Accurate O-Ring inspection without neglecting cycle time

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A six-axis and a SCARA robot, manufactured by Denso and distributed in Italy by K.L.AI.N.robotics, an advanced bin picking system and, of course, a vision system relying on four hi-res linear cameras and LED backlight are among the key ingredients of a machine for the visual inspection of O-rings made by Doss Visual Solution and addressed to the Japanese market. We went to see how it was possible to achieve all this in a cycle time of less than 11 seconds.

“Let’s check”, says the doss visual solution payoff

And it is precisely visual inspection, with a high level of automation and innovation, the specialisation of the Brescia-based company, which has both its production site and showroom in Erbusco. A company active since 1995 and truly global in scope, with interests not only in Italy and Europe, but also in North America and the Far East.

Machines for quality control and visual inspection, therefore, with an important focus on the control of key components in manufacturing such as the O-rings. And a well-equipped and skilled engineering department, able to customize each time the machines according to the customer’s request. Because, although in many cases they have a shared core, especially as for handling parts, these machines are truly tailor-made, called upon to combine extreme control accuracy with maximum productivity.

AN INNOVATIVE AND TECHNOLOGICALLY ENGAGING SYSTEM 

What is most striking about entering the Doss Visual Solution workshop is the number of machines being built. We would fill in a complete issue of our magazine if we talked about all the machines we have seen. But we can’t, so we focus on an innovative and technologically engaging system. We rely on Fabio Cadenelli, Head of Automation and Electrical Department, to find out more. “The customer who commissioned us with this machine, to be delivered in Japan, has to measure O-rings with a diameter of at least 80 mm, and cross-sections of 2.5 mm, up to 200 mm diameter with a cross-section of 6. We decided to install four linear cameras, each of them scanning a section of the O-ring at very high resolution. This is the heart of the machine. But we’ll get there. Let’s rather introduce the system. The geometrically complex structure was designed to minimize vibrations, which could negatively affect performance as well as the footprint, reduced by almost half compared to the previous versions.

CYCLE TIME LOWER THAN 11 SECONDS 

The work cycle, which has a time of 11 seconds for the largest O-rings in terms of size, begins with a six-axis Denso robot in charge of bin-picking the pieces from a container placed on a pull-out trolley. “In agreement with the customer, we chose the Denso robots because we consider them to be particularly suited to the needs of the vision”, says Mr Cadenelli. “The first robot is a six-axis one because, since we had to pick up pieces randomly from the container, we wanted a robot that could reach any corner: the system is, in fact, able to map the bottom of the container as well, avoiding possible collisions. The bin picking system uses a 3D scanner that, thanks to a structured laser light, generates various types of patterns on the surface of the pieces and gives life to a cloud of points useful for establishing the gripping coordinates”.

Speaking of gripping, the gripper mounted on the robot, developed in collaboration with Euclid, integrates a vacuum system – which initially picks up the piece individually and lifts it slightly – and a mechanical gripper that brings the O-ring on a table used as a buffer to reduce cycle time. The system also relies on a second camera that checks that the gripper has only picked one O-ring.

AT THE HEART OF THE MACHINE: THE SCARA INTERACTS WITH THE VISION SYSTEM 

The second phase of the cycle, crucial for inspection, starts with the O-ring on the rotary table. Here, the Denso SCARA robot comes into action. We ask Fabio Cadenelli why did they choose this type of robot. “At this stage of the process, the picking, control and storage positions are known. A six-axis robot would therefore have been wasted. Furthermore, the SCARA allows us to mount a gripper with a complex structure and, above all, capable of managing heavy weights by moving the workpiece at high speed. The gripper, which picks up the O-ring and keeps it in tension for inspection – Mr Cadenelli specifies – has a special design with a self-centering system in order to adapt to the different cross-sections of the O-rings, from 2 to 8 mm, without having to add any tools. The goal is that the workpiece is stable enough during rotation.

The heart of the machine is the control station, which can count on a lighting system specifically designed for this application. “In vision, light is the essential element”, says the Head of Automation and Electrical Department at Doss. “Having a camera with the best possible resolution may be a waste if the light distribution is not homogeneous, as the result will not be optimal. The four hi-res Teledyne Dalsa linear cameras, in combination with the SCARA robot that slightly rotates the piece, scan the full image of the O-ring”.

