Optimizing Multi-Robot Placements for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

Prahar M. Bhatt, Andrzej Nycz, Satyandra K. Gupta

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Wire arc additive manufacturing is a metal additive manufacturing process in which the material is deposited using arc welding technology. It is gaining popularity due to high material deposition rates and faster build time. It is en-abled using robotic manipulators and can build relatively large-scale parts faster when compared with other metal additive manufacturing processes. However, the size of the large-scale parts is limited by the size of the industrial manipulator being used for the process. This limitation is overcome by using a fixed configuration multi-robot cell in which manipulators work cooperatively to build large-scale parts quickly. A fixed multi-robot cell with closely spaced industrial manipulators has high flexibility, but it restricts the part size that can be built. If the manipulators are spread out, the cell loses its flexibility but can build relatively larger parts. This issue can be avoided by using larger size manipulators, which are expensive, or by moving the modest size manipulators based on the part geometries. This paper presents a novel algorithm to generate multi-robot placements for different part geometries to be built using wire arc additive manufacturing. Furthermore, the algorithm hierarchically optimizes the build time and the inverse kinematics consistency in robot paths to improve the process efficiency and part quality. We compare the results with fixed multi-robot cells and provide insights to users to make an informed decision on whether to use a fixed or a flexible multi-robot cell for wire arc additive manufacturing.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2022 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2022
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages7942-7948
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9781728196817
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Event39th IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2022 - Philadelphia, United States
Duration: May 23 2022May 27 2022

Publication series

NameProceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
ISSN (Print)1050-4729

Conference

Conference39th IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2022
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPhiladelphia
Period05/23/2205/27/22

Funding

Acknowledgements: This work is supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant #1925084 and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Advanced Manufacturing, under contract number DE-AC05-00OR22725. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of sponsors.

FundersFunder number
National Science Foundation1925084
U.S. Department of Energy
Advanced Manufacturing OfficeDE-AC05-00OR22725
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

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