ABB IRB Research Articles

Study of the heat transfer and analysis of the surface characteristics of robot spray painting by using Taguchi method and ANOVA analysis

In this investigative research work, the surface characteristics of normal paint and multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) paint-coated substrates are studied. The experiments are conducted using ABB IRB 1410 Robot and the end effector of the robot is retrofitted with a high-volume low-pressure atomizer paint spray gun. The nanopaint is prepared by ultrasonication by placing 1 gram of MWCNT in a polyurethane commercial base paint (500 ml). Taguchi design of experiments is used to identify the most efficient use of procedure parameters using the L9 orthogonal array table. Heat transfer of the substrate is found by temperature measurements of the convective heat transfer through extended surfaces. Surface morphology is studied by scanning electron microscope and upright microscopy. Analysis of variance technique is used to find the most influencing input parameters and contribution of values to maximizing surface finish and minimizing the heat transfer effect. The study shows that there is an enhancement in surface finish and minimization of heat transfer in the nanopaint coated substrate when compared with normal paint application using the ABB robot.

ABB IRB 120-30.6 Build Procedure in RoboDK

Purpose: Research on robotics needs a robot to experiment on it. The actual industrial robot is costly. So, the only resort is to use a Robot simulator. The RoboDK is one of the best robot simulators now. It has covered most of the popular industrial robots. Its interface is straightforward. Just open the software, download the robot as we need, and start experiments. Up to that, no issue was found anywhere. However, the problem begins when we want to build the simulated robot by own. Lots of complexity arises like coordinate assignment, rotation not aligned, length mismatch, robot not synced with DH parameter. We begin to find some documents for making the robots. A few bits of the document are present. That is why we research it. After doing that, we prepared this paper for the researcher who wants to develop the simulated robot independently. This paper can be referenced for them. To minimize the complexity of our research, we study an industrial robot, ABB IRB 120-30.6. It is a good and popular robot. It is six degrees of freedom robot. We will use the specification and STEP file from their respective website and build a simulated robot from the STEP file for our research purpose. Design/Methodology/Approach: We will create a simulated robot from ABB IRB 120-30.6 STEP file. To create a robot by own, we took the help of the IRB 120 robot model. To demonstrate as simple as possible, we start with that robot whose default design is already present. We match and tune the joint coordinate based on robot parameters through this experiment. Findings/results: Here, we see how to create a custom robot. Using the IRB 120 robot model, we will create a robot model step by step. Furthermore, it will move it around its axis. Originality/Value: Using this experiment, the new researcher can get valuable information to create their custom robot. Paper Type: Simulation-based Research.

Hand-drawn digital fabrication: calibrating a visual communication method for robotic on-site fabrication.

According to the 2016 Mckinsey report, the global construction industry is one of the least productive (The Construction Productivity Imperative, McKinsey Report, 2016), which can be attributed to a minimal implementation of digital and automation technology (Berger Digtization in the Construction industry—Building Europe's road to "Construction 4.0 THINK/ACT—BEYOND MAINSTREAM, 2015). This research argues that this relates to the skill base of construction workers since very few, if any, can operate digital fabrication systems. Here, a digital model is considered foundational knowledge and is used to communicate with a fabrication unit. The difficulty lies in communicating the digital model to the fabrication machine, which arguably requires a level of specialist knowledge. However, history shows that other methods of communicating complex construction information have existed, such as 1:1 on-site drawing, which used to be made by architects or construction workers to communicate complex information related to constructing jigs or building components (The Tracing Floor of York Minster.” In Studies in the History of Civil Engineering, 1:81–86. The Engineering of Medieval Cathedrals. Routledge, 1997). We propose an alternative where we learn from history and amalgamate that knowledge with a robotic framework. We present the calibration process behind a parametric visual feedback method for robotic fabrication that detects on-object hand-drawn markings and allows us to assign digital information to detected markings. The technique is demonstrated through a 1:2 prototype that is fabricated using an ABB IRB 120 robot arm.

