Module 4: Automation and Assembly Configurations

Assembly:
The term assembly is defined as the fitting of two or more discrete parts together to form a new
subassembly. The process usually consists of the sequential addition of components to a base
part or existing subassembly to create a more complex subassembly or a complete product.
Assembly operations can be performed manually, or by highspeed automatic assembly
machines, or by robots.
Application of robotics in Assembly can be divided into three areas
a) Parts presentation methods
b) Assembly operations/tasks
c) Assembly cell design

a) Part Presentation Methods:

In order for a robot to perform an assembly task, the part that is to be assembled must be
presented to the robot. Part presentation involves various levels

• Parts located within a specific area (parts not positioned or oriented): In this case
the robot is required to use some form of sensory input to guide it to the part location
and pick up the part. A vision system could be used as a sensory input system for this
purpose.

• Parts located at a known position (parts not oriented):

In this case the position of the part is known, but orientation of the parts is the problem.
This might require the robot to perform additional handling operation to orient the part.

• Parts located in a known position and orientation:

This is the most common method used for automatic assembly. This approach requires
least effort by the robot and sensor system, but requires high sophisticated parts feeding
system. There are number of methods for presenting parts in known position and
orientation such as bowl feeders, magazine feeders, trays, and pallets.

b) Assembly Operations
Assembly operations can be divided into two basic categories: parts mating and parts joining.
In parts mating, two or more parts are brought into contact with each other
In parts joining, two or more parts are mated and then additional steps are taken to ensure that
the parts will maintain their relationship with each other.

Parts Mating
The various part mating operations are
• Peg-in-hole: This operation involves the insertion of one part (the peg) into another part
(the hole). Peg-in-hole is divided into two types, round peg-in-hole and square peg-in-hole.
For Square peg-in-hole mating operation the robot requires high degrees of freedom.

• Hole-on-peg: this is a variation of peg-in hole. A typical example would be placement of a

bearing or gear onto a shaft.

• Multiple peg-in-hole: here one part has multiple pegs and the other part has corresponding
multiple holes. Here the assembly task always requires the ability of assembly system to
 orient the parts in all directions. Example- assembly of a microelectronic chip module with
multiple pins into a circuit card.

• Stacking: in this type, several components are placed one on top of the next, with no pin or
other devices for locating the part relative to each other. In subsequent assembly operation,
the group of parts would be joined together. Example-transformer assembly in which
individual laminations are stacked.

Parts Joining
In parts joining, not only must the two (or more) components be mated, but also some type of
fastening procedure is required to hold the parts together.

The possible joining operations include the following:

• Fastening screws:
The use of screws is a very common method of joining parts together in manual
assembly. There are two ways in which a robot can perform the screw-fastening
operation: it can drive the screw by advancing and simultaneously rotating its wrist, or
it can manipulate a special end effector consisting of a power screwdriver.

• Retainers:
They can be pins inserted through several parts in order to maintain the relationship
among the parts. Another form of retainer is a ring that clamps onto one part to establish
its relationship with another part.

• Press fits:
This is another variation of the peg-in-hole task except that the parts to be mated have
an interference fit. This simply means that the peg is slightly larger than the hole into
which it is to be inserted. Press-fitted parts can form a very strong assembly. However,
a substantial force is required to accomplish the insertion operation.

• Snap fits:
A snap fit involves the joining of two parts in which the mating elements of the parts
possess a temporary interference that only occurs during the joining process. When the
parts are pressed together, one (or both) of the parts elastically deforms to accommodate
the interference. then catches into the mating element of the part.

• Welding and related joining methods:

Continuous Arc welding, TIG welding, MIG welding and spot welding are common
welding operations used to joint parts together. In addition, there are other similar
joining techniques requiring heat energy that are used in assembly operations. These
include brazing, soldering, and ultrasonic welding.
 • Adhesives:
Glue and similar adhesives can be applied to join parts together by using a dispenser to
lay down a bead of the adhesive along a defined path or at a series of points. In most
applications the adhesive dispenser is attached to the robot's wrist, while in other cases
the robot manipulates the part and presents it to the dispenser.

• Crimping:
The process of deforming a portion of one part (often a sheet metal part) to fasten it to
another part. A common example of crimping is when an electrical connector is
crimped (squeezed) onto a wire. To perform a crimping process, the robot requires a
special tool or pressing device attached to its wrist.

• Sewing:
Although not typically considered as a robot application, this is a common joining
technique for soft, flexible parts (e.g., cloth, leather).

c. Assembly Cell Designs

There are two basic configurations of assembly systems, a single workstation, and a series of
workstations (an assembly line), Combinations of these two basic types are also possible. For
example, it is sometimes advantageous to design a series configuration with certain stations in
parallel.

