint over a geographic location with a high water table that would not permit a foundation. GEMCOR was therefore challenged to deliver a CNC automatic fastening solution with high-speed motion control technology

Barton, Eric

End-Effector for Automatic Shimming of Composites

2016-01-211109/27/2016

Gaps in composite structures are a risky factor in aeronautical assemblies. For mechanically joined composite components, the geometrical conformance of the part can be problematic due to undesired or unknown re-distribution of loads within a composite component, with these unknowns being potentially destructive. To prevent unnecessary preloading of a metallic structure, and the possibility of cracking and delamination in a composite structure, it is important to measure all gaps and then shim any gaps greater than 127 microns. A strategy to overcome the high relative tolerances for assemblies lies in the automated manufacturing of shims for the gaps previously predicted through the evaluation of their volumes via a simulation tool. This paper deals with the development of a special end-effector prototype to enable the shimming of gaps in composites structures using a pre-processed geometry. The aim of this end-effector is to provide movement to a temperature controlled hot-end in

Antolin-Urbaneja, Juan Carlos, Livinalli, Juan, Puerto, Mildred, Liceaga, Mikel, Rubio, Antonio, San-Roman, Angel, Goenaga, Igor

Flexibility of LVIT Technology in Factory Automation Applications

TBMG-3705408/02/2016

What is a Linear Variable Inductive Transducer (LVIT) and where are they used? LVITs, which have been around for more than 30 years, are relatively low-cost, contactless position sensing devices that utilize eddy currents developed by an inductor in the surface of a conductive movable element that is mechanically coupled to the moving object whose position is being measured.

An Overview of the Most Popular Rotary Motion Technologies

TBMG-2500707/01/2016

The ability to provide accurate rotary motion is critical in a wide range of applications in the automation equipment, medical device, machine tool, energy, welding, robotics, automotive, aerospace, semiconductor, and heavy equipment industries, as well as many others.

A Framework for Collaborative Robot (CoBot) Integration in Advanced Manufacturing Systems

2016-01-033704/05/2016

Contemporary manufacturing systems are still evolving. The system elements, layouts, and integration methods are changing continuously, and ‘collaborative robots’ (CoBots) are now being considered as practical industrial solutions. CoBots, unlike traditional CoBots, are safe and flexible enough to work with humans. Although CoBots have the potential to become standard in production systems, there is no strong foundation for systems design and development. The focus of this research is to provide a foundation and four tier framework to facilitate the design, development and integration of CoBots. The framework consists of the system level, work-cell level, machine level, and worker level. Sixty-five percent of traditional robots are installed in the automobile industry and it takes 200 hours to program (and reprogram) them. Integrating CoBots has the potential to enhance the abilities of both the robotic and human actors within the system, improving process efficiencies, and adapting to

Djuric, Ana M., Urbanic, R.J., Rickli, J.L.

Getting It Right with Composites

TBMG-2229506/01/2015

"Composite design and analysis is a highly integrated activity,” said Chris Gear, Chief Technology Officer & Senior Technical Fellow for GKN Aerospace. He noted that how composite material is placed, how it moves, how it cures, and the quality and conformance of the product are all interrelated. All of these factors are considered in the final release of the data for manufacturing, according to him, aided by design-for-manufacturing (DFM).

Composites design optimization for automated fiber placement

15MEIP03_0303/01/2015

Coriolis Composites and SAFRAN Aircelle worked together on a thrust reverser component demonstrator made with carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) material and an AFP process. Complex composites structures are becoming more common, especially in aeronautics. Composites preforms can now be manufactured by automated processes, such as automated fiber placement (AFP) and automated tape laying (ATL), to achieve the expected production volumes. The AFP process is the most interesting since it can address complex double-curvature layup surfaces with good productivity rates and low material scrap, according to Coriolis Software. The main advantages of this technology are that material can be steered to address the problem of curvature, and fiber angular deviation from the engineering rosette can be easily managed. This opens interesting possibilities to optimize the design of composites structures and to change the current traditional “black metal” approach of design offices.

Composites Design Optimization for Automated Fiber Placement Process

2014-01-226109/16/2014

Today, the design and optimization of complex 3D composites structures is managed by taking into account engineering and manufacturing constraints. If the manufacturing process is automated, especially using a robot, these constraints are particularly complex and a difficult compromise needs to be reached. Most of the technology available on the market, dedicated to automated processes offline programming, neglects some of these constraints, or can only highlight the manufacturing defects without any automatic or manual tools to solve the tape course programming issues. A new innovative approach has been developed to include engineering, material and process specifications, to help designers and NC programmers to optimize the final layup program in terms of structural properties and productivity rate. An aerospace case study using the automated fiber placement (AFP) process will be presented to highlights these offline programming capabilities.

Blanchard, Yvan

Selecting the Proper Motor for Linear Motion Applications

TBMG-2041909/01/2014

Linear motion systems are found inside countless machines including precision laser cutting systems, laboratory automation equipment, semiconductor fabrication machines, CNC machines, factory automation, and many others too numerous to list. They range from the relatively simple such as an inexpensive seat actuator in a passenger vehicle, to a complex, multi-axis coordinate system complete with control and drive electronics for closed-loop positioning. No matter how simple or complex the linear motion system, at the most basic level, they all have one thing in common: moving a load through a linear distance in a specific amount of time.

Automated Manufacture of Continuous Multi-Ply Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Resin Impregnated Broadgoods

ARP1674A (Current)08/14/2014

This document describes a manufacturing method for processing unidirectional carbon fiber/epoxy resin impregnated sheet and tape into multi-ply broadgoods and tape produced on an automated cross-plying machine. Broadgoods or tape of two or more ply configurations may be processed, where ply orientations of 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135° (as examples) may be automatically layed in a programmed sequence. In all configurations, the 0° ply direction is parallel to the length of the broadgoods roll or sheet, or tape.

AMS P17 Polymer Matrix Composites Committee

Integrating factory automation into the off-highway industry

SAE-MA-0030804/04/2014

According to Turck's Dave Lagerstrom, it’s realistic to forecast that future manufacturing facilities will continue to drive the evolution of automation, moving away from physical plant constraints and instead solving complexities of the processes that factories tie into.

Lagerstrom, Dave

Modeling and Validation of Rapid Prototyping Related Available Workspace

2014-01-075104/01/2014

Path planning and re-planning for serial 6 degree of freedom (DOF) robotic systems is challenging due to complex kinematic structure and application conditions which affects the robot's tool frame position, orientation and singularity avoidance. These three characteristics represent the key elements for production planning and layout design of the automated manufacturing systems. The robot trajectory represents series of connected points in 3D space. Each point is defined with its position and orientation related to the robot's base frames or predefined user frame. The robot will move from point to point using the desired motion type (linear, arc, or joint). The trajectory planning requires first to check if robot can reach the selected part(s). This can be simply done by placing the part(s) inside the robot's work envelope. The robot's work envelope represents a set of all robots' reachable points without considering their orientation. To visualize the robot's work envelope many

Arachchige, Prabath, Abderrahmane, Mohamed, Djuric, Ana M.

Frame Grabber Deployed in Robomotive Humanoid Robot

TBMG-19466

03/01/2014

Robomotive and other humanoid robots equipped with 3D vision sensors are playing an increasing role in industrial automation, including in smaller binpicking set-ups where parts are constantly changing.