2023-04-18 – Integrated demonstration at DLR |
On 18th of April the consortium met at DLR to jointly assess the status of the project. This was done in the framework of the first integrated demonstration of the draping system. DLR had set up a workcell with a Kuka robot, including the flexible gripper. Based on a 3D model of the workcell and on information taken directly from a ply book the robot motions were planned and executed automatically. The first step consisted of the measurement of the position of the cut piece before pick-up. This was done through a camera system integrated into the gripper. The robot then picked up the whole cut piece and transferred it to the mould, where it was held in place by the extendible suction heads of the gripper. The human operator then performed the draping in the high curvature areas. After finishing the suction heads were removed from the cut piece and the robot proceeded to pick up the next ply. Additional methods of interaction were also demonstrated, such as instructing the robot to take a picture of a particular position on the ply, e.g. to document a potential process deviation.
Overall, key elements of the process could be successfully demonstrated. The next steps include increasing the robustness of the whole system and bringing it to a level of maturity so that it can be successfully installed and used in an operative environment at Dallara. There are still a few technical challenges, mainly aiming at increasing the smoothness of the human-robot interaction. But there is good progress and the consortium is confident to have this ready by autumn 2023, when the workcell is temporarily transferred to the production site of project partner Dallara.
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