Smart Factory Inspection System (SFIS)

Joe Bioty

President

Automated Precision Inc. (API)

April 5, 2017

Problem Statement

1. Replacement parts are becoming geometrically more complex due to new materials and manufacturing processes thereby making Non-Destructive Inspection a more challenging task.

2. Why haven’t Industrial Robots been used more to assist in Non-Destructive Inspection?

3. Why hasn’t past Non-Contact metrology instrumentation been more supportive to Non-Destructive Inspection?

Problem Statement

• Replacement parts for commercial and military maintainers are increasingly becoming more complex geometrically due to new processes for manufacturing. Methods to reverse engineer and measure the final product have become increasingly difficult for existing Non-Destructive Inspection techniques.

– New Manufacturing Materials & Processes:

• Composite Manufactured– Complex Assemblies from doors to honeycomb webbing

– More contouring and feature extraction designed into parts

– Suspect surface acceptability (delamination elevations)

– Multiple orientations of the parts are now required

• Additive Manufactured– Single process, final net shape

– Dimensional part accuracy vs layer geometry integrity

– Complex geometric parts now vs traditional machining

– Repairing parts vs make new

Dr. Dan Berrigan

USAF, displays an

embedded antenna on

an MQ-9 Reaper Drone

Problem Statement

• Up until now, OEM Industrial Robots have not been utilized for Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) Why?

And many more….

– Robots have not been human- friendly safe, capable of working in joint proximity to labor.

– Guards and other safety measures protecting the worker limited the functionality of robots to spot welding, painting, deburring, material handling and pick and place applications.

– Robots are repeatable but lack in accuracy.

– Robot performance vs OEM specifications have been suspect.

– Precision calibration techniques have been available from the OEM but must conform to the specific format of the multitude of OEM Controllers available.

Problem Statement

White Light/ Blue Light (GOM, Faro, Zeiss)

• Targets or Photogrammetry Needed

• Reflective Parts need spray

• Less Accurate on Feature Extraction

• More angles needed to extract features

• Less Flexible for larger parts

• Long setup time with photogrammetry

• Understanding of Photogrammetry needed for

quick discrete measurement

Line Scanning (Leica/Hexagon)

• Greater line of sight limitation due to dynamic

measurement requirement

• More angles needed on to extract features

• Less Flexible for larger parts

• Very difficult programming with limited

standoff

• Small Measurement area

• Minimum distance requirement

Why hasn’t Non-Contact metrology instrumentation been more supportive to Non-Destructive Inspection?

Technical Approach

A turn-key automated inspection solution that unifies the strengths of commercially

available metrology hardware and software, while improving the industrial robots

accuracies equating to unmatched precision in Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI)

Smart Factory Inspection System (SFIS)

Smart Factory Inspection System (SFIS)

Technical Approach

• System Configuration Overview (NDI):

Laser Tracker – maintains precision within the coordinate

frame working volume of the robot (X, Y, & Z position)

6 Degree of Freedom Sensor – provides the laser tracker

precision position within the coordinate frame working

volume (i, j, & k position)

3 D Non-Contact Area Scanner – (RapidScan)

3D point clouds of scanned material.

Robot / Controller- manipulator

Calibration Fixture

Inspection Table

API Workstation with Configuration Software

Commercially available Metrology Software

Robot

Calibration

Fixture

Granite Block

Part Laser Tracker

Robot Control

Work Station

RapidScan

Wall monitor

Precision Accuracies of better than 100µm

Technical Approach

• Industrial Robot Performance Improvements:

– Robot Performance Measurement (RPM) - In accordance to the ISO Standard 9283, API has developed a comprehensive suite of software to evaluate a robots actual performance against the robots original OEM published specifications.

– Volumetric Error Compensation (VEC)/DH Model This software creates a corrected reverse kinematic model of the robot, and can be used to compensate robot’s error either directly through the controller (OEM permitted), or through off-line path programming software. Accuracy improvements range from 10 – 14X.

– Process Path Enhancement (PPE) – This software is an off-line process path planning tool that programs the robot specifically to the application utilizing the corrected values from the Volumetric Compensation to improve the accuracy.

ALL 3 SOFTWARE MODULES PROVIDE PERFORMANCE, COMPENSATION & PROCESS PATH PLANNING FOR EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF ROBOTS IN PRECISION NDI APPLICATIONS

Technical Approach

• RapidScan – 3D Area Scanner stereo imaging

infra-red Random Dot Optical Pattern

Ultra High Dynamic Range sensor

Patented Variable Image Resolution - fine feature detection

Optical Stereo Image

Measuring Volume

420mmx420mm

Infrared Random Dot Optical

Pattern

( RDOP )

Variable Point Generation

depending on measurement

task

Ultra High Dynamic Range

Camera

20 ms frame acquisition rate

Variable Infrared

Grey Scale

2D Image overlay creates accurate

edge features

Shot taken by high resolution camera

Ultra High Dynamic Range

(UHDR) CMOS Sensor

Dynamic Range photos are those

taken at different levels of

exposure and meshed together

Dynamic range is the ratio of

brightest light and darkest shadow

Most HDR sensors’ range is 90 dB

RapidScan’s UHDR CMOS sensor

range is 140+ dB

This overcomes three main

challenges faced by high resolution

cameras

Eases of identification of target

under any light condition

Sensor offers clear images and

details even at intense light spots

Technical Approach

Smart Track System - 6 Degree of Freedom Tracking (STS)

Highly accurate dynamic tracking

of robot position and orientation

with API’s patented STS delivering

up to +/- 0.02mm linear and +/-

0.01° angular accuracies.

Close loop feedback and control to

robot position and orientation (X, Y,

Z, i, j & k) with real-time

compensation support.

Highly intricate and complex

robotic orientations can be

performed with this precision

system.

Overall Benefits

• SFIS becomes the next generation of Non Destructive Inspection tools for maintainers to apply and use in measuring the most complex 3D geometries (increase material readiness, reduced costs, increase reliability):

Intricate shapes, all materials (metals, plastics, composites), all surface finishes, large & small parts can be measured with high accuracy (

Technology Deployment

• 1st of 12 Systems: Tier 1 Global Automotive Supplier Installation (Mexico)

Technology Deployment

• Tier 1 Global OEM Aerospace Carbon Fiber Supplier (Europe)

Technology Deployment

• Tier 1 Aerospace Supplier (Current Project - Europe)

– 22 Carbon Fiber / aluminum Door Designs

Project Team Participants

• API is seeking to identify specific projects throughout the Depots that look to automate NDI and utilize the most recent technological advances for reverse engineering and verification of replacement parts.

Ideas;– special contoured parts that may be too time consuming to check dimensionally

– Additive manufactured repaired parts

– Multiple orientation parts that require detailed CMM measurement

Smart Factory Inspection System (SFIS)

Thank You

Questions?