• Single-Workstation Assembly
In this configuration all of the parts which are required to complete the desired assembly
are presented to robot at a single workstation. All of the parts mating and joining tasks
for the assembly are accomplished at the single workstation. A single-station robotic
assembly system would typically be used for low- and medium-volume work in which
there were a limited number of assembly tasks and parts to be handled.
(Robot centered workcell is a example of this)

• Series Workstation Assembly

(In-line and Mobile robot work cell are examples of this, study the same with sketch)
This configuration is generally used for moderately high-production category. The
series system requires multiple robots plus a parts transfer system to perform the
assembly.
 • Parallel Workstation Assembly
The work can take either of two (or more) routes to have the same operations
performed. Used in situation where production cycle times at a particular workstation
or group of workstations are too long to keep up with the other sections of the line.
The other stations are forced to wait for the slow workstations. In this case, the use of
two parallel stations effectively halves the cycle time (doubles the production rate) for
the stations.

Inspection Automation

Inspection is a quality control operation that involves the checking of parts, assemblies, or
products for conformance to certain criteria generally specified by the design engineering
department.
The inspection function is commonly done for incoming raw materials at various stages of the
production process, and at the completion of manufacturing prior to shipping the product.
Testing is another quality control operation often associated with inspection.

• Testing normally involves the functional aspects of the product, such as testing to
ensure that the product operates properly, fatigue testing, environmental testing, and
similar procedures.

• Inspection is limited to checking the product in relation to non- functional design

standards. For example, a mechanical component would be inspected to verify the
physical dimensions (e.g.. length, diameter, etc.) that have been established by the
design engineer.
Robotics can be used to accomplish inspection or testing operations. Robotic inspection
systems are

• Vison Inspection system

Some of the robotic applications of vision systems include part location, parts
identification, and bin picking. Typical robotic vision systems are capable of analyzing
two-dimensional scenes by extracting certain features from the images.
Vision inspection system is used to check the dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and
completeness and correctness of an assembly or product.
The robot's role in the inspection process would be either to present the parts to the
vision system in the proper position and orientation. or to manipulate the vision system
over the portions of the parts or assemblies that must be inspected.

In the design of a machine vision inspection system, there are a number of factors that
must be considered in order for the system to operate reliably. These factors include:

The required resolution of the vision camera

The field-of-view of the camera relative to the object being inspected
The area of coverage of the inspection system

• Robot-Manipulated Inspection or Test Equipment

This method of robotic inspection involves the robot moving an inspection testing
device around the part or product.
An example would be for a robot to manipulate an electronic inspection probe or a laser
probe along the surface of the object to be measured.

• Robot-Loaded Test Equipment

The third application area in robotic inspection is loading and unloading inspection and
testing equipment. This application is very similar to machine tool loading/unloading.
There are various types of inspection and testing equipment that can be loaded by a
robot. These include mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic gauges, and functional
testing devices.

The robot would be used to unload the finished part from the production machine and
to load it into an inspection gauge which would determine if the part was acceptable. If
the part were within tolerance, it would be passed to the next step in the production
process. If it did not meet the tolerance specification, the part would be rejected.

Taking this inspection system one logical step further, the robotic system would act as
a feedback control system by making adjustments for tool wear and other sources of
variation in the metal cutting process.
CNC part programming

For CNC machining, programmers use G and M codes, depending on what they want the
machine to do.
G Code: A G code in CNC programming controls the movements of a machine, dictating how
and where a machine should move to fabricate a part.

M Code: An M code in CNC programming controls miscellaneous machine functions,

including starting and stopping specific actions or programs.

These two codes work together to manufacture parts and components, making them essential
in the manufacturing and industrial sectors.

Programming Key Letters:

O - Program number (Used for program identification)

N - Sequence number (Used for line identification)
G - Preparatory function
X - X axis designation
Y - Y axis designation
Z - Z axis designation
R - Radius designation
F – Feed rate designation
S - Spindle speed designation
H - Tool length offset designation
D - Tool radius offset designation
T - Tool Designation
M - Miscellaneous function
G codes:

G00 Rapid transverse motion

G01 Straight line cutting motion

G02 Clockwise circular interpolation

G03 Anti clockwise circular interpolation

G04 Dwell (spindle / coolant ON)

G05 Hold ( spindle / coolant off)

G17 XY plane selection

G18 YZ plane selection

G19 ZX plane selection

G20 Inch coordinate positioning

G21 Metric coordinate positioning

G40 Cutter compensation cancel

G41 Cutter compensation left offset

G42 Cutter compensation right offset

G80 Canned cycle

G90 Absolute coordinate system

G91 Incremental coordinate system

G92 Tool reset

G94 Feed rate/minute

G95 Feed rate/rev

M-Code:

M00 Program Stop

M01 Optional Program Stop

M02 Program End

M03 Spindle ON Clockwise (S)

M04 Spindle ON Counterclockwise (S))

M05 Spindle Stop

M06 Tool Change (T)

M08 Coolant ON

M09 Coolant OFF

M30 Program End and Reset

M97 Local Sub-Program Call

M98 Sub-Program Call

M99 Sub-Program / Routine Return of Loop

Example-1:

Prepare a CNC milling program to obtain the desired profile.

Billet: 100 mm x100 mm x10 mm