Investigation of object manipulation positioning accuracy by bernoulli gripping devices in robotic cells

Ensuring the necessary accuracy of positioning the objects of manipulation of Bernoulli's grippers in robotic cells is an urgent task and can be achieved by choosing rational parameters of the gripping process. The article conducts experimental studies of the process of handling by Bernoulli grippers of objects of manipulation at different operating parameters and their weight. For this purpose, an experimental setup was developed, which consists of an industrial robot IRB 4600, an IRC5 controller, a Raspberry Pi microcontroller and two clock-type micrometers. The method of determining the total positioning error of the "robot-gripper-object" system is presented, which takes into account the positioning errors of the industrial robot, the errors of the gripping device and the errors of basing the object of manipulation relative to the axis of symmetry of the gripping device. The ABB IRB 1600 industrial robot was programmed in the ABB RobotStudio environment to cyclically simulate the handling operation and to determine the deviation of the position of the manipulation object after its gripping from different distances. The first cycle of automatic mode was used to calibrate the micrometer indicators, while gripping the object was carried out from a distance of 0.02 mm. For better reliability of research results, 20 measurement cycles were performed for each of the variable parameters. As a result, it was found that the maximum base error of objects does not exceed 0.4 mm. When capturing objects from a distance of 0.5…1 mm, the mean value of the base error will be 0.08…0.15 mm, with a standard deviation of 0.025…0.035 mm. The paper studies the effect of the displacement Δ of the center of mass of the gripped object relative to the axis of the Bernoulli gripper on the accuracy of the base of the objects. It is established that when the center of mass of the gripped objects is shifted relative to the Bernoulli gripper axis up to 20 mm, the maximum base error of the objects increases 2.2 times.

Structural Design and Material Cutting Using a Laser End Effector on a Robot Arm

The paper deals with the structural design of a laser end effector for the arm of the ABB IRB 140 robot which makes products by the laser cutting technology involving soft materials, such as e.g. paper, wood and others. A laser with a power of 1 W was chosen to carry out the cutting. An electrical circuit with a power supply was created for the selected laser; a control method and a structural design of the jig to be attached to the flange of the robot arm were proposed. Subsequently, the robot control program was connected to the control via a computer and the RoboDK simulation software. The paper describes in more detail the creation of the robot control program and the simulation designed in the simulation software environment, as well as the programming of laser control scripts in Python and in the programming environment of Arduino microcontroller.

Torque-based methodology and experimental implementation for industrial robot standby pose optimization

This manuscript reports on a novel methodology and experimental implementation for industrial robot standby pose optimization. First, we analyze the influence of the standby pose of robots in the reduction of their useful life by conducting a preliminary study in an automotive assembly line. Afterwards, we propose a novel methodology to optimize the standby pose of industrial robots by minimizing the torque applied in the joints. The results show that the methodology can reduce by 31.37% the average torque applied by a 200-kg-payload, 6 degree-of-freedom industrial robot in normal production conditions. In addition, we demonstrate that the methodology is robot model and tool invariant, by implementing the presented solution in a Kuka KR3 and two ABB IRB 6400r robots with different tools. The benefits of optimizing the standby pose of industrial robots in manufacturing assembly lines are twofold. First, it reduces the stress and temperature of the joints, increasing the remaining useful life. Second, it offers the possibility of substantially reducing the energy consumption of the production line, as the time spent by industrial robots in a standby pose can reach up to 80% of their total operational time.

Programming of Industrial Robots Using the Recognition of Geometric Signs in Flexible Welding Process

The purpose of the article was to build a low-cost system for identifying shapes in order to program industrial robots (on the base of the six-axis “ABB IRB 140” robot) for a welding process in 2D. The whole system consisted of several elements developed in individual stages. The first step was to identify the existing robot control systems, which analysed images from an attached low-cost digital camera. Then, a computer program, which handles communication with the digital camera capturing and processing, was written. In addition, the program’s task was to detect geometric shapes (contours) drawn by humans and to approximate them. This study also presents research on a binarization and contour recognition method for this application. Based on this, the robot is able to weld the same contours on a 2D plane.

Reactive planar non-prehensile manipulation with hybrid model predictive control

This article presents an offline solution and online approximation to the hybrid control problem of planar non-prehensile manipulation. Hybrid dynamics and underactuation are key characteristics of this task that complicate the design of feedback controllers. We show that a model predictive control approach used in tandem with integer programming offers a powerful solution to capture the dynamic constraints associated with the friction cone as well as the hybrid nature of contact. We introduce the Model Predictive Controller with Learned Mode Scheduling (MPC-LMS), which leverages integer programming and machine learning techniques to effectively deal with the combinatorial complexity associated with determining sequences of contact modes. We validate the controller design through a numerical simulation study and with experiments on a planar manipulation setup using an industrial ABB IRB 120 robotic arm. Results show that the proposed algorithm achieves closed-loop tracking of a nominal trajectory by reasoning in real-time across multiple contact modalities.

