Paper:
Automated Screwing of Fittings in Pneumatic Manifolds
Michele Gabrio Antonelli and Pierluigi Beomonte Zobel
Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics (DIIIE), University of L’Aquila
P.le Pontieri Monteluco di Roio, L’Aquila 67100, Italy
Corresponding author
The task of screwing is based on a set of actions with no added value, requiring precision, attention, and repeatability. These set of actions could consist of alienating and demanding activity for a human operator. Collaborative robotics can facilitate the performance of such tasks. This investigation focuses on the development of a smart station for the automated screwing of fittings in pneumatic manifolds. The collaborative robot Sawyer produced by Rethink Robotics is equipped with an appropriate end-effector and was utilized to receive the fittings from a vibrating feeder towards the end-effector. This facilitated centering of the fittings on the threaded holes, and the performance of the screwing task on a set of manifolds placed on a rotating station. The design of the end-effector and its prototype is described. In addition, the proposed automated process was experimentally tested and its effectiveness was validated.
- [1] Y. Lu, “Industry 4.0: A survey on technologies, applications and open research issues,” J. of Industrial Information Integration, Vol.6, pp. 1-10, 2017.
- [2] V. Roblek, M. Meško, and A. Krapež, “A Complex View of Industry 4.0,” SAGE Open, Vol.6, No.2, 2158244016653987, 2016.
- [3] K. Schwab, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution,” World Economic Forum, 2016.
- [4] S. E. Zaatari, M. Marei, W. Li, and Z. Usman, “Cobot programming for collaborative industrial tasks: An overview,” Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Vol.116, pp. 162-180, 2019.
- [5] R. Muller, M. Vette, and O. Mailahn, “Process-oriented task assignment for assembly processes with human-robot interaction,” Procedia CIRP, Vol.44, pp. 210-215, 2016.
- [6] M. Rußmann, M. Lorenz, P. Gerbert, M. Waldner, J. Justus, P. Engel, and M. Harnisch, “Industry 4.0: The future of productivity and growth in manufacturing industries,” Boston Consulting Group, 2015.
- [7] A. Cherubini, R. Passama, B. Navarro, M. Sorour, A. Khelloufi, O. Mazhar, S. Tarbouriech, J. Zhu, O. Temoier, A. Crosnier, P. Fraisse, and S. Ramdani, “A collaborative robot for the factory of the future: BAZAR,” The Int. J. of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol.105, pp. 3643-3659, 2019.
- [8] A. A. Malik and A. Bilberg, “Collaborative robots in assembly: A practical approach for tasks distribution,” Procedia CIRP, Vol.51, pp. 665-670, 2019.
- [9] P. Francesco and G. G. Paolo, “AURA: An example of collaborative robot for Automotive and General Industry applications,” Procedia Manufacturing, Vol.11, pp. 338-345, 2017.
- [10] J. T. C. Tan, F. Duan, R. Kato, and T. Arai, “Man-Machine Interface for Human-Robot Collaborative cellular Manufacturing System,” Int. J. Automation Technol., Vol.3, No.6, pp. 760-767, 2009.
- [11] S. Mauro, S. Pastorelli, and L. S. Scimmi, “Collision Avoidance Algorithm for Collaborative Robotics,” Int. J. Automation Technol., Vol.11, No.3, pp. 481-489, 2017.
- [12] M. Sága, V. Bulej, N. Čuboňova, I. Kuric, I. Virgala, and M. Eberth, “Case study: Performance analysis and development of robotized screwing application with integrated vision sensing system for automotive industry,” Int. J. of Advanced Robotics Systems, Vol.17, No.3, 1729881420923997, pp. 1-23, 2020.
- [13] O. Salunkhe, O. Stensöta, M. Akerma, A. F. Berglund, and P. A. Alveflo, “Assembly 4.0: Wheel Hub Nut Assembly using a Cobot,” IFAC-PapersOnLine, Vol.52, No.13, pp. 1632-1637, 2019.
- [14] R. Li, D. T. Pham, J. Huang, Y. Tan, M. Qu, Y. Wang, M. Kerin, K. Jiang, S. Su, C. Ji, Q. Liu, and Z. Zhou, “Unfastening of Hexagonal Headed Screws by a Collaborative Robot,” IEEE Trans. on Automation Science and Engineering, Vol.17, No.3, pp. 1455-1468, 2020.
- [15] ISO/TS 15066:2016, “Robots and robotic devices – Collaborative Robots,” 2016.
- [16] T. Coch, M. Fechter, S. Oberer-Treitz, and B. Soltani, “Development of a Balanced Decoupling Unit for a Safe Automated Screwing Process during Human-Robot-Collaboration,” Procedia CIRP, Vol.72, pp. 75-80, 2018.
- [17] U. Sadasivam, “Development of Vibratory Part Feeder for Material Handling in Manufacturing Automation: a Survey,” J. of Automation Mobile Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Vol.9, No.4, pp. 3-10, 2015.
- [18] https://www.rethinkrobotics.com/sawyer [Accessed July 31, 2020]
- [19] M. G. Antonelli, P. Beomonte Zobel, F. Durante, and T. Raparelli, “Development of an Automated System for the Selective Harvesting of Radicchio,” Int. J. Automation Technol., Vol.11, No.3, pp. 415-424, 2017.
- [20] M. G. Antonelli, L. Auriti, P. Beomonte Zobel, and T. Raparelli, “Development of a New Harvesting Module for Saffron Flower Detachment,” The Romanian Review Precision Mechanics, Optics and Mechatronics, Vol.39, pp. 163-168, 2011.
- [21] M. G. Antonelli, P. Beomonte Zobel, A. De Marcellis, and E. Plange, “Autonomous robot for cleaning photovoltaic panels in desert zones,” Mechatronics, Vol.68, 102372, 2020.
- [22] https://www.fiamgroup.com/en/products/straight-pistol-and-angle-electric-screwdrivers-etensil-electric-tightening-systems-with-automatic-shut-off/e8c3a-1200/ [Accessed July 31, 2020]
- [23] https://www.rethinkrobotics.com/intera [Accessed July 31, 2020]
This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationa License.