On the Integration of a Collaborative Robot for Automatic Production of Industrial Nozzles

Abstract

Industrial nozzles play a relevant role in several processes such as varnishing in car production, cleaning of reactor tanks or in cooling applications. Nozzle production is performed in several steps from machining to quality tests. The type of nozzle considered in this application is firstly placed in the production center and then machined in different stations. An automation solution is proposed to integrate a collaborative robot (Cobot) into a current production center. The Cobot is used for picking, inspection and placing nozzles into the machining center. An industrial Raspberry Pi (RevPi) is used for signal processing and as communication interface between the Cobot and existing automation devices. The proposed solution enhances the current process as reliable continuous feeding of the machining center can be guaranteed and non-planned maintenance for replacement of machine tools is reduced by nozzle inspection.