newtek nº 100 | 28 BIEMH Welcome

THE EXPERT’S VIEW Mobile machine tools

IK4·TEKNIKER is participating in the BIEMH

Science, Technology and knowledge

28BIEHM Welcome

“LASER CLADDING” Manufacturing parts by adding material

JUNE 2014 | nº 100

inTRodUcTion

Newtek has now reached its 100th edition and celebrations are set to take place at the Machine-Tool Biennial, an event held every two years at the BEC -Bilbao Exhibition Centre; this Biennial is a reference nationwide and the third most important trade fair in Europe in this area of expertise. What better scenario than this to celebrate this edition which is so special for the R&D centre.

IK4-TEKNIKER, faithful to its commitment towards industry and a knowledgeable expert of the machinetool sector, is participating in this event to showcase its latest developments in the sector. This edition is providing coverage on some of the innovations that IK4-TEKNIKER will be presenting at the trade fair.

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The eXPeRT’S View

C04 Mobile machine tools. Small solutions for big problems

inTeRView

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C06 Dragos Axinte.

IK4·TEKNIKER cooperates with Rolls·Royce UTC

C08 Workshop on 3D metrology in situ C09 ‘Laser cladding’: manufacturing parts by adding material

PRoJecTS

C10 IK4·TEKNIKER, faithful to its commitment towards Machine Tools

C12 Industrial robotics and the challenge posed by human-robot collaboration C14 Advanced metrology for machine tool

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The eXPeRT’S View

Josu Eguia

Mobile machine tools

sMall soluTIons for BIg proBlEMs The expert’s view: by Josu Eguia, IK4-TEKNIKER’s Researcher We are immersed in an increasingly globalised economy in which knowledge, equipment and products can travel more freely than at any other moment in history. In recent times, we have been witnessing the trend to relocate industries based on low added-value products and labourintensive manufacturing processes. So the manufacturing of a large quantity of goods has moved towards places with lower salary costs. However, in the processes and parts of great responsibility this trend is much slower, if not non-existent. The more consolidated economies can take advantage of this niche by specialising in the Advanced Manufacturing of high added-value, knowledgeintensive products.

A particular case of a part or product of this type are very large machined parts, for example, those needed in the driving force sectors like the shipbuilding industry, wind energy, large scientific facilities, etc. These parts combine great responsibility in service and challenging sizes.

During the manufacture, repair and maintenance of these large parts, huge machine tools adapted to the target parts are used. The Basque Country’s machine-tool manufacturers have clearly been specialising in the production of small series of large-sized machines.

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However, this approach poses considerable problems of many kinds. Large machines are complex in terms of their design and call for considerable investments during the manufacturing, assembly and commissioning processes. So technically and organisationally they pose a very complex challenge for any company.

What has become apparent in recent years is that on most occasions the geometry to be machined is not very large even though the part itself may be large. That is why the use of large machines is frequently not the best solution and entails considerable costs since their high operating costs have to be added to those of moving the parts from the place where they are used to the workshops. This transport can also be hazardous and slow, leading to prolonged downtimes.

What has been proposed for these cases is a change of model that seeks to end the dogma of “large machines around and for large parts” in favour of new, small-sized machine tools that can be transported to the location of the part in service and which can be freely positioned on the part. Once in place, they can perform the machining work with a quality equivalent to that of the large machines. These small, intelligent machines, which are taken to the part and are free to move around and work on it, are conventionally called mobile machines and are the basis of the fresh approach: “small machines on large parts”.

A path to be covered IK4-TEKNIKER has developed mobile machine solutions with parallel kinematics and with serial kinematics. Once fitted, these machines can automatically self-calibrate themselves to specify their position and orientation and get down to work on the part.

That way, very complex operations have been successfully carried out on large parts like aeronautical turbines, automotive dies, etc.

These mobile machines weigh just a few hundred kilos and can be taken to the application in a small van; that way, the whole process to repair the part is simplified. The solutions are reasonably precise and are competitive with respect to traditional systems in some specific applications. Their structures are optimized to achieve a high rigidity to weight ratio, are uniform in all directions within the working space, have low levels of vibrations and are chatter free. What is more, these machines have been fitted with the most advanced numerical controls without either performance or user experience being adversely affected, thus making them straightforward to use by operatives. So they offer part of the functionality of a conventional machine plus all the freedom, autonomy and mobile capability described.

