ABB Robot Research Articles

Impact of Robot Programming Methods on Servo Drive Temperature

There are various motion commands used for programming ABB Industrial Robot & each command is used for a specific application. Also, there are various parameters in the motion command such as Velocity & Zone Error. Setting different values normally alters the Robot performance and eventually the servo drive temperature. This paper has made a case study on the temperature of Servo Drive with respect to the Programming Method. Programming is done using different move commands, Velocity values & Zone Error values to move the Robot End Effector between two fixed locations. The impact of these parameters on the temperature rise of Servo Drive is analyzed. Valid results are arrived using Taguchi L9 Orthogonal array. The optimal results obtained from the Taguchi analysis is checked with the real ABB Robot available at Robotics lab of VSVN Polytechnic College Key Words: ABB Robot RAPID Program – Velocity Data – Zone Error Data – Taguchi L9 Orthogonal Array.

Influence of working height on the energy consumption of an industrial robot

Electricity consumption is a big problem not only for the economy, but also for the environment. More and more electricity is used, so it is necessary to find a way to save it. This article focuses on the electrical energy consumption of an industrial robot by changing its working height. The goal is to find out at which height it is most suitable to work in order to achieve the lowest possible energy consumption. Research is realized on industrial robot ABB IRB 6700 using simulation tools such as ABB RobotStudio and Process Simulate, where different trajectory heights are simulated. The trajectories are dimensioned according to the size of the robot. Also, the trajectories are designed to maximize the use of the robot’s axis. This method makes it possible to reduce energy consumption even before the robot is physically located in the factory and its position cannot be changed.

Toward safer Human-Robot collaboration in MR environment

This paper presents a Mixed Reality (MR) approach to extend the Safe Move tool from ABB Robot Studio (RS) to view and intuitively edit the safety configuration, allowing the import of existing configurations and the export of modified ones to RS for certification by the expert. The added virtual sensor can detect the user's position allowing collision detection and avoidance. The robot's motion is not only adjusted to the safety zone in which the robot is but also to its relative position to the operator by monitoring in real-time positions of the operator's hands as well as head and triggering appropriate action in the robot.

Remote User Interface for ABB IRB120 Robot Using TCP/IP Communication

Abstract This paper presents the development and implementation of a remote user interface for the ABB robot using the TCP/IP protocol. The study focuses on building a user-friendly interface in Matlab environment that enables precise and secure control of the robot’s operation with an educational support role in teaching the basics of robotics. The remote application offers a simple and intuitive controlling mode, providing users with a firsthand experience of the robot’s capabilities through predetermined actions. Additionally, the advanced mode allows users to test the robot’s functionality and perform simple tasks. The use of asynchronous communication contributes to the stability and performance of the remote control application.

Research on Zero Force Control Strategy for Flexible Joints of Industrial Robot Arms

<p>In order to achieve the control of flexible joints in industrial robotic arms, this article first establishes a zero force control mathematical model of the joint, including a simplified joint model and a joint dynamics model. Then, the fuzzy PID control algorithm is used to solve the robot mathematical model, achieving control of joint response time and speed. In order to verify the effectiveness of the joint control strategy, this article uses ABB Robot 1200 as the basic simulation model of the robot. After three-dimensional modeling of the flexible joint, it is linked to the ABB robot. Finally, the control accuracy of the control strategy is verified through a simulation environment.</p> <p> </p>

Model and Fuzzy Controller Design Approaches for Stability of Modern Robot Manipulators

Robotics is a crucial technology of Industry 4.0 that offers a diverse array of applications in the industrial sector. However, the quality of a robot’s manipulator is contingent on its stability, which is a function of the manipulator’s parameters. In previous studies, stability has been evaluated based on a small number of manipulator parameters; as a result, there is not much information about the integration/optimal arrangement/combination of manipulator parameters toward stability. Through Lagrangian mechanics and the consideration of multiple parameters, a mathematical model of a modern manipulator is developed in this study. In this mathematical model, motor acceleration, moment of inertia, and deflection are considered in order to assess the level of stability of the ABB Robot manipulator of six degrees of freedom. A novel mathematical approach to stability is developed in which stability is correlated with motor acceleration, moment of inertia, and deflection. In addition to this, fuzzy logic inference principles are employed to determine the status of stability. The numerical data of different manipulator parameters are verified using mathematical approaches. Results indicated that as motor acceleration increases, stability increases, while stability decreases as moment of inertia and deflection increase. It is anticipated that the implementation of these findings will increase industrial output.

