New technology for reconfigurable assembly systems
3rd Quarter 2012Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Tectra Automation, has joined forces with the Mechatronics, Automation and Design Research Group (MADRG) of Stellenbosch University’s Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering to conduct research into reconfigurable assembly systems (RAS).
With automation support from Tectra Automation, and under the supervision of Professor Anton Basson, the MADRG has established a laboratory-scale RAS to develop the expertise required to implement this system in the South African market.
From l: Masters’ students Chibaye Mulubika, Anro le Roux and Professor Anton Basson showcase the TS2-Plus conveyor system.
“The distinguishing feature of RAS is that the systems are aimed at producing a wide variety of products, in contrast to the more conventional approach where an assembly system is designed to produce large volumes of nearly identical products,” explains Professor Basson.
Most of South Africa’s manufacturing exports are aimed at niche markets, implying that relatively small volumes of high variety products are produced. Manual assembly is readily adaptable to product variety, but the quality requirements for exported goods are often difficult to meet with manual labour alone. In order to best meet these demands, a good combination of manual and automated production is required for the South African manufacturing industry.
A key subsystem of the laboratory RAS is the Bosch Rexroth TS2-Plus pallet-based conveyor system, provided by Tectra Automation. Its ability to direct the movement of pallets along various paths, as directed by product changes, is essential for the system’s reconfigurable assembly ability. Its modularity also facilitates future changes to the layout to accommodate new stations or changed production requirements.
Apart from conveying different types of media, including polyamide belts, toothed belts, flat top chains and accumulation roller chains, the TS2-Plus also provides an abundance of specific units including curves, transverse conveyors, position and drive units. In addition, the time and effort spent on planning and designing can also be reduced to a minimum thanks to the predefined macro modules.
Other benefits of the TS2-Plus include:
* A high maximum load of up to 100 kg per workpiece pallet.
* Workpiece pallet sizes ranging from 160 x 160 mm to 1040 x 800 mm.
* Four types of conveying media, which can be combined together to meet the needs of the assembly process.
Another challenge taken on by Anro le Roux, a Masters student in Mechanical Engineering, is to develop control strategies that will enhance the re-configurability of the ‘transport system’, which mainly comprises the TS2-Plus conveyor system.
“One aspect of the challenge is the optimal use of the read/write capabilities of the Bosch Rexroth RFID system to increase robustness, decrease the ramp-up time after reconfiguration, and improve diagnostic information for the cell control system,” says Professor Basson.
MADRG and Tectra Automation are currently planning a follow-up project to take the technology from the laboratory into industry.
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