We at IK4-TEKNIKER are endeavouring to offer and demonstrate comprehensive technological solutions, from the idea, the development of the process and going right up to the creation of the advanced equipment that offers industry a comprehensive solution.

Obviously, there are still technological aspects that remain unresolved in these models of machines; IK4-TEKNIKER is working on them to ensure that these new solutions can succeed in changing manufacturing methods and the type of machine produced and used.

The miniaturization of the machines needs to be improved without either exibility of use or the capacity to carry out complex operations being lost. Furthermore, these machines need to be provided with greater autonomy and intelligence through the use of information obtained from a whole host of sensors, thus allowing the locating and referencing of them with respect to the part, etc. With the advances anticipated, the machines could redo the part programmes automatically in order to adapt to the situations in which they have to work.

The processes and equipment developed need to go on being tried and tested in an industrial environment so that their long-term behaviour and economic impact on the company can be validated; these are two key indicators if the potential user industry is going to take up this new model of machine.

IK4-TEKNIKER is making significant progress in all these challenges, so in the short term it is going to be offering comprehensive solutions that can be transferred straight to industry.

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IK4-TEKNIKER cooperates with Rolls-Royce UTC Prof. Dragos Axinte, PhD, CEng, FIMechE, FCIRP Director - Rolls-Royce UTC in Manufacturing Technology University of Nottingham

Dragos Axinte

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inTeRView

The University of Nottingham and IK4-TEKNIKER have been collaborating within the framework of the MiRoR project on the development of a fairly small hexapod robot, capable of performing machining tasks on large parts. ____________ What are the advantages of this solution comparing to the ones available in the market?

Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) at University of Nottingham has been previously collaborating with IK4-TEKNIKER on developing the “first generation” Free-Leg-Hexapod to being use in repair of marine propulsion systems; when knew back then, in 2009 that the this type of configuration offers great ability to perform in-situ machining/inspections of large structures at very quick deployment times (<10%), significant reduced machine weight (<12%) while offering full 6-axis machining capabilities. No wonder that RollsRoyce and the UTC at Nottigham has filed a patent on this topic. From the assessment of these outstanding capabilities of this initial system, we span out the “second generation” system, Walking Free-Leg Hexapod that is being developed within the MiRoR FP7 project. This will not only have the 6-machining, portability and easy calibration capabilities but presents the ability to walk and position itself to the place of intervention. Imagine you want to make a complex machining operation into a hazardous envivironment (e.g. radioactive); the Walking Hexapod will guide itself to the place of intervention, calibrate the end-effector against the feature to be processes and perform 6-axis operations. No such system exist at the moment.

Rolls-Royce is already using a similar robot, what tasks for?

As mentioned above the performances of 1st generation system, Free-Leg-Hexapod, have been evaluated in conditions similar to in-situ repair of marine propulsion system.

The 2nd generation, Walking Hexapod, is envisaged to be respond to in-situ repair of nuclear facilities, hence its need to walk itself to the place of intervention.

In your opinion, what are other suitable applications?

With its unique abilities, the Walking Hexapod is the “perfect tool” to perform in-situ inspection/non-destructive testing/material removal or deposition processing on high-investment installations to prolong their operation lives while avoiding non-productive stoppages. Obvious applications are those related to power generation/ aerospace (airframes)/offshore/defense/construction industries. Anything installation that is big and expensive to dismantle for being repaired falls in the remit of our Walking Hexapod.

Is the MiRoR project the beginning of a change in the current trend of bigger and bigger machine-tools?

Indeed, we have observed that with the initial publications and media releases of the 1st generation system, Free-LegHexapod the machining/repair community has realized that there is another way to repair large installations. Now, with the development of Walking Hexapod under MiRoR FP7 we could observe that the community is picking up speed on this approach. Nevertheless, we feel that the MiRoR consortium has unique background knowledge and great opportunity to keep developing truly original solutions to keep us ahead.