The backlight system with the latest generation LED lights, equipped with a totally custom geometry, is therefore essential to ensure maximum accuracy of inspection. The cameras’ handling device is completely automatic: an important feature because, when the geometry of the piece changes, the electronic axes can be automatically adjusted, so as to always have the best focus on the piece.

“As an additional precaution, the LEDs are angled so that the light does not illuminate the O-ring perpendicularly, thus creating a sort of shadow effect that allows users to identify even the most complex defects to be detected. Our main goal is to cover all the areas of the O-ring that need to be checked”.

THE OTHER FEATURES OF THE MACHINE AND THE HMI SOFTWARE

What are the main elements to be considered when checking the O-rings? “Because of its very structure, rubber is subject to elastic effects. The backlighting system we have designed, in addition to allowing us to accurately detect the thickness of each section of the O-ring in six different positions, also enables us to identify any defects generated during the closing stage of the mold. A crucial stage indeed, because right there some sealing issues might happen”, explains Mr Cadenelli.

Other important features of the machine are the brushless technology for the motion part, the integration between standard and safe PLCs, the latest generation safety barriers with safety locks to prevent accidental access, as well as the presence of sensors to detect any faulty O-ring on the conveyor belt of the controlled O-rings”.

The software, developed internally by Doss Visual Solutions, allows users to define the windows to be adapted to the features of the piece and contains custom algorithms, able to provide actual measurements of the defect and to define the thresholds of classification. According to the customer’s indications, it is also possible to set the quantity of pieces to be checked and, thanks to the information on average productivity, to make a forecast of the time needed to check a defined quantity of O-rings, the latter useful for planning and production management purposes.

Ispezione accurata degli O-ring senza rinunciare al tempo ciclo

Stem cell production

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Company: Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
Industry: Medical research / Industry 4.0 application
DENSO Products Used: VS-087
Company Location: Germany
Website: http://www.ipt.fraunhofer.de

THE PROBLEM

Stem cell research is one of the most innovative areas in current medical research and plays a decisive part in developing new agents and drugs. Research is thereby based on cultivated stem cells, in particular mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs. These are mature stem cells extracted from adult human tissue, which means that isolation (unlike embryonic stem cells) can be done in an ethically acceptable way. Due to their capability to differentiate into new cell types, stimulate cell growth and influence the human immune system, they hold much promise for regenerative cell therapy.

The expansion of these cells, however, is a long and labor-intensive process. What is more, researchers have to deal with variations in the biological material that originates from many different donors. This variability is further increased by deviations in the cell treatment in manually produced cultures. At the same time, human interaction raises the risk of error and limits reproducibility. Additionally, as cell cultures are living organisms, a cleanroom environment is essential, which requires special standards for instruments and devices.

THE SOLUTION

The solution is the development of a fully automated, self-contained yet flexible system for cultivating stem cells. StemCellDiscovery is a globally leading pilot project launched by the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT) in Aachen, Germany. The Aachen facility aims at growing and researching MSCs, and implementing various lab processes – from cultivating cells to generating experimental data. The facility features the easy integration of devices; consistent and accurate reproducibility; an individual, modular-based control of processes; high-quality cell products; and the use of advanced measuring technology for quality assurance and analysis.

A DENSO robot plays a central role in the facility. The robot, a VS-087 model, serves as a flexible handling unit for all transportation steps in the platform: transporting cell cultures in multititer plates, moving falcon tubes between different processing and measuring devices, and ensuring highly accurate positioning. Precision is particularly important at the microscope, where the robot first grips the cell culture container and then positions it in the designated holder. The robot’s flexibility also is useful for pre-positioning resources, such as transporting pipette tips from the storage to the liquid handling unit.

In addition, the robot provides the service for shaking the cell cultures with the same speed and movement in order to distribute the cells equally. This is key, as an inconsistent movement could result in cells accumulating at the edge of the container, leading to suboptimal conditions for cell growth. To achieve a consistent distribution of cells in the container, it is important that the robot applies constant acceleration to the cultures.

