1,721,042 research outputs found
Special Issue on Remote Micro- and Nano-Manufacturing Science, Engineering, and Education
No full textWe are living through challenging times. A global pandemic
has forced us to adapt to new ways of living, working, relating,
teaching, and conducting research. Our micro-manufacturing
community is presented with unique challenges during this crisis
since the majority of our research relies heavily on experiments
conducted in the labs and access to research infrastructure has
been severely limited and in-person lab work has been curtailed or
stopped altogether for a significant period. Similarly, in manufacturing education due to health concerns, most of the in-person
classes have transferred to a remote mode of teaching that very
few of us had previous experience with.
The extended duration of the undergoing emergency has transformed some of the approaches that were initially thought of as
quick workarounds and temporary solutions into more durable
methodologies for manufacturing research and education that are
here to stay (possibly in somewhat modified form) in the upcoming years even when the health crisis will pass.
The micro-manufacturing community has been active during
this fraught period in looking for new solutions to challenging
manufacturing issues. Due to limitations to in-person experimental science, many of the research approaches rely more heavily on
theoretical methodologies and simulation of manufacturing procedures. At the same time, challenges of remote operations, automation, optical recognition, implementation of artificial intelligence
in manufacturing processes were required in many cases to continue experimental work. These emerging tools, equipment, and
methods will advance our science and will continue to exist side
by side with more traditional approaches to achieve superior
results in micro- and nano-manufacturing.
This Special Issue of the ASME Journal of Micro- and NanoManufacturing is devoted to Remote Micro- and NanoManufacturing Science, Engineering, and Education. The special
issue contains a representative collection of research works on a
wide range of subjects covering areas from biomedical applications and surface functionalization to hybrid process chains and
the use of artificial intelligence techniques. Opinion pieces are
included as well, and they present reflections on the effects of the
pandemic on the micro-manufacturing research and education in
the USA and on the shift from “in-person” to “online” instruction
mode of project-based teaching of manufacturing.
The Guest Editors would like to thank the Authors for their
prompt efforts in preparing their papers, as well as all the
Reviewers for their assistance. We also thank the ASME Journal
of Micro- and Nano-Manufacturing Editor, the Editorial Office,
and the ASME Production Team.
We hope that our readers will find the subjects and topics discussed in this collection to be useful and thought-provoking
Representation of 3D motion by projective angles
No full textThe paper describes a new laser device conceived for surface scanning and more specifically for mini robot calibrations. The system is based on a laser triangulation sensor which is moved by an extremely accurate device to collect a set of 3D points lying on surfaces. If the surfaces belong to the gripper of a robot that must be calibrated and a sufficient number of points of this gripper are collected, the pose of the robot can be measured. If the robot is moved to several different configurations and the gripper poses are measured for each of them, it is possible to reconstruct the kinematics of the robot and calibrate it. The paper presents the theory and describes the design, tests and calibration of the laser instrumentation with a focus on the first experimental results. These results are obtained in a working cell including a vision system, a 4-dof (xyz,) mini robot and a 2-dof rotating platform
A Vacuum manipulation device and a method for manipulating a components by means of a vacuum
Full text linkA vacuum manipulation device (1 ) comprising a tube (2) in communication with a vacuum generating system for gripping a component by suction at a gripper nozzle (3) of the tube itself and a mechanical release system (8) inserted at least partially inside the tube (2). The mechanical release system (8) is movable between a release position, in which a release portion thereof projects externally from the gripper nozzle (3), and a gripping position, in which the release portion (10a) returns into the tube (2). The mechanical release system (8) comprises a transverse extension (9) made up of a perforated disk and a needle (10) solidly joined to the perforated disk and having a diameter that is smaller than the internal diameter of the tube (2). The needle (10) is inserted at least partially inside the tube (2) and comprises the release portion
DISPOSITIVO DI MANIPOLAZIONE E METODO PER MANIPOLARE A VUOTO UN COMPONENTE
No full textUn dispositivo di manipolazione a vuoto (1) comprende una cannula (2) in
comunicazione con un sistema di generazione del vuoto per la presa
mediante aspirazione di un componente in corrispondenza di un ugello di
presa (3) della cannula stessa ed un sistema meccanico di rilascio (8)
inserito almeno parzialmente all’interno della cannula 5 (2). Il sistema
meccanico di rilascio (8) è mobile fra una posizione di rilascio in cui una
sua porzione di rilascio sporge esternamente dall’ugello di presa (3) ed
una posizione di presa in cui la porzione di rilascio (10a) rientra nella
cannula (2). Il sistema meccanico di rilascio (8) comprende un'estensione
10 trasversale (9) realizzata mediante un disco forato ed un ago (10) solidale
al disco forato e avente diametro inferiore al diametro interno della
cannula (2). L’ago (10) è inserito almeno parzialmente all’interno della
cannula (2) e comprende la porzione di rilascio
A practical algorithm for smooth interpolation between different angular positions
Full text linkThis paper proposes a new methodology for the interpolation of a given set of 3D rotation poses that have to be reached in successive times by preserving continuity in orientation, angular velocity and angular acceleration. The discussed algorithm ensures the generation of smooth angular trajectories without singularities. The distinctive features of the proposed approach are the straightforward formulation, the reduced computational burden and the lack of iterative procedures. The presented methodology has applications in the generation of spatial motion of mechanical systems (e.g. robotics, flying devices) or in 3D computer graphics. After a theoretical introduction, the proposed algorithm is compared with other methods available in literature and some possible applications are presented
A mini work-cell for handling and assembling microcomponents
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper was the design, development, and test of a flexible and reconfigurable experimental setup for the automatic
manipulation of microcomponents, enhanced by an accurately developed vision-based control.
