Integration of an articulated robot, a gantry robot and a conveyor line in a desktop flexible automation cell

Abstract

A flexible automation system typically consists of a series of workstations that are interconnected by material handling and storage systems. These workstations include highly automated machineries/equipment such as robots, and NC/CNC machine tools etc. Although each individual equipment of these workstations comes with a programmiug software/ system, it always requires to develop a control software/system to integrate the operations of the individual equipment to yield an integrated system. In 1990, Department of Industria! and Production Engineering at BUET bought a desktop training robotics system which consists of a 4 axis articulated robot, a 3 axis gantry robot, a conveyor line with J machine tools, and a Programmable Logic Controller(PLC) with an extension unit. But since then it was not possible to commission and to get the system in operation due to insufficient literature supplied with the system, incomplete wiring & connections, and other drawbacks. In this project work the individual items of the above mentioned cell has been put in operation, and the operations of the individual items have been integrated through the proper hardware connections and software development. The robots and the conveyor line have been programmed and interlocked through the Programmable Logic Controller and its extension units. The integrated system can demonstrate the principle of a roboti~ed flexible automation cell and it can be used for robotics and automation teaching and demonstration purposes.