Advanced Manufacturing Using Collaborative Robots
My team and I researched the possibility of using a UR10 robot to perform a secondary operation with an injection-molding machine to increase the efficiency and output of the process.
The robot performs two secondary tasks: loading the bore and bolt inserts onto the injection mold plate and unloading the plastic molded part onto a conveyor for cooling and setting.
In order to ensure robust picking and placing operation an end effector was designed. The design takes into consideration the following: minimizing robot movement, the available space of movement for placing and picking the parts and optimizing the cycle time.
I was responsable for creating a digital twin for the injection molding process combined with a UR10 robot (Universal Robots). I performed cycle time analysis for different end effector designs. Optimized the cycle time through the robot motion planning.
How we built it
I used the Virtual Robot Experimentation Platform (V-REP) to create and run the simulation and analysis. I created a replica of the plastic injection molding process components in the virtual environment with the use of the CAD models provided by the company and accurate measurements taken through a site visit. While my team brainstorm prototypes for the end effector, I update the simulation and run cycle time analysis to compare different end effector prototypes.
These two videos show different end effector prototypes. Instead of manipulating one object at a time, these two end effector prototypes manipulate multiple objects as a single batch, which affect the cycle time of the process.