ROBOTICS COURSEWORK

Robotics Coursework

Robotics Coursework

Introduction

United Parts in Dassel, Germany, manufactures 2.5 million gearboxes yearly, representing 50 percent of European production. In this particularly impressive factory, two Staubli RX90 robots are installed in one of the assembly lines.

A part-recognition system identifies the gearbox type with a camera. The robot automatically adapts its operation for the part. This device is quite important because it omits adjustment time for the series changes.

The first robot performs the gear shift lever assembly into the lower bearing shell after adding the right amount of grease for the part. The robot continues with the assembly of the upper bearing shell into the lower one. The second RX90 robot controls the completed gearbox and performs several operations to verify power and torque. These assembly and inspections are performed in 20 seconds. This paper discusses the program to carry out the assembly of the gearbox components in a concise and comprehensive way.

Program to Carry Out the Assembly of the Gearbox Components

The application's successful development is due to the precision of 6-axis RX robots with totally enclosed structure and Staubli V-TRAJSIG software for high-speed, complex path following. United Parts says the robotic assembly process is more productive than earlier processes and also has improved the quality of the finished product (Nehmzow, 2000).

Material Handling

A DCT Automated Systems and FANUC Robotics North America high-speed dual robotic destacking system feeds full bodyside apertures and other blanks to an "A-size" crossbar transfer press at DaimlerChrysler's Twinsburg, Ohio, stamping plant to support production of the Durango SUV and other Daimler Chrysler vehicles.

"This is one of over a dozen destacking systems that DCT and FANUC Robotics have partnered to create," said Michael Bleau, director of marketing and sales for DCT. "But this system wouldn't have been possible without the involvement of the DaimlerChrysler engineering team" (Nehmzow, 2000).

At the onset of the project, a cross-functional team was assembled at Daimler Chrysler, representing mechanical, electrical, safety and facilities engineering. The team established the system program objectives, including system functionality and operation features.

"We processed the system and produced computer studies that proved out critical aspects of the system long before it was time to cut steel," Bleau said. "This really paid off, enabling us to bring the system online two months before the target launch date."

The destacker system modules, which include the FANUC Robotics M-410i/HW dual robotic destacking heads, an indexing conveyor, a blank washer, an idle convey or and a centering station, continuously processes sheet steel blanks weighing up to 104 pounds at a rate of 14 per minute. With a maximum capacity of 55 pounds, the robotic destacker is capable of handling any blank that DaimlerChrysler processes on an "A" press in any of its stamping plants (Thomas, online).

"The robotic destacker is mechanically simpler than a conventional 'cup and conveyor' system," explained DCT project manager Jason Powers, "and it also offers a number of advantages in terms of accessibility for maintenance and ease of assembly in the customer's plant. The fact that all the modules are at a common ...