Design/methodology/approach – To achieve a flexible and reconfigurable system, an experimental setup based on 4 degrees of freedom robot and
a two-camera vision system was designed. Vision-based strategies were adopted to suitably support the motion system in easily performing precise
manipulation operations. A portable and flexible program, incorporating the machine vision module and the control module of the task operation, was
developed. Non-conventional calibration strategies were also conceived for the complete calibration of the work-cell. The developed setup was tested
and exploited in the execution of repetitive tests of the grasping and releasing of microcomponents, testing also different grasping and releasing
strategies.
Findings – The system showed its ability in automatically manipulating microcomponents with two different types of vacuum grippers. The performed
tests evaluated the success and precision of the part grasping and release, which is a crucial aspect of micromanipulation. The results confirm reliability
in grasping and that the release is precluded by adhesive effects. Thus, different strategies were adopted to improve the efficiency in the release of
stuck components without negatively affecting the accuracy nor the repeatability of the positioning.
Originality/value – This work provided a flexible and reconfigurable architecture devoted to the automatic manipulation of microcomponents,
methodologies for the characterization of different vacuum microgrippers, and quantitative information about their performance, to date missing in
literature
Human–Robot Collaboration in Smart Manufacturing: Robot Reactive Behavior Intelligence
No full textTo enable safe and effective human-robot collaboration (HRC) in smart manufacturing, seamless integration of sensing, cognition, and prediction into the robot controller is critical for real-time awareness, response, and communication inside a heterogeneous environment (robots, humans, and equipment). The specific research objective is to provide the robot Proactive Adaptive Collaboration Intelligence (PACI) and switching logic within its control architecture in order to give the robot the ability to optimally and dynamically adapt its motions, given a priori knowledge and predefined execution plans for its assigned tasks. The challenge lies in augmenting the robot's decision-making process to have greater situation awareness and to yield smart robot behaviors/reactions when subject to different levels of human-robot interaction, while maintaining safety and production efficiency. Robot reactive behaviors were achieved via cost function-based switching logic activating the best suited high-level controller. The PACI's underlying segmentation and switching logic framework is demonstrated to yield a high degree of modularity and flexibility. The performance of the developed control structure subjected to different levels of human-robot interactions was validated in a simulated environment. Open-loop commands were sent to the physical e.DO robot to demonstrate how the proposed framework would behave in a real application
Replication capability of micro injection moulding process for polymeric parts manufacturing
No full textMicro injection moulding process represents a key technology for realizing micro components and micro devices used in several fields: IT components, biomedical and medical products, automotive industry, telecommunication area and aerospace. The development of new micro parts is highly dependent on manufacturing systems that can reliably and economically produce micro components in large quantities. In this work, the authors investigate the process parameters on the overall quality of a miniaturised dog-bone-shaped specimen in order to determine the process constraints. The factors affecting parts aspects and mass are studied by experimentation designed using DoE methodology and then discussed. Two polymer materials (polyoxymethylene and liquid crystal polymer), particularly suitable for injection moulding applications due to their flowability and stability, are tested and evaluated in relation to the process replication capability. It has been found that the holding pressure and holding time for POM and holding pressure and injection velocity for LCP have the highest influence on achieving high part mass. Differently, melt temperature has the highest influence on minimising the process variability for both tested polymers. A further investigation has been carried out on the relationship between the holding pressure and the part mass and dimensions demonstrating the existence of a linear correlation between specimens mass and dimensions
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