0000000000529853
AUTHOR
Jonathan Riise
Assessing the accuracy of industrial robots through metrology for the enhancement of automated non-destructive testing
This work presents the study of the accuracy of an industrial robot KR5 arc HW, used to perform quality inspections of components with complex shapes. Metrology techniques such as laser tracking and large volume photogrammetry were deployed to quantify both pose and dynamic path accuracies of the robot in accordance with ISO 9283:1998. The overall positioning pose inaccuracy of the robot is found to be almost 1 mm and path inaccuracy at 100% of the robot rated velocity is 4.5 mm. The maximum pose orientation inaccuracy is found to be 14 degrees and the maximum path orientation inaccuracy is 5 degrees. Despite of the significant maximum inaccuracies, uncertainty of a robotic scanning applica…
Introducing a new method for efficient visualization of complex shape 3D ultrasonic phased-array C-scans
Automated robotic inspection systems allow the collection of large data volumes, compared to existing inspection systems. To maximize the throughput associated with the non-destructive evaluation phase, it is crucial that the reconstructed inspection data sets are generated and examined rapidly without a loss of detail. Data analysis often becomes the bottleneck of automated inspections. Therefore, new data visualization tools, suitable to screen the NDT information obtained through robotic systems, are urgently required. This paper presents a new approach, for the generation of three-dimensional ultrasonic C-scans of large and complex parts, suitable for application to high data throughput…
Robotic path planning for non-destructive testing through RoboNDT
The requirement to increase inspection speeds for non-destructive testing (NDT) is common to many manufacturers. The prevalence of complex curved surfaces in modern products provides motivation for the use of 6 axis robots in these inspections. The techniques and issues associated with conventional manual inspection techniques and automated systems for the inspection of large complex surfaces were reviewed. This paper presents a new MATLAB based software solution (RoboNDT), aiming to fulfil the requirements of robotized NDT inspection. RoboNDT enables flexible trajectory path planning to be accomplished for the inspection of complex curved surfaces. This newly developed software is capable …
Adapting robot paths for automated NDT of complex structures using ultrasonic alignment
Automated inspection systems using industrial robots have been available for several years. The IntACom robot inspection system was developed at TWI Wales and utilizes phased array ultrasonic probes to inspect complex geometries, in particular aerospace composite components. To increase inspection speed and accuracy, off-line path planning is employed to define a series of robotic movements following the surface of a component. To minimize influences of refraction at the component interface and effects of anisotropy, the ultrasonic probe must be kept perpendicular to the surface throughout the inspection. Deviations between the actual component and computer model used for path-planning resu…
Conformable eddy current array delivery
The external surface of stainless steel containers used for the interim storage of nuclear material may be subject to Atmospherically Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking (AISCC). The inspection of such containers poses a significant challenge due to the large quantities involved; therefore, automating the inspection process is of considerable interest. This paper reports upon a proof-of-concept project concerning the automated NDT of a set of test containers containing artificially generated AISCCs. An Eddy current array probe with a conformable padded surface from Eddyfi was used as the NDT sensor and end effector on a KUKA KR5 arc HW robot. A kinematically valid cylindrical raster scan path…
Index-based triangulation method for efficient generation of large three-dimensional ultrasonic C-scans
The demand for high-speed ultrasonic scanning of large and complex components is driven by a desire to reduce production bottlenecks during the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of critical parts. Emerging systems (including robotic inspection) allow for the collection of large volumes of data in short time spans, compared to existing inspection systems. To maximise throughput, it is crucial that the reconstructed inspection datasets are generated and evaluated rapidly without loss of detail. This requires new data visualisation and analysis tools capable of mapping complex geometries while guaranteeing full coverage. This paper presents an entirely new approach for the visualisation of thre…