THE USE OF THE TWO-HANDED COLLABORATIVE ROBOT IN NON-COLLABORATIVE APPLICATION

The article deals with possibilities of using of a two-handed collaborative robot in automated production. The introductory part of this paper is about robot manufacturers’ proposed ways of use of collaborative robots and a consideration of correctness of this stance. In this matter, an alternative point of view is proposed and tested, where a collaborative robot does not cooperate with a worker but replaces him/her completely. The main part of the study focuses on a specific installation of the YuMi collaborative robot into an already existing production line of a leading Czech supplier in the automotive industry. This real application is verified in simulations with an alternative solution consisting of two traditional industrial robots ABB IRB 120 instead. These data are evaluated and the advantages of deploying the collaborative robot and the industrial robots in the specific assembly application are compared. Economic return and productivity in high production cycle applications are considered. The article then describes the difficulties caused by the low load capacity of the YuMi collaborative robot and an alternative approach using the FEM methodology and topology optimization in the robot grip jaws design.

Analysis of distortion of coupled process forming to welding using fem-based virtual manufacturing with experimental verification

In this paper, the numerical model of coupled process forming to welding by means of FEM is developed in order to analyse the displacement. Simufact. Forming and Simufact. Welding are utilized to execute a thermomechanical FEM analysis of forming to welding coupled process. Prior to welding process, a sheet metal bending process is performed in order to bend the 2mm plate into a U-shaped geometry. The material used for this process is S235 low carbon steel along with filler material ER70s. Goldak’s double ellipsoid model is chosen as the heat source model for GMAW simulation. A series of sheet metal bending and GMAW experiment is executed in order to verify the distortion result produced by FEM analysis. ABB IRB 2400/16 is the assigned robotic welding equipment used in GMAW process while sheet metal bending machine SUNFLUID 800/2007 is utilized for sheet metal bending process. For the calibration model, a forming force between FE simulation will be compared with the forming force of experimental bending process. The final results have shown that the distortion result of FEM analysis of coupled process forming to welding shows a good agreement with the experimental coupled process.

Collaborative Pick and Place using industrial robots, simulation and deployment

In recent times, a fraction of industrial robotics has been oriented to a collaborative approach between different devices to achieve a specific task. This paper describes the simulation and deployment of a metallic beam pick a place process using tow industrial robots. At first, the tool design is presented; it used an electromagnet attached to the robot end effector to lift the load correctly. The communication sequence between the robot's controllers using the digital I/O modules is discussed. The software Robot Studio allowed the process simulation, in which the performance was validated. All the tasks were tested in two ABB IRB 140 industrial robots.

Design and development of robotic end-effector position measuring device

Robot end-effector position measurement is very essential to determine the error between the commanded position and actual position reached by the robot end-effector. This also ensures the error with which the robot end-effector traces the commanded path. Conventionally position measuring devices like laser trackers, coordinate measuring machine and other non-contact-based position measuring devices are widely used to measure the position of the end-effector due to their high accuracy and precision, even though they are very expensive. This paper presents a cost effective solution for the measurement of position of robot end-effector. An end-effector position measuring device is designed and developed in spherical coordinate system using two absolute rotary encoders and a draw-wire sensor. A mathematical model for the end effector position measuring device is developed to determine the position of the end-effector with respect to a reference coordinate system using 3D homogeneous transformation approach. End-effector position measuring device is tested for ABB IRB 1600 for numerous poses and for a straight line path. The newly developed end-effector position measuring device is found to be capable of measuring the end effector position with an accuracy of 2 mm and hence can be implemented in calibration of industrial robots.

Application of a multi-head tool for robotic disassembly

Abstract The application of robotic disassembly or disassembly automation in industry is currently limited due to technological constraints on handling uncertainties in end-of-life product variation and condition. As a result, extensive research focuses on closing the gap between the need for robotic disassembly and the technological capabilities needed to deliver it. A multi-head tool utilizing a screwdriver, hole saw, and angle grinder has been developed and tested for the application of robotic disassembly of LCD screens. Each of the three tools is mounted on the wrist of an ABB IRB 140 industrial robot arm orthogonal to each other such that the robot need only rotate to apply a different tool head. The system builds upon a previous system which used only destructive and semi-destructive cutting methods, by introducing a force/torque sensor to guide force control for the non-destructive unscrewing skill and the less destructive drilling skill as options for the removal of screws. These alternative actions allow the system to deal with variations and unexpected outcomes of disassembly such as failures to disestablish a fastener with a particular skill, and if all alternative actions are exhausted, user demonstration is called upon.

