www.engineeringnews.co.nz 15 and ensure the proper torque law settings for each location using the correct tool. Because of the manual process, human error adds a lot of risk to the production. This is significant since even a single location being tightened down incorrectly could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run. Smarter tools and devices understand which task the operator is about to perform using vision to process its surroundings and automatically adjust the settings for other tools. On the automation side, robot manipulator systems have been used for decades across various industries for a wide variety of applications. These systems are typically designed using a proprietary or custom end-to-end solution, and adding functionality to them is challenging through limited vendor-defined black boxes. Configuring these robotic systems can be extremely costly because the particular configuration or solution applies to only the specific vendor. As production systems evolve into ‘lean’ systems—in not only organisation but also planning and technologies—a common communication layer or architecture is needed to allow scalability and adaptability. For example, many robotics system architectures can be divided into three main parts: sensing, thinking, and acting. Sensing typically involves reading sensor data. Most manipulators are outfitted with sensors, such as an encoder for motor position feedback and a vision tracking system to perceive the environment’s data. Thinking functions use sensor data to plan movements. Industrial manipulators usually feature inverse kinematics and obstacle avoidance algorithms. The ‘act’ portion of the control regime translates the positioning commands into drive signals for specific actuators. Many advanced algorithms such as sensor fusion leveraging 3D cameras have emerged in academic research and can make existing manipulator systems drastically more efficient and effective. This common layer not only provides the ability to conduct rapid algorithm prototyping and validation but also acts as a gateway to communicate across the entire factory infrastructure. Various technology silos make up the factory floor today, and each technique, design, and piece of equipment makes modern manufacturing efficient, organised, and structured. Many leading manufacturers have launched a series of research projects in these areas and have demonstrated the viability and scalability of a platform-based approach that combines software and embedded hardware. For example, Airbus has used NI LabVIEW software and reconfigurable hardware as part of its Factory of the Future tested to accelerate development and create a horizontal technology platform that the company can scale for each technology silo. Given the increased technology complexity and advancement, the ongoing challenge for the Factory of the Future is to identify a common framework that can leverage the technological advancement in each silo and be applied across the platform while maintaining high-quality assurance and full traceability throughout the process. EN Connected elements in Factory of the Future
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