What do you think it is the rol of research centres like IK4-TEKNIKER in the development of this kind of industrial robots?

It is curious to say this but visiting IK4-TEKNIKER I feel “at home” and working with its engineers/researchers gives me the feeling of technical maturity. It is something more than innovation; is about the certainty that an idea (generated within a group of enthusiastic researchers) can be put in practice. This is what makes IK4-TEKNIKER a unique partner to work with.

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News

Great success at the workshop on 3D metrology in situ In collaboration with LEICA and ASORCAD, IK4-TEKNIKER organised a technical workshop focused on 3D metrology in situ.

Production managers in sectors like construction, the aircraft industry or renewable energies, where precision is a crucial factor in cutting costs and minimising risks, had the chance to get to know the latest advances in precision metrology, including demonstrations, during the Metrology Seminar in situ scheduled that took place on 10 April at IK4-TEKNIKER. The seminar, organised in collaboration with the top companies in the sector ASORCAD and Leica, was focusing on new mobile technologies at the service of companies with products of a large size or difficult to transport.

The seminar explained the various processes for acquiring the information and handling that are used in verifications of this type in which the use of one measuring system or another is specified by precision, accessibility and the environment surrounding the part to be measured.

The content included explanations of state-of-the-art hardware like the AT901 and AT402 Laser Trackers as well as information on advanced software like the Metrolog X4 and Spatial Analyzer programs.

The seminar included a demonstration session plus the possibility of seeing, in action, a small unmanned helicopter drone that is starting to be used in large-dimensional metrology.

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NEWS

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Laser claddingâ&#x20AC;? manufacturing parts by adding material This is an additive manufacturing technology using a laser beam and the continual adding of metal material in the form of powder that solidifies immediately.

The machining of a metal part can be done in two ways: by removing or adding material until the part with the desired features has been shaped.

Laser cladding technology that IK4-TEKNIKER will be presenting at the Machine-Tool Biennial belongs to the second means.

It is an additive manufacturing system (by adding material) using a laser beam and the continual adding of metal material in the form of powder that solidifies immediately.

The system has long been used to repair large parts and to improve the mechanical and corrosion properties of metal components.

At IK4-TEKNIKER, structures using hot- and cold-working steels have been created with nickel, titanium and cobalt alloys on different metal bases; right now, work is being done on tungsten carbide composite cladding embedded in cobalt or nickel matrices.

These processes are not always installed in the same machine configuration.

Work is being done at IK4-TEKNIKER using a mobile head and fixed table on parts with a quasiprismatic geometry or dividing plate for turning parts. The system has a head that can be moved in certain directions but it has limitations when it comes to producing difficult geometries. That is why an inverted model with a fixed head and mobile table is being worked on.

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2012

IK4-TEKNIKER faithful to its commitment towards Machine Tools IK4-TEKNIKER has been participating for over two decades in the Machine-Tool Biennial, which is held every two years at the BEC -Bilbao Exhibition Centre.

In this latest issue of Newtek and on the occasion of the 28th edition of the fair being held in 2014, we would like to remind you of some of the stands in which we have participated at this top trade fair.

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PROJECTS

Industrial robotics and the challenge posed by human-robot collaboration The dual manipulator robot provides solutions that allow flexible automation in a range of applications

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THE RESEARCH LEADING TO THESE RESULTS HAS RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE [EUROPEAN UNION] SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME ([FP7-2012NMP-ICT-FOF (INFSO)] UNDER GRANT AGREEMENT N° [314355] X-ACT

Robotics The aim of IK4-TEKNIKER is to incorporate dual manipulator robots into industry by developing technologies like 3D perception, sensor integration (vision and force) or detection of humans. ____________

Industrial robotics has brought reliability, cost cutting and precision to production across a whole range of industries. Yet there are certain types of production that even today need human intervention in some of its phases due to its complexity or the high cost of automation.

Right now, cutting-edge technologies are gradually handling these tasks with increasingly capable robots. Nevertheless, the progressive complexity of production processes is posing a fresh challenge for developers of robots: human-robot interaction.

