Robot guidance pilot device for forging parts

As part of its process improvement program, SETFORGE would like to implement a robot guidance solution to optimize the placement of forged parts in the bins. At present, the parts are dropped from a considerable height into the bin. This step leads to collisions between the parts and to non-conformities resulting from these high impacts. The aim of the project is to implement a device for calculating an adjusted dropping height, based on the distribution of the parts at the time of dropping.

The complexity of the project lay in the radiation of the parts, which prevented any 3D measurement using conventional cameras. With this in mind, INNODURA integrated the INNOSCAN device, which generates a dense 3D point cloud of a scene based on LIDAR. Thanks to this 3D scan, our software tool calculates the height at which the parts should be deposited. As a first step, INNODURA has set up a height offset calculation, transmitted to the robot as a function of the deposit point. A new 3D scan is performed after each deposit operation, guaranteeing optimum precision. Communication between the robot and the system is ensured by a dedicated exchange table, and point clouds can be visualized and displayed in real time for precise tracking.