Design and development of robotic end-effector position measuring device

Robot end-effector position measurement is very essential to determine the error between the commanded position and actual position reached by the robot end-effector. This also ensures the error with which the robot end-effector traces the commanded path. Conventionally position measuring devices like laser trackers, coordinate measuring machine and other non-contact-based position measuring devices are widely used to measure the position of the end-effector due to their high accuracy and precision, even though they are very expensive. This paper presents a cost effective solution for the measurement of position of robot end-effector. An end-effector position measuring device is designed and developed in spherical coordinate system using two absolute rotary encoders and a draw-wire sensor. A mathematical model for the end effector position measuring device is developed to determine the position of the end-effector with respect to a reference coordinate system using 3D homogeneous transformation approach. End-effector position measuring device is tested for ABB IRB 1600 for numerous poses and for a straight line path. The newly developed end-effector position measuring device is found to be capable of measuring the end effector position with an accuracy of 2 mm and hence can be implemented in calibration of industrial robots.

A deep learning based automatic surface segmentation algorithm for painting large-size aircraft with 6-DOF robot

PurposeThis paper aims to achieve automatically surface segmentation for painting different kinds of aircraft efficiently considering the demands of painting robot.Design/methodology/approachThis project creatively proposed one method that accepts point cloud, outputs several blocks, each of which can be handled by ABB IRB 5500 in one station. Parallel PointNet (PPN) is proposed in this paper for better handling six dimensional aircraft data including every point normal. Through semantic segmentation of PPN, each surface has its own identity information indicating which part this surface belongs to. Then clustering considering constraints is applied to complete surface segmentation with identity information. To guarantee segmentation paintable and improve painting efficiency, different dexterous workspaces of IRB 5500 corresponding to different postures have been analyzed carefully.FindingsThe experiments confirm the effectiveness of the proposed surface segmentation method for painting different types of aircraft by IRB 5500. For semantic segmentation on aircraft data with point normal, PPN has higher precision than PointNet. In addition, the whole algorithm can efficiently segment one complex aircraft into qualified blocks, each of which has its own identity information, can be painted by IRB 5500 in one station and has fewer edges with other blocks.Research limitations/implicationsAs the provided experiments indicate, the proposed method can segment one aircraft into qualified blocks automatically, which highly improves the efficiency in aircraft painting compared with traditional approaches. Moreover, the proposed method is able to provide identity information of each block, which is necessary for application of different paint parameters and different paint materials. In addition, final segmentation results by the proposed method behaves better than k-means cluster on variance of normal vector distance.Originality/valueInspired by semantic segmentation of 3 D point cloud, some improvements based on PointNet have been proposed for better handling segmentation of 6 D point cloud. By introducing normal vectors, semantic segmentation could be accomplished precisely for close points with opposite normal, such as wing upper and lower surfaces. Combining deep learning skills with traditional methods, the proposed method is proved to behave much better for surface segmentation task in aircraft painting.

Optimal Experiment Design for Elasto-Geometrical Calibration of Industrial Robots

Inaccuracy of the kinematic model used in robot controllers and deflection of robot joints are two main sources of positioning errors in current industrial robots. We propose an elasto-geometrical calibration method to address these problems. The elasto-geometrical calibration identifies the accurate kinematic model and joint elasticities of any industrial serial robot by measuring the robot tool position at multiple design points. Each design point indicates a unique combination of a robot configuration (set of joint values) and an external load on the robot tool. Proper selection of the design points could significantly improve the calibration accuracy and reduce the experiment time. We propose an optimal design of experiment to find the D-, A-, and E-optimal designs from a large pool of candidate design points. Unlike the existing approaches, we use a semidefinite convex programming that can find a suboptimal design of experiments. The efficiency of the proposed elasto-geometrical calibration is evaluated on an ABB IRB 1600 robot. For this experiment, a cable-driven parallel robot is employed to apply multidirectional external loads on the tool of the ABB robot. Experimental results show that the proposed calibration method significantly improves the robot's accuracy in comparison with a regular kinematic calibration method. In addition, the D-optimal design results in less positioning error than A- and E-optimal designs.