Sequential calibration of transmission ratios for joints of 6-DOF serial industrial robots based on laser tracker

PurposeIn traditional calibration methods of kinematics parameters of industrial robots, dozens of model parameters are identified together based on an optimization procedure. Due to different contributions of model parameter errors to the tool center point positioning error of industrial robots, obtaining good results for all model parameters is very difficult. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose a sequential calibration method specifically for transmission ratio parameters, which includes reduction ratios and coupling ratios of industrial robot joints.Design/methodology/approachThe ABB IRB 1410 industrial robot is considered as an example in this study. The transmission ratios for each joint of the robot are identified using the spatial circle fitting method based on spatial vectors, which fit the center and radius of joint rotation with the least squares optimization algorithm. In addition, a method based on the Rodrigues’ formula is designed and presented for identifying the actual coupling ratio of the robot. Subsequently, an experiment is carried out to verify the proposed sequential calibration method of transmission ratios.FindingsIn this experiment, the actual positions of the linkages before and after joint rotations are measured by a laser tracker. Accurate results of the reduction ratios and the coupling ratios are calculated, and the results are verified experimentally. The results show that by calibrating the reduction ratios and coupling ratios of the ABB robot, the rotation angle errors of the robot joints can be reduced.Originality/valueThe authors propose a sequential calibration method for transmission ratio parameters, including reduction ratios and coupling ratios of industrial robot joints. An experiment is carried out to verify this proposed sequential calibration method. This study may be beneficial for calibrating the kinematic parameters of industrial robots and improving their positioning accuracy.

Flattening and folding towels with a single-arm robot based on reinforcement learning

Robots can learn how to complete a variety of tasks without explicit instructions thanks to reinforcement learning. In this work, a piece of cloth is placed on a table and manipulated using a single-arm robot. We consider 2 forms of manipulation: flattening a crumpled towel and folding a flat one. To learn a policy that will allow the robot to select the optimum course of action based on observations of the environment, we construct a simulation environment using a gripper and a piece of cloth. After that, the policy is applied to a real robot and put to the test. Additionally, we present our method for identifying the corners of a garment using computer vision, which includes a comparison between a traditional computer vision approach with a deep learning one. We use an ABB robot and a 2D camera for the experiments and PyBullet software for the simulation.

Industrial Data Pipelines for Manufacturing Applications

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) struggle with the uptake of industrial data in their business. SMEs have expressed interests to integrate physical legacy machines in factories and uptake Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for data-driven industrial processes. A widely recognizable aids for companies are testbeds or test-before-invest environments where companies can familiarize themselves with Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies. In this paper, an easily scalable approach to collect industrial data is presented. The environment can be used by SMEs to benchmark the developed solutions using affordable licenses and test aspects of the industrial data best suitable for their purposes before making investments. In TAMK FieldLab I4.0 pilot trial, horizontal integration is done in between 14.0 field and control layer to integrate different machines' data to common database and common format to be used for visualization and later for data analysis. The focus of the paper is on data connectivity capabilities. The trial utilize data from different machines. First phase includes exporting data from different machines to same data table with time stamps, to enable comparison of data with same time base. With common time base it's possible to produce synchronized timeseries data visualization from all TAMK FieldLab's machines. Used common database is PostgreSQL, where data from all machines is stored. For horizontal field level integration minimum amount APIs and protocols is used. For common API protocol MQTT was chosen as it's lightweight and supported widely. ABB robot data is taken trough OPC/UA and MQTT. From Omron mobile robot data is transferred trough ARCL. The paper will identify gap areas of the implementation in comparison with I4.0 and when appropriate, RAM 4.0 framework. Finally, the next steps that will be taken in near future regarding artificial intelligence (AI) and upgrading the IIoT system to match with RAMI 4.0 framework will be presented.