This is one of the main strengths of the dual manipulator robot that the Basque R&D centre IK4-TEKNIKER will be showcasing at the Machine Tool Biennial, due to be held at the BEC in Barakaldo (Basque Country) from 2 to 7 June.

The robot, equipped with two arms and a torso and which the centre will be presenting at the BIEMH-Machine Tool Biennial, addresses practical production demands and, what is more, provides solutions that allow flexible automation in a range of applications for sectors like aircraft and domestic appliances. At the trade fair the robot will be demonstrating the assembly and disassembly of a unit incorporated into a Redox battery.

The audience will be able to see how the robot is capable of collaborating with the operative, made possible by applications like the monitoring of its surroundings and capabilities for interacting and coordinating with personnel.

The other great sphere of interaction with humans is the safety issue. Bearing in mind that the robot is designed to work in a collaborative environment in which the technician and the robot will be sharing an open, barrier-free physical space, systems for perceiving the surroundings that will allow safe interaction between humans and robots need to be developed.

These capabilities are the result of technologies applied by the centre’s researchers; they include data analysis for detecting and segmenting purposes, particle filters for monitoring, the tracking of multiple targets, and sensors for correcting trajectories (Visual Servoing).

The robot offers high performance in terms of safety. Many of the technologies built into it have been developed for the European FLEXASS and X-ACT projects; these are geared towards developing advanced systems of cooperation within manufacturing and assembly facilities in Europe.

IK4-TEKNIKER’s participation in the two projects addresses the aim of incorporating dual manipulator robots into industry by developing technologies like 3D perception, sensor integration (vision and force) or detection of humans.

IK4-TEKNIKER’s Autonomous & Intelligent Systems Unit has broad experience in developing robotic systems, and is currently working on 5 European projects in the field of robotics. Furthermore, on behalf of the IK4 Alliance, it is a founder member of the Steering Committee of euRobotics aisbl, the body that advises the European Commission on robotics research.

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PRoJecTS

Advanced metrology for machine tool MT and cMM vErIfIcaTIon and voluMETrIc coMpEnsaTIon

The measuring system based in Laser Tracker and Laser Tracer is a high precision method that allows the spatial position and orientation of automated positioning systems of MTs or CMMs to be measured and corrected by using multiple distance readings alone. ____________ At the International Machine-tool Biennial, due to take place at the BEC in Barakaldo (Basque Country) from 2 to 7 June, IK4-TEKNIKER will be showcasing the advanced technology it uses in its Verification and Volumetric Compensation Service for industrial companies.

The Basque R&D centre’s metrology service is collaborating closely with large international companies which are a benchmark in the metrology sector, the German companies Zeiss and Etalon.

Both Machine Tools (MT) and Coordinate-Measuring Machines (CMM) inevitably display intrinsic deviations that are the result of the inaccurate manufacturing of the machine’s components, wear of the functional parts (play), error in reading of the scales, as well as elastic deformations of the structure, etc.

These geometric inaccuracies affect precision in the positioning and orientation of the machine and, as a result, the accuracy in the use of them. So it is very important to be able

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to measure and correct these geometric deviations in order to optimize the capacities (manufacturing, measuring) of systems of this type.

Innovative methods

Measuring techniques that allow the geometrical errors of the machine in the various axes to be independently characterised were used in the past. These methods not only prolong the machine’s verification times, they do not always adapt properly to current verification needs and are limited when it comes to determining the volumetric errors of the machines, mainly due to their dimensions.

The coordinating measuring machine and machine tool verification service by means of Laser Tracker and Laser Tracer based technologies is a high precision method that allows the spatial position and orientation of automated positioning systems of MTs or CMMs to be measured and corrected by using multiple distance readings alone.

A sequential or real-time verification can be carried out by combining the measuring of various pieces of measuring equipment.

This service, which is being offered by IK4-TEKNIKER, has come about to address the demand of market requirements, like large-sized parts, narrower manufacturing tolerances and higher-performance machines. It also addresses the current ISO 10360-2, ISO-230-2 standards.

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