Reconfigurable fixturing permits different parts to be grasped for assembly by a fixture without the need to conduct costly redesign and fabrication of hardware fixtures, which is an industry standard in widespread use in industry. A novel reconfigureable fixture is proposed for robotic assembly of a number of different parts. Motivated by the marine organism, O. vulgaris, commonly referred to as an octopus, which grasps different objects or prey using suction cups, the proposed fixture has three fingers, each equipped with a suction cup, to facilitate the grasping process and increase grasp flexibility. To position the suction cups located on the flexible fixture, two linkage-based mechanisms are employed. Pneumatic cylinders and electric motors are used as actuators. A prototype flexible fixture has been built and experimental results with this prototype confirm the effectiveness of the proposed flexible fixture. Software has been developed to calculate the relative positions and angles in the mechanism as required for reconfiguration. The new flexible fixture permits assembly of a set of sheet metal automotive body parts in a robotic assembly work cell.
Flexible fixture design with applications to assembly of sheet metal automotive body parts
Entwurf einer flexiblen Befestigung für den Zusammenbau von Automobilkarosserieteilen aus Blech
Assembly Automation ; 26 , 2 ; 143-153
2006
11 Seiten, 13 Bilder, 2 Tabellen, 18 Quellen
Article (Journal)
English
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