As the facility relies on the interaction of the devices, their integration plays an important role. In order to maintain a high level of flexibility in the overall system, a service-based software architecture was implemented. An adaptive, specially designed software system controls all processes. It can respond flexibly to indicators for cell culture such as cell growth and, if necessary, execute individual services following a modular approach. These services are provided by all devices via an Integration Framework, which allows the user to create any combination of services at the control level. Each device offers services with defined parameters that can be controlled manually via the intuitive user desktop or assembled into complex combinations. In- and outgoing data collected from the devices are provided in a universal format so users can control all devices from a single desktop – whether it is the microscope or the DENSO robot, the liquid handling unit or the incubator and repositories. The software has been programmed in C#, which makes it possible to abstract complex logical relationships and implement object-oriented programming.

The Integration Framework also includes the VS-087. Due to its intuitive interface, it can replicate the robot’s real-world services in the facility. The robot is controlled by the built-in RC8 controller. The interface communication is based on ORiN2 and the option of implementing control via C# (easily embedded into the software architecture). The software also assumes the full control of the robot: Any variation in the processes can be detected and resolved immediately. The Integration Framework sends activity protocols to the control software that provides users with status information, among other data.

The VS-087 was selected primarily because of its programmability and easy integration capabilities. To automate the manual processes in the facility, various devices had to be included. As is typical for innovative research, the selection of these devices was made long before the actual software development was launched. Hence, it was important that a robot was implemented that can be programmed flexibly as requirements change. Cleanroom compatibility was also crucial. Last but not least, the VS-087 allowed for the design of a compact facility. The multi-functional gripper designed for this purpose can, thanks to robotic kinematics, be moved to any spot within the facility, ensuring the highest levels of precision.

The programming of the DENSO robot also permits a high level of sensor integration and, thus, opens up new opportunities for self-optimization. In all likelihood, this will significantly optimize process stability. Due to the direct connection between sensor and robot, both gripper operations and path planning during movement can be controlled. This will support process stability considerably in self-contained, sterile facilities such as this one.

THE RESULT

During the implementation of the StemCellDiscovery project valuable experience could be gained in the context of innovative control technologies for automated laboratories. The industrial robot is technically reliable and provides the flexibility required for handling all types of materials and products. This experience will not only advance research; it will also help the medical and pharmaceutical industries to develop new products.

Finally, the VS-087’s service-oriented architecture and flexible handling support enable the realization of a variety of processes. In the future, the cultivation of other cell types can be implemented and external users will be able to work at the facility with short lead times. Furthermore, standardized and validated function modules will be available, providing standardized protocols for the generation of cell products that meet industrial standards.

A special emphasis has been placed on communication between different components in the facility. This is essential for an efficient modular approach and additionally promotes adaptability. In the world of Industrie 4.0, interconnecting devices and machines is a requirement for innovative research.

In the future, the facility will potentially deliver new insights using statistical methods (BigData and Analytics), which promise to advance and quicken the search for innovative therapies.

Injection Moulding

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Company: RENGER Kunststoffspritztechnik GmbH & Co. KG
Industry: Production of plastic parts in injection molding technology
DENSO Products Used: VS-6577, VM-60B1G
Company Location: Germany
Website: http://www.renger-gmbh.de

THE PROBLEM

Traditionally, the automotive supplier industry has been one of the most important branches for using compact robots, which are being employed in the manufacturing of various components. One of the companies in this area relying on DENSO robots is Renger Kunststoffspritzteile GmbH & CO. KG in Inzigkofen north of the Lake Constance in the Southwest of Germany. The company primarily manufactures plastic components in injection-moulding technology for the automotive industry. In this case study, we are looking at their production of cases for airbag control units, undoubtedly one of the most safety-related components in cars.

The challenge: In the past, the company had assembled the components by relying on  traditional linear systems, quality control was carried out by employees. With the introduction of DENSO robots, however, the cycle time could be reduced significantly while also realising a zero defect figure. It is this 100-percent quality that really matters when it comes to delivering these crucial car components.

Thus the manufacturer had to develop a robot-based system, which would combine a fast pick-and-place performance with an outstanding quality control.

