Automatic calibration of a tool-changing unit for modular reconfigurable machines.
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Date
2011
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Abstract
Modern trends in customer demand have resulted in the development of a class of
manufacturing system known as Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS).
Reconfigurable systems are designed around the idea that they must be able to be
reconfigured in both their production capacity as well as in the machining processes they
perform. A subset of the RMS paradigm is a group of machines called Modular
Reconfigurable Machines (MRMs). Modular machines are built up from different hardware
modules. They offer the user the possibility of only purchasing the required tooling for the
specific need at the time. As reconfigurable machines are able to offer flexibility in
machining functions, their ability to have easy access to a variety of machine tools would
greatly influence their effectiveness and production capacity. This project presents a
machine tooling system that would provide MRMs with an efficient way to change tools.
A major requirement of the unit was that it should automatically calibrate itself in terms
of its position relative to the machine it was servicing. In order for the unit to realize this
requirement, it needed a method that would provide it with real-time 3D tracking of the
spindle with which it was interacting. Commercially available systems that offer this
facility are very costly. A popular gaming controller, the Nintendo Wii remote, was used to
provide the tool-changing unit with a very economical real-time 3D tracking capability.
This dissertation details the design, implementation and testing of the positioning system
for the tool-changing unit.
Description
Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.
Keywords
Calibration., Machining., Machine tools., Mechanical engineering., Theses--Mechanical engineering., Manufacturing processes--Automation.