Mobile Cobot Cart With Cantilever Support for Flexible Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The cutting and welding industry faces challenges in achieving reliable, consistent, and repeatable materials processing due to human and process variables, particularly in high mix, low volume production environments, where skilled workers are scarce, and traditional robotic systems are costly and inflexible, making it difficult to set up and operate automated systems without extensive programming and significant capital expenditures.
Innovation Solution
A highly mobile collaborative robot cutting and welding system on a cart with a mobile base, cantilevered support member, and programmable robot arm, designed for easy relocation and setup, allowing operation by less experienced individuals, featuring intuitive programming and built-in safety systems for efficient and safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional robotic cutting and welding systems are used, then manufacturing precision and reliability are improved, but device complexity and capital expenditure increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into modular components: a mobile cart platform, a collaborative robot arm, and a cutting/welding torch assembly. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system precision, reducing the complexity burden of any single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The collaborative robot system is designed to perform multiple functions including cutting, welding, and positioning operations. The system can be reconfigured for different applications through software programming rather than requiring dedicated hardware for each function, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining precision across multiple operations.
2Productivity
If automated robotic systems are implemented, then productivity is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to programming complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates self-positioning capabilities through sensors and feedback mechanisms that allow the robot to automatically adjust its location and orientation relative to workpieces. This reduces the programming burden by eliminating the need for manual coordinate input for each workpiece position.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows dynamic adjustment of operational parameters such as cutting speed, welding current, and robot motion paths through user-friendly interfaces. This enables operators with varying skill levels to optimize productivity without requiring deep programming knowledge, as parameter changes can be made through simplified controls rather than code modification.
3Manufacturing precision
If fixed automated cutting stations are used, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but adaptability to different production environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a fixed stationary setup to a dynamic mobile platform. The cart-mounted robot can be relocated to different workstations and production lines, maintaining precision through active positioning systems and real-time calibration capabilities that adapt to new environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile cart serves as an intermediary platform between the robot system and various production environments. It provides a standardized interface with features like adjustable work surfaces, integrated tooling fixtures, and universal mounting points that enable the precision system to adapt to different locations without requiring environmental modifications.
4Ease of operation
If skilled welders are used for manual operations, then ease of operation is maintained through experience-based judgment, but productivity is limited by human capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors and monitoring systems that provide real-time feedback on cutting quality, weld penetration, and joint formation. This feedback loop allows the automated system to maintain the operational flexibility and quality judgment traditionally associated with skilled workers while achieving higher productivity through continuous operation without fatigue or breaks.
Data Source
AI summary
A highly mobile cart having an upper cantilevered selectively positionable extended support member for use with collaborative robot cutting and welding systems for deployment in manufacturing operations where the systems can be moved from one worksite to another without significant labor or rigging or substantial acquisition and installation capital expenditures, dedicated floor space, or ancillary internal support and operating systems.