THE SOLUTION

Renger has been working with DENSO robots since 2009 as the company appreciated the robots’ flexibility and the possibility of combining various tasks even later in the process. In light of growing quality and cost requirements of plastic components demanded by the car industry, these were two decisive advantages.

DENSO robots convinced the company also with their high speed, simple handling and the programming approach. Renger is using the VS-6577 and the VM-60B1G (among others), which were selected due to their arm length and payload capacity. Until then, Renger had only worked with linear robots, which offer only a fraction of operation capabilities a six-axis robot can cover.

At Renger, DENSO robots are primarily used in the manufacturing and quality control of cases for airbag control units; these manufacturing system are quite complex, as they are fully integrated with an injection moulding machine and a PLC system.

THE RESULT

During the manufacturing of cases for airbag control units, the blank parts are being taken from the injection-moulding machine, then put into small load carriers and then equipped with aluminium nuts.

In this process, the robot’s tasks (DENSO VS-6577 as well as VM-60B1G) are far exceeding pick-and-place commands: Supported by a visual camera system, the robot removes the components directly from the cast spraying machine, then performs the quality control (checking for any defects) and subsequently places the flawless components in the small load carriers for subsequent processing. In the next system, the components are being removed from the carrier, then placed into a complex press-fit system, followed by another quality check before components are being put into a „finished part“ carrier.

Cutting the old cycle of linear systems in half, the current, total cycle time for this process is only 8 seconds (depending on the components’ finish. In this time, the system also manages to achieve a zero defect quality check – a must for the automotive industry. Last but not least, the system only needs half of the space the old machines had required.

For this process, the robots are operating fully integrated in complex PLC systems (Siemens S7) communicating with digital in and outlets; the robots are programmed with the DENSO software WINCAPS.

Equally extensive is another application at Renger, the manufacturing of injection-moulded plastic parts such as cases and caps. In this case, the removal system, equipped with a DENSO VM-60B1G, is required to function flexibly while also being able to perform tasks such  as sorting, placing and quality control. Here, the robot takes the component directly from the injection-moulding machine and then places it onto a conveyer belt or a placing station. The components’ visible surfaces are quite sensitive – but thanks to a perfectly timed removal process between the machine and the robot they are handled without leaving any marks. The always consistent cycle time (between 20 and 100 seconds, depending on the component) guarantees the highest quality standards. In this application, the robots are being connected directly to the injection-moulding machine via a Euromap interface and programmed with WINCAPS.

„We have received a great of deal of support from DENSO Robotics, in particular during the introduction of our first of their robots in 2009“, says Rainer Klein from Renger. „DENSO’s service quality has always been excellent, and the robots are operating with a minimum of maintenance.“ Currently, the company has seven DENSO robots is use; these are working 24-hour shifts: Since 2010, the robot-supported system for airbag control unit cases alone has manufactured some 14 million components – with the first installed VS-6577 in a virtually failure-free operation.

INDUSTRY 4.0 – DENIoT

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DENSO Robotics shows how to further optimize industrial automation. In an exciting project called “DENIoT”, DENSO Robotics, using a Microsoft Azure cloud platform, and partners DeROBÓTICA, ENCAMINA and ENTRESISTEMAS demonstrate how cloud services greatly optimize robot controllers’ performances for automation processes.

Leading the way to a new level of Industry 4.0/IoT applications, DENSO Robotics and partners recently showed how industrial automation in “smart factories“ can be made more efficient, safer, and reliable with already existing software and technologies. At the center of the demonstration, part of the “DENIoT” project at DENSO Robotics, were a DENSO Robotics VS060 and the cloud platform Azure by Microsoft. Azure is a collection of integrated cloud services, such as analytics, computing, database, mobile, networking, storage and Website. The demonstration was held at Microsoft’s high-caliber .Net conference in Madrid (Spain).

Partners in the “DENIoT” project and demonstration are DeROBÓTICA, the Iberian sales organization for DENSO Robotics; ENCAMINA, a Spanish consultancy company specialized in Microsoft products, including Azure; and ENTRESISTEMAS, an industrial automation and system integrator specialist. For the demonstration, DENSO Robotics provided the robot and controller, ENCAMINA handled the communications between the robot, the cloud and the various devices, while ENTRESISTEMAS programmed the actual robot movements.

