Apr 22, 2016 | By Tess
Nearly everyday we write about a new advancement in the field of 3D printing technology, further progressing the industry and its manufacturing capabilities. Now, another advancement has been unveiled, and it is huge.
A team of developers from the AITIIP research center in Zaragoza, Spain have built what is reported to be one of the worlds largest robots. What is most notable about this robot, however, is its extreme accuracy of movement which, thanks to the help of a laser guided system, is within minus 0.4 mm when working on a 100 meter long part.
The robot, which is built onto a simple structure, measures 20 meters long by 6 meters wide by 5 meters high, making it ideal for the manufacturing of large parts. The robots movement, as mentioned, is not controlled by a mechanical system as most industrial robots are, but by a laser guided system which is controlled by computers and which can monitor the position of the robot continuously.
Typically, robots run on mechanical systems, which while mostly reliable, can be subject to errors when there are changes in the environment, like a change in temperature. The laser system, which is capable of capturing 1,000 scans per second, offers a sort of fool-proof way of ensuring the robot’s nearly exact accuracy.
José Antonio Dieste, an industrial engineer at AITIIP, explains, “What we have tried to do here is to substitute that mechanical approach [with lasers]. So we are able to monitor in real time where the bit [of the machine] always is and correct also in real time the robot´s position.”
For the moment, the creation of the giant laser guided industrial robot could have a big impact on such technical operations as the drilling and milling on large surfaces. Dieste explains, “ “The system has been designed to allow accurate operations in drilling and milling, which are the most demanding (factory) operations from the point of view of accuracy; they are really prone to all kind all mistakes.”
Of course, the developers behind the large robot also have bigger sights for the future of their robotic structure in the 3D printing industry. Dieste explains that they are now working on using their accurate laser system to use the robot for other applications such as welding, laser-cutting, and 3D printing. “We are currently working to transform the whole system into a huge 3D printer for both metal and not metal pieces.” The robotic system is also said to have applications in the grinding, polishing, screwing, and painting of industrial parts.
While not a 3D printer just yet, the giant laser-guided robot developed by the Spanish research team is still exciting news and could make for significant advancements in fields like construction, aerospace, shipbuilding, and civil engineering.
Posted in 3D Printer
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Laser tracker position feedback for robots is hardly new. And 0.4mm accuracy isn't much to brag about. No mention of active damping of compliant robot systems. What here isnew, not a rehash of decade old tech.
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