Robotic Mill Liner Handling With Vision-Guided Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for changing liners in ore grinding mills are time-consuming, risky for maintenance staff, and inefficient, requiring manual intervention and extensive downtime due to the need for manual handling and positioning of liners, which leads to potential safety hazards and reduced mill availability.
Innovation Solution
An automated system comprising a robotic manipulator with artificial vision and a telescopic beam for precise, automated removal and installation of liners, allowing for greater freedom and precision in movement, reducing the need for manual intervention and minimizing risks to maintenance staff.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual intervention is used for liner positioning and guiding, then ease of operation is improved, but safety deteriorates due to high-risk exposure for staff
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated robotic manipulator system equipped with sensors and control mechanisms. The robotic system performs liner removal and installation operations automatically, eliminating the need for staff to physically enter the mill and handle heavy liners, thereby resolving the contradiction between operational ease and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic manipulator acts as an intermediary between the control system and the liners. It performs the hazardous tasks of gripping, moving, and positioning liners inside the mill, serving as a mediator that protects human operators from direct exposure to dangerous conditions while maintaining precise control over the operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If the mill is rotated several times during liner changing, then completeness of liner replacement is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to extended downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic manipulator system enables continuous operation during mill rotation. The robot can automatically reposition itself and continue liner replacement operations throughout the rotation cycle without requiring manual intervention or halting the process, thereby maintaining completeness of liner replacement while minimizing downtime and maximizing productivity.
3Productivity
If automated robotic manipulators are used for liner removal and installation, then productivity is improved, but device complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic manipulator is designed as a multi-functional device that can perform multiple operations including gripping liners, moving them to different positions, positioning them accurately on the mill surface, and securing them in place. This universal device replaces multiple separate tools and manual operations, justifying its complexity through the significant productivity gains and safety improvements it delivers.
4Ease of operation
If manual handling and positioning of liners is performed, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of time deteriorates due to extended maintenance duration
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic manipulator system operates autonomously to perform liner replacement operations. It can independently grip liners, move them along the mill surface, position them correctly, and secure them without requiring continuous manual guidance or positioning assistance, thereby dramatically reducing the time required for maintenance operations while maintaining operational effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a system and method for changing liners of a mill, the configuration of which allows the automated robotic manipulation of liners of mills for ore grinding in comminution processes. The configuration and operation of the system allows the task of manipulation to be improved, having a greater degree of freedom and/or flexibility in its movements, thereby providing a greater degree of certainty and efficiency to the method and thus optimising the time that the mill is halted for maintenance, and also preventing the risks to which maintenance staff may be exposed. The system comprises at least one support structure, at least one system for supplying and moving liners, at least one robotic manipulator system for manipulating the liners, at least one liner manipulation tool, at least one artificial vision system, and at least one control system.