Automated Work Cell

Team Do-All Robotics was tasked to improve the existing Robotic Workcell located in the Senior Design Suite. This project includes a second generation design of the workcell itself with hopes of making a sturdier, more modular work-cell that is able to handle tasks of higher precision and of a wider variety. The ME Department also assigned the team to create a standalone instruction manual that incoming teams could use as a resource to better understand the full capabilities of the DENSO Robotic Arm and be able to program the workcell to meet a wide variety of manufacturing needs

Background


2013-2014

In Spring 2013 The Boeing Company donated DENSO robotic arms to The University of Idaho College of Engineering. That fall Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students, as a part of Team Roboshow, were tasked to learn basic programming of the robotic arms and create a work-cell for the arms. Their work-cell incorporated multiple safety features as well as a clear poly-carbonate enclosure for public demonstration. The team was able to successfully program the robot to use a dry-erase marker to create logos and patterns on a white board.

2014-2015

The following year another design team, known as Team Vandalbot, was formed to design a manufacturing process which could assemble various rivet and nut-plate assemblies in order to automate a repetitive task currently done by factory workers. The team was able to demonstrate this process and provide documentation for future teams.

Current Issues

There are a few critical problems with the existing work-cell design. When the robotic arm operates at high speeds the cell tends to wobble which decreases precision in manufacturing. The way the current work-cell is set up only allows for a limited number of configurations when developing a manufacturing process. Another problem facing the robotic arm work-cell is lack of documentation on operating the DENSO arms using included peripherals and developing programs using WINCAPS software. Previous teams' documentation includes many references to manuals that are difficult to find or include non-critical information.

Design Task
Problem Statement

The Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Idaho requires certain updates to be made to their current Robotic Arm Work-cell. A 2nd generation work-cell needs to be developed to improve the cell’s flexibility in manufacturing capabilities such that it: incorporates a modular design, eliminates movement & vibration under load, and is able to include a second robotic arm. Standalone documentation of robot setup and operation should be compiled for future students.

 Project Design Goals 

1.	Create a workcell for an automated manufacturing process with a Denso robotic arm.
 * -	Improve upon the stability of the workcell to limit vibrations and motion that might cause errors during manufacturing.
 * -	 Create a modular workcell to allow for any kind of work surface or manufacturing process.

2.	Incorporate a second Denso robotic arm into the work cell.
 * -	Have both arms be controlled by one program.
 * -	Have both arms work on the same process simultaneously without interfering with each other.

3.	Explore the limits and possibilities of manufacturing processes with two Denso robotic arms.
 * -	See if the addition of a second arm adds any value to the process or just makes the process needlessly complicated.

Instruction Manual Outline
I. Introduction
 * A. Project History
 * B. Arm Specifications
 * C. Work-cell Modular Design
 * 1. Pedestal
 * 2. Table Attachments
 * 3. Improvements over previous design
 * D. Links to video operation

II. Safety
 * A. OSHA Robotic Operation Requirements
 * B. e-Guard Door

III. Teaching Pendant
 * A. Description of buttons/controls
 * B. Navigation of Pendant Software
 * C. Pendant Operation
 * 1. Auto Mode
 * 2. Manual Mode
 * 3. Teach/Check Mode
 * D. Writing Basic Programs

IV. WINCAPS Software
 * A. Intro to software
 * B. Creating a Program
 * 1. Creating a Project
 * 2. Programming
 * a. Layout
 * b. Commands
 * c. Soft Boundaries
 * C. Uploading Program to robot
 * 1. Physical Connections
 * 2. Network Process

V. Working with multiple arms
 * A. Physical Additions to enclosure
 * B. Connection to Brain
 * C. Programming Arms to Run Simutaneously
 * D. ***This will be added to once we know more about this process***

VI. Appendix
 * A. Error Codes & Common Fixes
 * B. PAC Library