Friday, April 06, 2007

The NACHI Robot. Unfashionable? Think again

Done by Thulasy Suppiah U037823N
In this Video, an apt example of how the NACHI robots work in a sealing process is shown. Towards the end, the video will show a pretty cool clip of how two NACHI robots cooperate to perform the sealing procedure. One robot holds up the object, manipulating it seamlessly by rolling and pitching it at all kinds of angles so that the other NACHI can apply the sealant. The NACHI may not look as fashionable as some of the robots shown in other posts, or do cool things like surgery and dance to tunes... BUT having been in Engineering for 4 years now and knowing how difficult coding and programming can be, I could not help but marvel at how these instruments behave so naturally and precisely..all of it owing to some really cool programming/coding. Awesome stuff really. The sealing process is essentially a process of applying a form of air-tight, fluid-tight sealant or bonding chemicals to, say, a glass window so that it will adhere to an automobile's frame. All of this of course will be carried out in the assembly line as the frame progresses from one stage of production to another. If the process were to be carried out by humans, time would be an expensive consequence. Owing to the fact that human error can never be eliminated even in the best of conditions, a lot of residue (sealant, chemicals) may also result. Automating the process will eliminate resource wastage as well reduce the assembly time by a huge amount. This is why robotic systems are favoured so that the sealing process can be streamlined and perfect the application quality everytime the process is carried out.

The NACHI is an example of an industrial robot that can be deployed in sealing procedures. It is a typical six-axis robot, like most industrial robots, and has up to six-degress of freedom in terms of movement. These movements are possible because the robot has six independent joints in addition to cylindrical pistons that act as springs, thus enabling it to counter balance against gravity. This means the robot is able to lift heavy loads. The robot is also able to manipulate and place loads in any location in 3D-space(x-, y- and z- coordinates) as well as orient it in a specific fashion (roll, yaw, pitch for example).

References: [1] http://www.industrial-robots.com/sealing.htm

[2] http://www.learnaboutrobots.com/industrial.htm

[3] http://youtube.com/watch?v=G3vRAxN5Ah0

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whoah! After watching the clip, I must say that the NACHI is really impressive. Wonderful control! To be able to maintain the thickness of the semi-liquid sealent throughout long straight lines, sharp edges and round corners is simple awesome!

Hats off to the control engineers! Though I think it may cost a bomb, but it would really be a great help in the manufacturing line.

Ng Zhihong
U036095H

Industry said...

It does indeed cost a bomb :P. However, these robots last for years and can e reprogrammed i believe for minute modifications to assembly procedures. So looking at it from a broad perspective, it would be a pretty good investment. ;)

cheers
Thulasy

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