The well-received demonstration aimed at showing that robots performances can be greatly optimized today by using the advantages a cloud platform such as Azure offers. The platform was connected to the DENSO robot controller in order to collect and interpret data using big data analytics and other techniques.  These data were turned into actionable information.  In the actual demonstration, the VS060 had been programmed to perform up to 9 different movements, mostly pick-and-place. “Our objective was to show that we can optimize robot performances by using already existing technologies and processes. By monitoring and analyzing the robot data, we can not only interact with and control it from virtually anywhere, but we also facilitate machine learning, which further enhances efficiency and performance,” says Pablo Olivas González, Managing Director of DeROBÓTICA. The data monitored included parameters such as the robot arm’s speed, acceleration, positions and (joint) angles.

The benefits of “DENIoT” for implementing Industry 4.0/IoT applications in industrial automation are obvious: An easy connectivity of machines and devices, a real-time monitoring of processes, a scalable application, machine-learning (analysis and prediction) and a multi-platform system adaptable to an industry’s specific needs. In addition, “DENIoT” can be controlled from anywhere using various devices (PC, tablet, even a smart phone) and offers a high level of interaction and control for users.

The combination of a DENSO robot and Microsoft Azure was a perfect match. “We opted for Azure“, explains Pablo Olivas González, “because we needed a high-performance cloud platform which can process a high amour of data and easily compatible to various systems. Last but not least, it was important to have a machine learning option integrated, which Azure offers.”

DENSO robots are especially suited for Industry 4.0/IoT applications as the RC8 Controller is highly flexible and easy to integrate into any system. This is crucial as the key to any successful IoT solution is a simple, fast and reliable coordination between all parts of the system. There are many platforms the DENSO RC8 Controller can work with, including LabVIEW, HALCON or PLC industrial networks (i.e. ProfiNET, ProfiBUS, etc.). For the “DENIoT” project, ORiN was the most important one. ORiN (Open Resource interface for the Network) is a software development interface, that allows to interact with the robot at high-level languages such as C#, C++, etc. This unique capability of programming at high-level languages permitted a very easy integration of the software platforms with the DENSO robot and with Microsoft’s Azure.

During the “DENIoT” demonstration, the robot was also controlled via Microsoft’s intelligent voice command system Cortana: Basically, it translates verbal commands into robot movements (through the cloud). In the demonstration, each of the nine movement commands was assigned a number. The command “move”, for example was assigned the figure “10”, which was sent to the robot in order to perform this specific movement. Voice command interaction will become more important as the human-robot-collaboration will be increasing in the future.

Of all the movements the VS060 performed, his last was the most popular one with the audience: The robot simply took a selfie!

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Robot plays Kendama

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We are used to see DENSO robots engaged in some ‘Pick & Place’ or machine enslavement or more, engaged in some particular application for medical field.

But DENSO robots are not only this, they are much more, and they have fun also: like VS050 robot you can see in the following video, which has been expertly programmed for playing Kendama.

https://youtu.be/gsPBXBAvh8o

Robot for Aerospace Industry AIRBUS

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Company: AIRBUS
Industry: Aerospace
DENSO Products Used: VM-60B1G-V
Company Location: Germany
Website: http://www.airbus.com

THE PROBLEM

Airbus studies and tests the flow behaviour and the flight capability of diverse airplane types- especially wings and engines- that are essential components for the development and manufacturing of new aircraft types. The Airbus Low Speed Wind Tunnel (LSWT Bremen) has been designed to analyse the performance of aircrafts during take-off and landing. It also studies factors such as pressure, stress and temperature at speeds of up to 85 m/s. Multi-hole pressure probes play a decisive role in this process because they are efficient and reliable tools to precisely measure flow conditions. As expected, all probes used for this purpose have to be calibrated accurately.

THE SOLUTION

Probes are checked with the support of a DENSO VM-60B1G-V robot either before or after every test or during a flight simulation.

