Risk Management of Industrial Robot Systems

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Description
As industries advance and automation becomes more prevalent, it is vital that safety remains at the forefront of discussions. To support this, Risk Management standards have been developed and adopted for both North American and International markets. Additionally, technical documents

As industries advance and automation becomes more prevalent, it is vital that safety remains at the forefront of discussions. To support this, Risk Management standards have been developed and adopted for both North American and International markets. Additionally, technical documents have been published to streamline risk management processes. Part of these emerging technologies includes Collaborative robots, each with specific methods tailored to their capabilities. These standards offer guidance not only to end-users but also to Robot manufacturers, ensuring adherence to safety standards and providing methods for risk mitigation. The risk levels and categories are organized in a hierarchical structure, ranging from the most severe to negligible. Under these standards, the process involves identifying risks, mitigating them, validating the mitigation through verification, and solidifying the results. As technologies continue to evolve, it is essential for standards to evolve accordingly to ensure optimal safety levels when implemented correctly. Having effective risk management in place for all Industrial Robot Systems is paramount to reduce liability and protect both operators and assets. Detail key standards are that govern the realm of industrial robot systems for both north America and the rest if the world as well as highlight robot manufacturers adherence to the standards, response to safety, and how risk management can be applied.
Date Created
2024
Agent

Student-Focused Cobot Training Course

Description

A student-focused course was created that provides students with a fundamental knowledge of cobot use and capabilities. Students learn to use a Universal Robots UR3e cobot, first with an exisiting free online training simulator. After completing the online training, students

A student-focused course was created that provides students with a fundamental knowledge of cobot use and capabilities. Students learn to use a Universal Robots UR3e cobot, first with an exisiting free online training simulator. After completing the online training, students gain hands-on experience completing tasks with a cobot on a custom-built workstation. Two of these workstations were created. Two students trialed the program, and both reported enjoying the program and feeling significantly more confident in their cobot programming abilities.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent

Co-Bot Integration For High-Volume Manufacturing of Aerospace Components

Description

Over the years, American manufacturing has been offshored due to the competitive labor conditions in other countries. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of the international supply chain, highlighting the importance of reshoring manufacturing and industry. However, reshoring

Over the years, American manufacturing has been offshored due to the competitive labor conditions in other countries. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of the international supply chain, highlighting the importance of reshoring manufacturing and industry. However, reshoring alone cannot solve the underlying issues that caused offshoring in the first place, such as shortages of skilled labor and extensive regulation. To address these issues, the implementation and scaling of automation and Industry 4.0 technologies are necessary. The aerospace industry is a prime example of the need for skilled labor. Abiding by rigorous specifications and achieving the tight tolerances required by aerospace specifications is a highly specialized skill that requires experience and training. The shortage of skilled labor puts those working in aerospace at a disadvantage, often leading to long strenuous work hours to meet demand. To address this, a collaboration with two ASU manufacturing student research teams aided the development of two co-bot solutions that can work alongside technicians and operators to reduce downtime, increase efficiency, and free up human operators to focus on more complex tasks. While many automated solutions are available on the market, co-bots are not often used to their full capability. The proposed solutions demonstrate the possibilities of implementing co-bots in the aerospace industry by using them in machine tending and blending processes for aerospace parts. In traditional manufacturing processes, human operators are still responsible for performing repetitive and often mundane tasks, such as loading and removing workpieces from a CNC workstation and starting a CNC machine for repetitive parts. The current blending process requires a technician to manually sand damaged areas for Depot, Repair, and Overhaul (DRO), which is time-consuming and strenuous. By using a co-bot for this process, the technician's workload is significantly reduced, decreasing lead times and increasing quality control. Inspiration for this thesis came from observing the demands of companies like SpaceX, which require mass manufacturing of rocket engines to meet testing and launch schedules. The SpaceX Raptor engine is a complex, precise system that is aimed at being produced in high volume, which is a prime target for co-bot integration to help meet production targets. Implementing more co-bots into manufacturing has been shown to increase efficiency, reduce cost, and relieve stress on human operators. The integration of co-bots into the manufacturing process for the Raptor engine has the potential to improve efficiency and productivity, making high-volume manufacturing a possibility. Overall, the implementation of co-bots in the aerospace industry can offer a competitive advantage by increasing productivity and efficiency while reducing costs and relieving stress on human operators. This thesis provides proof of the possibilities of implementing co-bots in a versatile industry like aerospace and demonstrates the potential benefits of integrating co-bots into the manufacturing process for rocket engines like the Raptor. By doing so, the aerospace industry can move towards a more automated and efficient future, helping to address the challenges faced by American manufacturing today.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent

3D Printed Indirect Ophthalmoscopy Smart Device Adapter

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Description
Ophthalmoscopes are integral to diagnosing various eye conditions; however, they often come at a hefty cost and are not generally portable, limiting access. With the increase in the prevalence of smart devices and improvements to their imaging capabilities, these devices

Ophthalmoscopes are integral to diagnosing various eye conditions; however, they often come at a hefty cost and are not generally portable, limiting access. With the increase in the prevalence of smart devices and improvements to their imaging capabilities, these devices have the potential to benefit areas where specialized imaging infrastructure is not well established. Smart device cameras alone cannot replace an ophthalmoscope. However, with the addition of lens and optics, it becomes possible to take diagnostic quality images. The goal is to design a modular system that acts as an adapter to a smart device enabling any user to take retinal images and corneal images with little to no previous experience. The device should be cost-effective, reliable, and easy to use. The device is not meant to replace conventional funduscopes but acts in areas where current units fail. Applications in non-optimal settings, low resource areas, or areas that currently receive suboptimal care due to geographic or socioeconomic barriers are examples where this device could be used. The introduction of screening programs run by nonspecialized medical personnel with devices that can capture and transmit quality eye images minimizes the long-term complications of degenerative eye conditions.
Date Created
2022
Agent

The Growth of Chinese Power: A Need to Reshore American Manufacturing

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Description
The People’s Republic of China over the course of 40 years has developed from one of the world’s poorest countries, to one of the world’s richest. The early years of the PRC was marked with significant poverty caused by government

The People’s Republic of China over the course of 40 years has developed from one of the world’s poorest countries, to one of the world’s richest. The early years of the PRC was marked with significant poverty caused by government policies like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. However, in the late 1970s with Deng Xiaoping’s Open Door policy, China began its rapid transformation and economic growth. China’s economic development was greatly enhanced with the establishment of Special Economic Zones and industrial clusters. These zones coupled with China’s low-cost wages, made it ideal for international companies to invest and set up low-cost manufacturing production in China driven by global market competition and communication technologies. The results of China’s transformation made China into the world’s second largest economic power in terms of gross domestic product, and the world’s largest when adjusted to purchasing power parity. China also earned the moniker as the “World’s Factory” with China now accounting for the largest share of global manufacturing output. However, as China’s population urbanizes and wages become more expensive, several international companies have looked elsewhere for low-wage manufacturing threatening China’s manufacturing sector which employs over 128 million people. With the prospect of a potential slowdown in economic growth, the Chinese Communist Party initiated the Made-In-China 2025 program modernizing and advancing China’s manufacturing base with technologies in Industry 4.0. The MIC25 initiative is accelerated with China’s state-owned enterprises which often make their decisions based on government policy. The goal of MIC25 is for China to transition from a process innovating country into a product innovating one, becoming a leader in global technologies. The investment into human capital through education and especially foreign expertise is the primary driver of China’s prospects to lead the world in technological innovations related to Industry 4.0. MIC25 also has the prospect of legitimizing the CCP trough economic growth and development. Based on historical trends related to countries dominating the globe economically, industrially, and technologically seen in past industrial revolutions, China’s attempts to dominate the world in the fourth industrial revolution poses a great threat to the United States. China’s growing economic and technological advancements, and its dominant share of global manufacturing threaten the US’ position as the world’s foremost superpower. The US in turn should take accelerated steps to reshore American manufacturing to secure and maintain the US’ economic and technological lead and rebuild the American manufacturing base.
Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Pumping Technologies for Additive Manufacturing Processes Using Chocolate

