Design and implementation of path planning for taping with an industrial robot arm

Sammanfattning: The study presented in this thesis is done at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore at the Robotics Research Centre. The robotic taping project is funded by Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A'STAR) where they have provided a part from a turbine engine, an inner liner, which needs to covered with heat resistant tape before plasma-spraying. The initial taping system is able to carry out simple taping tasks of smooth objects. The task is to investigate how taping methods vary on objects of different shape and how the current taping system can be improved in order to make it possible to tape more complex shaped objects such as the inner liner from A'STAR. The result of the study is a template which can be used to classify most objects into a certain category based on their geometrical shape. The template can also be used in order to decide which taping method is suitable for any classifiable object shape. An end effector is also designed which can compensate for inaccurate models and object deformations through a compliance spring combined with force feedback. The new end effector is also able to cut and reapply tape which is a necessary step for any taping task. The new taping system is capable of executing complex taping tasks. The implementation was tested on a cylindrical object as well as the inner liner part and simulations have been done for other shapes due to lack of physical taping objects to test on. The robotic taping has been compared to taping done by human workers and the advantages of robotic taping were easily observed both in terms of speed and taping quality.