At EMO 2015, Comau demonstrated its in-line dimensional control developed specifically for the automotive industry. This Comau technology was presented in a static demo featuring a NJ60 robot equipped with a special optical head provided by QFP.
The robot, which features a payload of 60 kg and a reach of 2,200 mm, simulated the dimensional control of a Jeep Renegade chassis, a process that is executed in real life at the Melfi production plant where the Jeep Renegade is produced. The demonstration showed that dimensional controls can be directly performed in-line, while the chassis is still in the sheet metal working station, thereby preventing excessively long cycles, which are unsuitable for this sector, and the risk of wrong measurements.
The QFP optical head applied to the Comau robot was equipped with a white light sensor that takes 3-D photos - where each side is 500 mm - with the help of three lenses. By projecting a matrix of structured light, the system is able to obtain a very accurate 3-D image of an object. Made of pixels, the image is then converted into a cloud of millions of points. "With a series of shots, Comau is able to accurately reproduce the geometry of the object in an absolutely precise way, and compare its surface with the corresponding CAD model to assess variations and approve or reject the object after it has been controlled," said a company spokesperson.
The speed of the robot is critical at this stage. The machine, in fact, moves quickly from one point of the trajectory to another, along a path set up to capture all of the images needed to reconstruct the object. It thus collects a large amount of data in just a few moments, and the computer receiving the data excludes the redundant or unnecessary information and quickly reconstructs the piece.
Together, the QFP system and Comau robot quickly perform all of the necessary steps and is compatible with the timing cycle of a typical assembly line. In this way, the features of the robotic solution are fully exploited.
"The flexibility and sinuosity of the robot's movements facilitate the transport of the sensor in positions that have historically been almost impossible to achieve," said the spokesperson. "In addition, the precision of the robot's movements, enhanced by the accuracy of the system's calibration, together with its speed, combine to deliver an innovative and unique system that did not exist before now."
For more information contact:
Comau LLC
21000 Telegraph Rd.
Southfield, MI 48033
888-888-8998 / 248-353-8888
robotics.comau.com/