“Contrary to most robotic applications, in this case, the most important is not speed but absolute accuracy”, explains Airbus’ project manager. “In this way, it is easy to decide whether or not a new calibration is necessary or whether additional tests can be performed.” In order to decide this, the probes are exposed to a flow field with known speed and direction. The robots carry out the movements of the probes within the measuring grid and the results obtained are then compared with the calibration values.

“The simplicity to operate the robots and the free choice to communicate with them using our own software is a great advantage.” says the responsible engineer at Aerodynamics Testing at Airbus. “Additionally, with its six axes, the robot is extremely flexible when operating in a three-dimensional grid with 1,000 measuring points. You have the opportunity to control the robot in such way that it is possible to check the same measuring point for one minute.” Previously, inflexible rotating discs inconveniently carried out these tasks.

THE RESULT

Thanks to the flexible robot programming language, data transfer into the evaluation program of the laboratory is possible. “I have never seen such flexibility in robots“, emphasizes the project leader – this department in particular uses highly individualized and self-developed software tools and programming language.

The Robot has six arms and is extremely flexible. This makes it easy to work in a 3D grid with 1,000 metering points for example. Furthermore, it is possible to access the device directly, which enables analyzing the metering points in more detail.

DENSO robots have been employed at Airbus since 2008.

Robot for Medical Industry – HEALTH ROBOTICS

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Company: HEALTH ROBOTICS
Industry: Medical
DENSO Products Used: VP-G2-S1 (H2O2-resistant)
Company Location: Italy
Website: http://www.health-robotics.com/en/

THE PROBLEM

To develop a very compact and flexible system able to manipulate a large variety of objects (i.e.: drug vials, syringes, and IV bags of different shapes and dimensions) that are normally used in the manual process of drugs compounding.

THE SOLUTION

Against this background the i.v. Station emerged, based on a DENSO robot – that could be described as a type of automated medicine distribution system, which is connected to the hospital prescription system. The appliance receives its order data from the prescriptions for the treatment specific to the patient. This information includes the medicine preparations that have to be made available in a selected time period and in a special form. At the point in time that a new bottle, a new syringe or a new bag is introduced almost nothing on the machine’s hardware has to be changed. It is enough to readjust the software or the modalities to handle and administer the object. Among others the i.v. Station allows the preparation of medicines such as antibiotics, painkillers and anti-inflammatories for inpatient treatments.

  • A DENSO 6-axis robot of the VP-G2 series takes the syringe and positions it on a mechanical dosing feeder.
  • Then it takes the top off the syringe and takes the bottle that has to be filled with the medicine out of the repository, which had previously checked by an image processing system.
  • After the needle has drawn off the desired quantity the robot lifts the syringe into the weighing system.
  • A gravimetric check is carried out there that makes it possible to make an independent check of the dosage. During these procedures the machine is continually provided with a constant air flow that guarantees sterility in the interior. This system guarantees that the air is completely exchanged practically every two seconds.
  • Before discharging, the syringe is provided with a protective cap so that the contents do not come into contact with the outside air. Then it is labelled by the labelling machine, which provides information about the medicine preparation and a barcode for identification purposes.

To avoid errors when filling materials the i.v. Station has two image processing systems with medium resolution cameras (three megapixels). These check if the bags and syringes have been correctly positioned and they also scan the bottle labels that appear to prevent the operator from accidentally confusing the medicines during the filling phase. This is supplemented by a control phase – which takes place during filling – that is done by a barcode reader placed on the front panel of the machine. The final check is done by the computer monitoring system, but through the barcode reader the machine already knows what to expect.

Great attention has been paid to the dimensions of the equipment, because there is normally little space in hospitals.  “Large equipment,” emphasises Giribona, “means nothing less than sacrificing part of the market, because many hospital do not have enough space to install it. It is for precisely this reason that we drafted the i.v. Station to be the size of a large fridge, a cuboid one metre by two metres high that can be easily set up.” The compact design of the DENSO robot met this aim.

Safety has top priority

To be able to guarantee an appropriate safety level in terms of functionality and operator access the i.v. Station is equipped with certain capabilities. For example, it guarantees that access by unauthorised people is prevented during working procedures. These measures extend from profiling the user using user names and passwords, reader modules to identify RFID badges, up to biometric recognition.

