Contemporary Materials II−1 (2011)

Contemporary Materials II−1 (2011) Page 5 of 12

DEVELOPMENT OF A FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTIVE ROBOTIC CELL FOR SMALL BATCH MANUFACTURING 

F. Vidal^*, M. Álvarez, R. González, I. Iglesias, R. Mouriño

AIMEN Technology Centre. Relva 27 A, Torneiros, 36410 Porriño, Pontevedra (Spain) 

Abstract
The de­ve­lop­ment of the ma­nu­fac­tu­ring pro­ces­ses is evol­ving in pa­ral­lel with the emer­gen­ce of new tec­hno­lo­gi­es. Un­til now, ro­bot tec­hno­logy has been very clo­sely lin­ked to the ma­nu­fac­tu­ring of lar­ge se­ri­es, com­monly lin­ked to Lar­ge En­ter­pri­ses (LE), due to the need for com­plex po­si­ti­o­ning to­ols and highly skil­led ro­bot ope­ra­tors.

The­se cir­cum­stan­ces re­sult in ex­tra costs if a chan­ge in the pro­duct to be pro­ces­sed oc­curs, which can not be as­su­med for small batches and thus pre­sents a tec­hno­lo­gi­cal and eco­no­mi­cal bar­ri­er to ro­bo­tics. To ena­ble ro­bo­tics to pe­ne­tra­te in this kind of de­man­ding mar­ket, a new ap­pro­ach is de­scri­bed that de­fi­nes a new con­cept of hyper-fle­xi­ble cell. 

Keywords: fle­xi­ble and adap­ti­ve ro­bo­tic cell, small-batch ma­nu­fac­tu­ring, ro­bo­tics tec­hno­logy.

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