Enhancement of agility in small-lot production environment using 3D printer, industrial robot and machine vision

For the diversification and individuality of customers' requirements, the multi-specification and small batch production is becoming the primary production model. More new technologies are adopted to enhance the intelligence and flexibility in traditional manufacturing environment. However, in compatibility between hardware and software architectures from different vendors, as well as high integration costs, hinder the application of such new technology. A flexible production line prototype is presented with the integration of 3D printer, industrial robot and machine vision. Firstly, a low-cost and open-source 3D printer was fabricated based on the fused deposition modeling technique. Meanwhile, a grasper was designed to automatically remove the printed part from the positioning platform. Secondly, an industrial robot picked the printed part and placed it into the storing box under the guidance of a machine vision camera. The whole system control depended on a programmable logic controller. Finally, an experiment was conducted to verify that this intelligent solution could enable highly flexible work cells and innovative manufacturing processes. © 2016, UK Simulation Society. All rights reserved.