The seamless integration of industrial robotic arms with server computers, sensors and actuators can revolutionise the way in which automated non-destructive testing (NDT) is performed and conceived. Achieving effective integration and realising the full potential of robotic systems
presents significant challenges, since robots, sensors and end-effector tools are often not necessarily designed to be put together and form a holistic system. This paper presents recent breakthroughs, opening up new scenarios for the inspection of product quality in advanced manufacturing.
Many years of research have brought to software platforms the ability to integrate external data acquisition instrumentation with industrial robots to improve the inspection speed, accuracy and repeatability of NDT. Robotic manipulators have typically been operated by predefined tool-paths
generated through offline path-planning software applications. Recent developments pave the way to data-driven autonomous robotic inspections, enabling real-time path planning and adaptive control. This paper presents a toolbox with highly efficient algorithms and software functions, developed
to be used through high-level programming language platforms (for example MATLAB, LabVIEW and Python) and/ or integrated within low-level language (for example C# and C++) applications. The use of the toolbox can speed up the development and the robust integration of new robotic NDT systems
with real-time adaptive capabilities and is compatible with all KUKA robots with six degrees of freedom (DOF), which are equipped with the Robot Sensor Interface (RSI) software add-on. The paper describes the architecture of the toolbox and shows two application examples, where performance
results are provided. The concepts described in the paper are aligned with the emerging Industry 4.0 paradigms and have wider applicability beyond NDT.
The growth of the automated welding sector and emerging technological requirements of Industry 4.0 have driven demand and research into intelligent sensor-enabled robotic systems. The higher production rates of automated welding have increased the need for fast, robotically deployed Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE), replacing current time-consuming manually deployed inspection. This paper presents the development and deployment of a novel multi-robot system for automated welding and in-process NDE. Full external positional control is achieved in real time allowing for on-the-fly motion correction, based on multi-sensory input. The inspection capabilities of the system are demonstrated at three different stages of the manufacturing process: after all welding passes are complete; between individual welding passes; and during live-arc welding deposition. The specific advantages and challenges of each approach are outlined, and the defect detection capability is demonstrated through inspection of artificially induced defects. The developed system offers an early defect detection opportunity compared to current inspection methods, drastically reducing the delay between defect formation and discovery. This approach would enable in-process weld repair, leading to higher production efficiency, reduced rework rates and lower production costs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.