Robot for Automotive Industry – Dymaco

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Company: DYMACO
Industry: Automotive Industry
DENSO Products Used: VS-087
Company Location: Italy
Website: http://www.dymacogroup.com

THE PROBLEM

To develop a very compact and flexible Workstation for In-line Automatic Measuring with the latest Manufacturing Equipment Capabilities. A new programmed Dimensional Measuring Machine capable to compare a large variety of components to be measured based on comparison between the item to be measured and its Master Sample that are normally used in the control of Headlamps for the Automotive Lighting Industry.

THE SOLUTION

Against this background the DM Series emerged, based on the new revolutionary DENSO robot VS087 – that could be described as a type of Automated Lighting Inspection System Workstation, which is connected to the Manufacturer In-line Systems.

The Dimensional Measuring Machine robot receives its order data to carry out the measurements brilliantly assisted by DENSO robot VS087 according to its principle based on comparison through the Master Sample with the target measuring points located according to the Lamp’s CAD and the results obtained are then compared with the calibration values previously configured by the manufacturer ensuring all the times its precise performance and estimated manufacturer working cycles. DENSO robot VS087 gives to the DM401 a great speed and precision when calculates the points to be measured.

Great attention has been paid to the dimensions of the equipment to accomplish the World Class Manufacturing requirements where the DENSO Robot VS087 fits perfectly helping to minimize as much as possible the floor space usage when designing the DM401 Series.

THE RESULT

The employment of the DM401 series with the extraordinary VS087 robot contributes to reduce, to a minimum, possible errors in the process of measuring and inspections.

The DM401 series are distinguished by their high flexibility, reliability, simplicity, compact design and easy programmability . A good reason to include the DENSO robot VS087 is because of its high accuracy with simultaneous high speed making the DM401 the ideal Dimensional Machine for Automotive Lighting applications.

DYMACO is investing on the new versions of DENSO Robots to expand its future productions of new machines on many market fields where the use of Automation is required because are easy to integrate.

To have DENSO Robotics Europe as a client-partner on each of our projects help us to give to our customers simply the Best Design, Technology and Customer Support.

Measuring Technology

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Company: Mahr and SIM Automation
Industry: Measuring technology (medical, automotive and other industries)
DENSO Products Used: VS-087
Company Location: Germany
Website: http://www.mahr.de

THE PROBLEM

Turning the vision of Industry 4.0 into reality requires flexible, precise and fast measuring processes in order to ensure the quality of components. In particular, this applies to modern manufacturing in industries such as parts suppliers for carmakers or medical companies. The key to this concept is to integrate smart machines, products, storage systems and all operating resources, i.e. to inter-connect all processes within the value chain.

THE SOLUTION

The application specialist Mahr and SIM Automation, a manufacturer of special purpose machines, joined forces in developing a measuring cell designed to function in a more automated way, but also faster, more wireless and more user-friendly. The DENSO robot VS 087 plays a crucial part in this system.

  • The market-ready measuring cell provides a contour measurement, an automatic labeling of the work pieces to be measured, and also integrates the necessary robot handling – in this case, the system measures slewing pistons for medical purposes, loaded by a DENSO Robotics VS 087 robot.
  • SIM Automation is handling the assembly unit and the systems for verifying, inspecting, loading and sorting as well as the actual robot handling, the project conceptualization and management.
  • Mahr is providing the measuring technology; some of its important components are the MarShaft flexible shaft measuring technology, die MarSurf surface and contour measurement, the customer-specificMarSolution dimension measurement, the iwi radio manual measurement technology and the software platforms MarWin, MarCom and D1200X.
  • In the measuring system, the VS 087 grabs the work piece, which is identified via DMC (DataMatric Code) before the robot loads the turntable. After the measuring program has been selected, the work piece can be measured, the data will then be analyzed and stored. Finally, the VS 087 loads the marker, which reads the DMC, thus accessing the works piece’s number in order to label it.
  • Subsequently, the robot places the work piece onto the tray, followed by two scanner positioning test. The advantages of using a fully automated measuring system are evident – the work piece carries all necessary data on it and thus becomes a „smart object“.
  • As the system is capable of measuring three different types of slewing pistons, the actual work pieces may show a higher level of differentiation. And the process as such becomes faster as the metering process is automated.