Digital twin of ABB IRB-120 robotic cell based on the industry 4.0

The evolution of virtual commissioning has enabled significant advances in analysis, safety testing, programming and failure anticipation in projects involving industrial robots. To make this possible, a virtual model equal to the real one is needed and our research objective is to develop the Digital Twin of the ABB IRB-120 process and robot to digitally validate the robotic cell and minimize installation and project implementation time in the “shop floor” in the context of I4 .0 Currently, a major problem related to Virtual Commissioning activities is the lack of precision between the virtual model and the physical model (digital twin), due to difficulties related to mechanical fabrication after model generation 3D The use of the Process Simulate software (SIEMENS PLM), allowed more accurate and real results to commission the robotic cell of the Robotics Advanced Institute - I.A.R. The main analysis tools are shown in this study.

Integration of Deep Learning Network and Robot Arm System for Rim Defect Inspection Application.

Automated inspection has proven to be the most effective approach to maintaining quality in industrial-scale manufacturing. This study employed the eye-in-hand architecture in conjunction with deep learning and convolutional neural networks to automate the detection of defects in forged aluminum rims for electric vehicles. RobotStudio software was used to simulate the environment and path trajectory for a camera installed on an ABB robot arm to capture 3D images of the rims. Four types of surface defects were examined: (1) dirt spots, (2) paint stains, (3) scratches, and (4) dents. Generative adversarial network (GAN) and deep convolutional generative adversarial networks (DCGAN) were used to generate additional images to expand the depth of the training dataset. We also developed a graphical user interface and software system to mark patterns associated with defects in the images. The defect detection algorithm based on YOLO algorithms made it possible to obtain results more quickly and with higher mean average precision (mAP) than that of existing methods. Experiment results demonstrated the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed system. Our developed system has been shown to be a helpful rim defective detection system for industrial applications.

Implementation of Robots Integration in Scaled Laboratory Environment for Factory Automation

Robotic systems for research and development of factory automation are complex and unavailable for broad deployment in robotic laboratory settings. The usual robotic factory automation setup consists of series of sensors, robotic arms and mobile robots integrated and orchestrated by a central information system. Cloud-based integration has been gaining traction in recent years. In order to build such a system in a laboratory environment, there are several practical challenges that have to be resolved to come to a point when such a system can become operational. In this paper, we present the development of one such system composed of (i) a cloud-based system built on top of open platform for innovation in logistics, (ii) a prototyped mobile robot with a forklift to manipulate pallets in a “factory” floor, and (iii) industrial robot ABB IRB 140 with a customized gripper and various sensors. A mobile robot is designed as an autonomous four Mecanum wheels system with on-board LiDAR and RGB-D sensor for simultaneous localization and mapping. The paper shows a use case of the overall system and highlights the advantages of having a laboratory setting with real robots for the research of factory automation in a laboratory environment. Moreover, the proposed solution could be scaled and replicated in real factory automation applications.

Development of End Beam Obstacle Avoidance Program based on ABB Automatic Painting Programming

In order to improve the company’s production efficiency, in response to the call of the country to accelerate the industrial automation, the company’s developers have independently developed a painting line parametric automatic programming system based on ABB robot using C++ language, the automatic spraying of the main beams of the crane is realized. The automatic programming system can only spray the main beam of the end beam without end. The end beams obstacle avoidance program is optimized based on the automatic programming system, which aims to control the robot to avoid the end beam of the main beam, so that the system can spray the main beam of the crane with the end beam normally.

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.

Influence of Drift on Robot Repeatability and Its Compensation

This paper presents an approach to compensate for the effect of thermal expansion on the structure of an industrial robot and thus to reduce the repeatability difference of the robot in cold and warm conditions. In contrast to previous research in this area that deals with absolute accuracy, this article is focused on determining achievable repeatability. To unify and to increase the robot repeatability, the measurements with highly accurate sensors were performed under different conditions on an industrial robot ABB IRB1200, which was equipped with thermal sensors, mounted on a pre-defined position around joints. The performed measurements allowed to implement a temperature-based prediction model of the end effector positioning error. Subsequent tests have shown that the implemented model used for the error compensation proved to be highly effective. Using the methodology presented in this article, the impact of drift can be reduced by up to 89.9%. A robot upgraded with a compensation principle described in this article does not have to be warmed up as it works with the same low repeatability error in the entire range of the achievable temperatures.