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Description

Working with chocolate is a difficult endeavor. However, through the use of additive manufacturing technologies, the labor involved can be reduced. One difficulty is the pumping of the melted chocolate through the system onto the print bed of the printer.

Working with chocolate is a difficult endeavor. However, through the use of additive manufacturing technologies, the labor involved can be reduced. One difficulty is the pumping of the melted chocolate through the system onto the print bed of the printer. In this paper, three systems of transferring chocolate are investigated: A syringe system, a gear pump system, and an auger system. Each system is explained with a model of the proposed system and the pros and cons are discussed. Lastly, a system composed of parts of the syringe and auger system is proposed. The positive and negative aspects of this design are discussed, and a 3D model of the system is given as well. This system is suggested as a better option, and future research can be done to investigate and rate these systems in greater detail. In commercial food applications, these technologies can change the way chocolate is manipulated, and difficult practices can be simplified for home chefs.

Date Created
2021-05
Agent

Motion Simulators For Personal Use

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Description
Motion simulators are a common feature in everything from high end science museums to amusement parks, allowing a full ride experience on a small footprint and at a comparatively low cost relative to full size rides. The rapidly advancing field

Motion simulators are a common feature in everything from high end science museums to amusement parks, allowing a full ride experience on a small footprint and at a comparatively low cost relative to full size rides. The rapidly advancing field of virtual reality provides a potential increase in this desire for motion simulators, by combing virtual reality with motion simulation, total immersions can be created that is competitive with theme parks. While there exists a small number of commercially available consumer motion simulators, these tend to not have a wide enough range of motion to provide flexibility for use cases. This report is the documentation of an attempt to create a low cost consumer grade motion simulator prototype to determine to what extent an adequate motion simulation experience can be created in the home environment. This design made use of a two degree of freedom platform mounted on a universal joint as a trade off between flexibility of use and affordability of the end product. Ultimately, although the design and motor selection was sound, structural issues prevented the design from being capable of withstanding the necessary forces. However, as a prototype, important lessons were learned that could apply to a better-constructed second generation design. The results definitely show that motion simulators will, in the near future, become feasible for in-home amusement park recreation, at least for some amusement park rides.
Date Created
2018-05
Agent

Automated monitoring and control systems for an algae photobioreactor

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Description
There has been considerable advancement in the algae research field to move algae production for biofuels and bio-products forward to become commercially viable. However, there is one key element that humans cannot control, the natural externalities that impact production. An

There has been considerable advancement in the algae research field to move algae production for biofuels and bio-products forward to become commercially viable. However, there is one key element that humans cannot control, the natural externalities that impact production. An algae cultivation system is similar to agricultural crop farming practices. Algae are grown on an area of land for a certain time period with the aim of harvesting the biomass produced. One of the advantages of using algae biomass is that it can be used as a source of energy in the form of biofuels. Major advances in algae research and development practices have led to new knowledge about the remarkable potential of algae to serve as a sustainable source of biofuel. The challenge is to make the price of biofuels from algae cost-competitive with the price of petroleum-based fuels. The scope of this research was to design a concept for an automated system to control specific externalities and determine if integrating the system in an algae cultivation system could improve the algae biomass production process. This research required the installation and evaluation of an algae cultivation process, components selection and computer software programming for an automated system. The results from the automated system based on continuous real time monitored variables validated that the developed system contributes insights otherwise not detected from a manual measurement approach. The implications of this research may lead to technology that can be used as a base model to further improve algae cultivation systems.
Date Created
2014
Agent