French manufacturing companies operate in a constantly evolving economic sector. To better respond to customer expectations and market pressures, they need to be innovative and ready to invest in plant modernization. However, it is not always possible to make major investments in research and development, particularly for SMEs. With this in mind, technological research institutes were launched in 2012 to help improve the competitiveness of France's strategic industrial sectors. One of them, Jules Verne Institute for Technological Research (IRT)was set up in Nantes.
The IRT Jules Verne is a shared industrial research center working with numerous French industrial partners. The work carried out by the IRT Jules Verne, the only Technological Research Institute dedicated to the manufacturing IRT Jules Verne's research projects in France are in the field of industrial research, with the aim of accelerating innovation and transferring technology to factories. While proposing technological breakthroughs in manufacturing processes, the IRT Jules Verne uses a collaborative approach to meet the market challenges of industrial sectors.
Performance study - parallel cable robot
The IRT Jules Verne recently developed a new robot, belonging to the category of parallel cable robots (RPC). These are robots that move their end effector/work tool via 4 to 8 cables, connected to a fixed support. A relatively rare technology outside research laboratories, their use in an industrial context has yet to be demonstrated. To demonstrate this, a team of IRT researchers had to put the prototype to the test.
Unlike the traditional off-the-shelf robot, it was impossible for the researchers to consult the technical specifications for repeatability. This type of information had to be determined through experimentation and in-depth study of the robot's performance. The IRT team therefore set out to find a reliable measurement tool that would enable them to accurately measure the robot's behavior and estimate its absolute precision, repeatability and drift over time.
The need for flexibility and precision
In order to bring this project to a satisfactory conclusion, the researchers needed to find a metrological solution offering superior flexibility, accuracy and efficiency. Since the tests were to take place in the IRT's technology hall, simplicity and cost were also important considerations.
Tests were first carried out with a high-end virtual reality system, but since the device was not specifically designed for this type of use, it was unable to provide a sufficiently valid measurement to be used as ground truth. Other avenues were also explored, such as the use of a laser tracker system. Although the measurement speed and accuracy were adequate, the cost and complexity of use were not compatible with this research project.
In search of the ideal solution
IRT researchers finally decided on the C-Track from Creaform for its sub-millimeter measurement accuracy and affordable cost. With a measurement frequency of up to 6,600 3D points per second and a volume measurement range from 9.1 to 16.6 m3This technology proved to be the ideal solution for this project. What's more, the ability to move the C-Track without having to recalibrate everything was a definite advantage. Creaform's product enabled the researchers to obtain ground truth and measure the position of the robot's end effector throughout its working volume.
Nicolò PedemonteRobotics R& D Engineer at IRT Jules Verne, says the whole team is very satisfied with these initial experimental validation results, and with the use of C-Track as a whole. "Although it's difficult to define precisely the savings we've been able to achieve, it's worth pointing out that we can estimate the time saved at 50%", he asserts, before adding that "if we had used another measurement system, the cost in time and money would have been prohibitive".
About IRT Jules Verne
The Institut de Recherche Technologique Jules Verne is a shared industrial research center dedicated to advanced production technologies. Focused on the needs of strategic industrial sectors - aeronautics, automotive, energy and naval - its team carries out research in collaborative mode, joining forces with the best industrial and academic resources in the field. manufacturing. Together, they are working to develop innovative technologies that will be deployed in factories in the short and medium term, focusing on five major themes: Forming and Preforming Processes | Assembly and Welding Technologies | Additive Manufacturing Processes | Mobility in the Industrial Space | Production Flexibility. IRT Jules Verne draws on a range of exclusive facilities to offer comprehensive solutions, right up to full-scale demonstrators.