Robotically Assisted Manufacturing Workcell

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Current Manufacturing Process
This is the current manufacturing process for a nut plate assembly as built by a human worker. Note that some assemblies have multiple types of rivets and nut plates.
 * 1) Receive 'shoebox' full of parts
 * 2) Follow specifications on work instruction
 * 3) Gather materials
 * 4) Use a test plate to check Winslow drill depth
 * 5) Drill countersinks and rivet holes with Winslow drill
 * 6) Load rivets and tape down
 * 7) Flip part over and place nut plates into position
 * 8) C-squeeze to fasten rivets
 * 9) Place completed assemblies back into ‘shoebox’

Design Task
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Problem Statement
Hundreds of nut plate assemblies are built every day using human labor. This work is monotonous and physically taxing for the workers involved, often resulting in injury due to repetitive motions. In addition to causing workplace injury, the repetitive nature of these tasks results in an accumulation of process errors. The goal of this project is to create an automated work cell centered on an industrial robot which can tirelessly and consistently perform these assembly tasks which are ill-suited for human workers.

Design Goals

 * Safety
 * Robot enclosure protocols
 * Removing humans from the manufacturing task
 * Providing students with practical experience in industrial automation
 * Creating thorough documentation for future students and design teams
 * Creation of a proof of concept for a process that can be used for production
 * 1st semester goals
 * Understand current assembly process
 * Establish baseline of mock parts
 * Develop a proposal for an automated process using one industrial robot
 * Develop a concept for tooling and part orientation, including prototype tools and fixturing
 * 2nd semester goals
 * Programming of the robotic process
 * Final design and construction of fixturing and tooling required for process
 * Presentation and exit (feeding/removing parts in work cell)
 * As a stretch goal: multiple, collaborative robots (will require additional safety features)

Design Goals and Deliverables
1. Statically and dynamically stable in the water.


 * A layout that positions denser components toward the bottom of the sub to keep the center of mass below the center of buoyancy
 * A system that allows for weights to be added at appropriate locations to help balance the sub

2. Positively buoyant by 0.5% of total mass


 * A complete sub that displaces the appropriate amount of water to make it buoyant by 0.5% of its mass
 * A system that allows for adjustments to buoyancy using high or low density additions, e.g. metal weights or foam

3. Parts that can be replaced in a matter of minutes
 * Standard and reusable fasteners instead of adhesives, welds, or other permanent solutions
 * Component layouts that do not block access to important parts

4. Modular sub-systems and components
 * Quick releases, latches, and easy-to-use connectors and mounts between systems and components

5. Easy to transport and store
 * Handles or something similar that is easy to grasp
 * A stand that has been specifically designed to support the sub
 * A container that is built to safely store the sub during transport

6. Safe to operate and work on
 * Thrusters and other electronics that are designed to operate below 30 VDC
 * Shrouds and guards the shield the thruster props
 * Kill switches that are easily operated and highly visible

7. Watertight hull and other housings
 * Accurately manufactured housing components and appropriate use of o-rings and waterproofing techniques

8. Electronics that remain adequately cool
 * A heat mitigation system using liquid and/or air cooling if needed
 * Heat sinks on crucial components

9. Outside dimensions that meet competition requirements
 * Compact construction and packaging of components
 * Accurate measurements of components and overall dimensions of sub

10. Overall weight that is 84 lb or less
 * Lightweight materials for frame, hull, and other components when possible

11. Torpedo launchers that can launch a torpedo into a 12 in target
 * Neutrally buoyant torpedoes that can possibly be adjusted with weights
 * A retention system that prevents torpedoes from launching prematurely
 * Fins or other solution for stabilization
 * Proper barrel porting and size to increase accuracy

12.Marker droppers that can drop a marker within a 6 in radius
 * A retention system that prevents the markers from being dropped prematurely
 * Negatively buoyant markers that readily sink
 * Fins to stabilize markers if needed

13. Complete control over linear movement and yaw
 * Position six thrusters for needed control

14. Minor corrective control over pitch and roll
 * Diving planes, fins, position of thrusters, or inherently stable

15. Corrosion resistant.
 * Corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel and plastics

16. Allow the sub to respond to keyboard input
 * Include program that will accept keyboard and act on keyboard input

17. Thrusters will respond to input from the sub
 * Program will activate the thrusters to execute a task