U1-2785 Kew Drive Windsor, Ontario

Vision Guided Material Handling Robot Performs in the Toughest Conditions

ATSI Robotics was contacted by a foundry factory to develop a vision system that could pick from 4 different part types (all with different dimensions) in one cell and place them in another cell on a conveyor line. The parts had to be handled with the same robot end of arm tooling and control system software.

The challenge was that the vision system would be operating in a very noisy and dirty environment with limited space - being located right next to a shot-blast machine. Even worse, the factory was dimly lit so overcoming this proved to be especially difficult since lighting and optics are crucial for vision systems to work precisely. With old hardware and lack of control system Inputs and Outputs our system had to accommodate for a new process while utilizing limited hardware to the utmost of its capability.

We put in place advanced coding and multiplexed data to ascertain commands from the Siemens PLC to the Fanuc robot as well as vision offsets and all other process data. In order to ensure the robot was not reading the wrong data and could not be given an improper command all data received by the robot was validated and then controlled. If a command is valid the robot would accomplish it, if it is out of range or erroneous the robot would inform the PLC (industrial computer) of its error in command sequence, IE Command out of range and would only continue upon receipt of a valid command.

This structure proved to be the best method for flexible sequences and very complicated processes. The Custom Automated Solution was delivered on time and on budget and our client was very happy with the results.

vision system 2
What processes in your business can be performed using a vision guided robot?