The two companies haven chosen the DENSO VS 087 due to its speed, the easy integration of its software into existing customer systems (the robot is controlled by the programming language STEP 7) and, last but not least, due to the good experiences they have made with DENSO, primarily in medical applications and the excellent DENSO customer service.

THE RESULT

Thanks to its flexibility, high speed and the easy interface handling, the six-axis DENSO VS 087 plays a decisive part in the development of modern measuring technology. In addition, the robot saves space and can be easily integrated into the measuring cell. In the future, the cell will automatically signal when it requires maintenance or new parts, i.e. repairs and maintenance can be scheduled automatically. Thus the measuring cell automates quality inspection, also making the process as such more reliable.

The robot’s reliability precludes human error. Automated measuring processes open up a new dimension of quality assurance for parts or components in manufacturing across industries. The robot-assisted, inter-connected and reliable metering will improve both quality and manufacturing costs: The idea of Industry 4.0 will become a reality.

Watch the metering system in operation: www.sim-automation.de/news/control_2015_stuttgart.php

www.sim-automation.de

www.mahr.de

Robots to the cinema MARVEL

Posted by Klain on

Company: Marvel Studios
Industry: Movie Production
DENSO Products Used: VS 050 and VS 087
Company Location: USA 
and UK
Website: http://www.marvel.com

THE PROBLEM

For the latest release of its highly successful blockbuster string of “Avengers” movies, the production company Marvel Studios needed futuristic-looking robots for one of the movie’s key scene showing a dramatic turn of events in the movie plot. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is the epic follow-up to the biggest super hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and the “Avengers” are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron, an artificial intelligence, emerges, it is up to the “Avengers” to stop him from enacting his terrible plans

THE SOLUTION

DENSO Robotics provided three robots, two VS 050 and one VS 087, for the dramatic, turning-point scene set in a futuristic medical lab meant to be in Seoul of movie character Dr. Helen Cho (played by Claudia Kim), a geneticist helping the Avengers. “For this scene, we were not looking for industrial robots that would have fitted Stark’s lab, but rather for medical ones”, explains movie set designer Richard Roberts, one of the world’s leading sci-fi and fantasy set designers. “After some research we found images of DENSO robots, which had the right, white color and the high-tech design we were looking for. We wanted to show the cutting-edge technology in Dr. Cho’s lab – and the robots reflect that image. The DENSO robots definitely had the best look suiting the existing set design.”

The robots were lent to the production by DENSO Robotics, a DENSO service representative was on site programming the robots in PacScript to perform regular pick-and-place functions with several position variables, which were easily obtained by using the functions within the controller.

The actual filming of the scene took place over three days last year at the Shepperton studios near London.

THE RESULT

The robots can be seen in the key lab scene, when the Avengers are trying to stop Ultron: In the lab, Ultron forces Dr. Cho to create a physical body for him by applying her synthetic-tissue technology. As Ultron enters his body, his plans for human extinction are revealed, the fight against Ultron begins while the robots’ movements can be seen in the background and also during a fascinating close-up.

In the scene, the robots then acted as if in a lab, moving test tubes (the two VS 050) and a laser probe used on some tissue in the lab (VS 087). The robots used on the set are part of the latest line of vertical robot arms in combination with DENSO’s latest model controller, the RC8. ”The integration of the robots into the set was done manually and very easy, also thanks to the quick delivery and excellent DENSO service”, remembers Richard Roberts. Though they were not technically integrated with their software into the movie production technology, the set designers created custom-built work benches in order to accommodate the robots and then integrated them into the overall stage design. The white design and fast movements of the DENSO robots made them the preferred choice of the movie production company. Richard Roberts explains why the DENSO robots fit in so well and why viewers are fascinated by them: “Robots used to be science-fiction – now they are suddenly part of our reality. It fascinates that they copy human movements, both in production lines and in medical labs, for example, and perform amazing things. They really have come to life.” The set designer would use DENSO robots again in a movie with a contemporary or futuristic setting, fantasy or real.

DENSO robots made it to the silver screen and obviously, are there to stay.

For more information on “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, please visit www.marvel.com/movies