OC Robotics delivers snake-arm to AMRC

Written by AM on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 09:54AM
Filed in: Aerospace
Comments: 2

OC Robotics has delivered a snake-arm robot to the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). The snake-arm will be used to deliver a variety of end effectors into confined spaces, and automate processes that are currently dangerous and time consuming to perform.

The Explorer-style robot has been installed at the AMRC in Sheffield, UK. Initial research will focus on the assembly of airframe components made from composite materials.

The flexibility and repeatability of the snake-arm robot will allow assembly tools to be delivered into aircraft components through small access holes, avoiding manual entry and enabling new assembly paradigms to increase production rate and decrease costs.

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  1. What type of end effectors will be delivered into the confined procedures? What type of assembly processes will it be trialling? What is the positional accuracy and repeatablity of the snake arm robot?

    Written on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 11:10hrs by Richard Millar

  2. @Richard: We have previously integrated a wide variety of end-effectors onto the ends of our snake-arms. Essentially, and within reason, you can put whatever you want on the end. Examples include: high quality vision systems, sealant tools, swage tools, grippers and cutting tools.
    The snake-arm robot delivered to the AMRC will be used for airframe assembly processes within an aircraft, such as inside the wings. To begin with the AMRC will be looking at using it for drilling in confined spaces.
    For a snake-arm like the one delivered to the AMRC the positional repeatability is on the millimetre scale. The motion resolution of the arm – the size of the increments that the arm can move in – is sub millimetre. We can play tunes with the design of the arm to increase or decrease these numbers.
    Thanks for your comment!

    Written on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 9:29hrs by Adam

 

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