ABB robot data collection based on dynamic link library

At present, with the development of the times and technology, in order to meet the needs of industrial production, robots have begun to be widely used in factories. Although the production efficiency of the robot is very high and relatively cheap compared to the labor cost, when an industrial robot fails, it will have a serious impact on the production capacity of the entire production line. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor various data of the robot. If some abnormal data can be found, it can perform effective predictive maintenance on the robot. This article mainly proposes a method for various data acquisition of ABB robots. The data acquisition interface is developed using C# and the dynamic link library is called. The data of ABB robots can be read in real time. It can realize real-time monitoring of each data of the robot.

The autonomous control of landing on mobile platforms

In this paper, we propose a simulation application that allows an aerial vehicle to land autonomously on a moving platform in the presence of uncertainties and disturbances. We have tested our method with various speeds and positions for the landing platform. In the context of this article, the autonomous control of landing on mobile platforms consists in synchronizing the movement of an aerial vehicle with the movement of the mobile platform. As a first step, the Spacelab INCAS laboratory group has developed an offline simulation application that allows an ABB robot to receive information on the movement of a Stewart-type mobile platform in order to conduct a landing process. The application can initiate a landing process on the mobile platform and guide the vehicle for perfect docking on the platform. Offline simulation allows the study of several scenarios of a robot working cell - the mobile platform before setting up the production cell. The offline application has a distributed client-server structure. The client communicates with the server through specific communication protocols. The client and server can reside on the same computer. The client application is developed in the Matlab environment and has as object the simulation and programming of the PS-6TL-1500 platform; the server one simulates and programs an ABB 7600-500/2.55 robot that moves on the track, in the RAPID language under RobotStudio ABB simulator.

Vision Based Self Adaptive Algorithm for 6 Axis ABB Industrial Welding Robot

The ultimate aim of this work “Vision Based Self Adaptive Algorithm for 6 Axis ABB Industrial Welding Robot” is to develop a self-adaptive RAPID algorithm based on the captured image of the work piece. The image of the work piece is captured using NI Guppy pro F031C camera which has 300 DPI with 120 FPS resolution. The captured image is transferred to the LabVIEW software for developing the self-adaptive algorithm through RS232 serial communication protocol. The LabVIEW vision assistant module is used to develop an algorithm based on the geometry of the captured image. The various image processing operations like Thresholding, Morphological operation (Thinning), and edge detection are carried out. The caliper tool is used to measure the distance between the coordinate points (welding distance). With the aid of Visual Basic, the measured values are converted into coordinates. The coordinates are used to develop a RAPID program with the aid of ABB Robot Studio library functions. The virtual server is established between the ABB Robot Studio and IRC5 Controller with the use of MOD-BUS protocol with VISA. After receiving the data from the MOD-BUS, the IRC5 controller moves the ABB Industrial Robot End effectors along with the welding gun for the welding purpose. The work piece is located on the designed jigs and fixtures. The different types of welding with different design can be incorporated with the Vision Assistant module for further development. To illustrate the developed algorithm, robot assisted MIG welding process is carried out. The welded work-pieces are tested for its strength quality and the results are verified. Optimal welding parameters for the good quality of weldment identified by using Taguchi method of optimization.

MeshSlicer: A 3D-Printing software for printing 3D-models with a 6-axis industrial robot

Robot based fused filament fabrication (FFF) has various advantages compared to normal FFF. A major disadvantage is that there is no software which can generate the needed robot code. Therefore, a software was developed, which is able to process a model in the form of a STL file in such a way, that a finished robot code is created. This code can be executed directly on an ABB robot (other robots can be easily implemented). The software is capable of using all six degrees of freedom (DOF) of the used robot and of calculating possible collisions during the printing process.

Planning and Design of Robotic Production

This paper discusses the design of automated lines, taking into account the use of industrial robots to perform technological operations. When planning manufacturing processes, as well as the placement of process equipment and robots in the production area, optimization techniques are usually used to ensure critical performance and efficiency indicators. The considered design methods are shown on the example of an automated line for the production of lithium-ion batteries. To design this line, 3D CAD models of technological equipment and transport lines were built. Based on the results of time analysis, those technological operations were opted, for which it would be advisable to use robots. The design of the robotic production for the technological operations was carried out using ABB robots. The robots required were chosen from the ABB catalog by weight, size of work area, speed and power. The plan of the robotic zones was drawn up using the ABB RobotStudio software, which allows visualizing the movements and programming robots off-line.