Performance enhancement of two-camera robotic system using adaptive gain approach

PurposeThis paper aims to improve the performance of a two-camera robotic feedback system designed for automatic pick and place application by modifying its velocity profile during switching of control.Design/methodology/approachCooperation of global and local vision sensors ensures visibility of the target for a two-camera robotic system. The master camera, monitoring the workspace, guides the robot such that image-based visual servoing (IBVS) by the eye-in-hand camera transcends its inherent shortcomings. A hybrid control law steers the robot until the system switches to IBVS in a region proven for its asymptotic stability and convergence through a qualitative overview of the scheme. Complementary gain factors can ensure a smooth transition in velocity during switching considering the versatility and range of the workspace.FindingsThe proposed strategy is verified through simulation studies and implemented on a 6-DOF industrial robot ABB IRB 1200 to validate the practicality of adaptive gain approach while switching in a hybrid visual feedback system. This approach can be extended to any control problem with uneven switching surfaces or coarse/fine controllers which are subjected to discrete time events.Practical implicationsIn complex workspace where robots operate in parallel with other robots/humans and share workspaces, the supervisory control scheme ensures convergence. This study proves that hybrid control laws are more effective than conventional approaches in unstructured environments and visibility constraints can be overcome by the integration of multiple vision sensors.Originality/valueThe supervisory control is designed to combine the visual feedback data from eye-in-hand and eye-to-hand sensors. A gain adaptive approach smoothens the velocity characteristics of the end-effector while switching the control from master camera to the end-effector camera.

Effect of average beam power on microstructure and mechanical properties of Nd: YAG laser welding of 304L and st37 steel

PurposeThe present research work aims to study the effect of average beam power (laser process parameters) on the overlapping factor, depth of penetration (DOP), weld bead width, fusion zone and heat affected zone (HAZ) in laser welding of 304L and st37 steel. Back side and top surface morphology of the welded joints have also been studied for varying average beam power.Design/methodology/approachLaser welding of austenitic stainless steel (304L) and carbon steel (st37) was carried out using Nd:YAG laser integrated with ABB IRB 1410 robot in pulse mode. The selection of laser process parameters was based on the specification of available laser welding machine. Dissimilar laser welding of 304L and st37 carbon steel for full depth of penetration have been performed, with varying average beam power (225-510W) and constant welding speed (5mm/s) and pulse width (5ms).FindingsRecrystallized coarse grains were observed adjacent to the fusion zone and nucleated grains were seen away from the fusion zone towards carbon steel. Overlapping factor and HAZ width st37 side increases with increase in average beam power whereas top weld bead width increases first, attains maximum value and then subsequently decreases. Bottom weld bead width increases with increase in average beam power. The mechanical properties namely microhardness and tensile strength of the welded joints have been investigated with varying average beam power.Originality/valueIn the recent development of the automobile, power generation and petrochemical industries the application of dissimilar laser welding of austenitic stainless steel (304L) and carbon steel (st37) are gaining importance. Very limited work have been reported in pulsed Nd:YAG dissimilar laser welding of austenitic stainless steel (304L) and carbon steel (st37) for investigating the effect of laser process parameters on weld bead geometry, microstructural characterization and mechanical properties of the welded joint.

Application of industrial robot in 5-axis milling process

Present in machining creates constantly new requirements to increase economic efficiency, productivity and product quality. With this advancement, industry is no longer focusing only on commonly used machining technologies, but is paying increasing attention to the implementation of robots in the manufacturing process by machining. The paper describes the design of equipment for the implementation of 5-axis milling with the help of a robot arm ABB IRB 140. It describes the design of the milling head and deals with the creation of NC machining program in software Autodesk Fusion 360. The generated NC program is then used in RoboDK to create a robotic arm control program. At the end of the paper are described laboratory tests of machining using the designed prototype milling head.

Trajectory generation for robotic assembly operations using learning by demonstration

The number of industrial robots and the type of industrial applications for which they are used, such as assembly operations, has increased considerably in the last few decades. However, programming continues to be a task which requires a high level of technical knowledge, and which is quite time consuming. This document proposes a methodology for the execution of parts assembly operations, using Learning by Demonstration (LbD) techniques, such as TP-GMM (Task Parametrized Gaussian Mixture Model). Task demonstrations were carried out by a person, and were visually acquired using a Kinect motion sensor. Later, these were used to train probabilistic models. Petri nets were used for the automatic generation of assembly plans, from those parts detected by the Kinect. Finally, operations were simulated in RobotStudio software, and later performed by an ABB IRB 140 robot. The results obtained demonstrate that it is possible to use programming techniques, which are different from traditional methodology such as LbD, to obtain satisfactory results in trajectories generation for simple assembly operations.