Monotonous Jobs needing automated.

[elorenz]

Hey guys, i was unsure of what section to put this in but i got a question. im in college now( for mechanical engineering tech.) and have a class called automated manufacturing. One of our projects is to design a robotic arm that can do a job thats repeatative and dull to replace a human. One of the guys is doing an arm that lifts boxes off a conveyour belt and stacks them up, one guys making a automated can crusher, and another is making an arm that stacks up peices to a fuel cell in position to be screwed together.

i have no idea what to do. it doesnt have to be too fancy or anything just if you have a monotonous job that a robotic arm could do for you let me know or any ideas for something, i need ideas ASAP. ive been thinkin about this for a couple weeks now and im running out of time.

[ksc]

what features dod attachments do you have for your robot?? could be something as simple as threading a bolt into something

[TomB]

When I was in college, 50+ years ago, I had a summer job packing pipe fittings into boxes at a brass foundry. It was not the-run-of-the-mill 1/2, 3/4 or even 1" size stuff that needed manual labor, they were all done by machine. But the plant did not make a lot of some things, 4" 4-way tees, 3" barrel fittings etc. and they all needed to be boxed with 2, 4 or even 10 items per smallbox depending upon the size of the fitting and the production requirements. Then the small boxes were put into shipping cartons, with 6 to 10 small boxes per shipping carton. Although each run was small there was several part types made each day and it seemed like they made enough on each run so they would not run out for a year. I think there was enough odd ball part types so that some were made every day the plant was open, but different part numbers on each day.

I have no idea if the job is still a manual task and if it is its probably in China but it would be interesting to build a robot arm that could be manually guided through the step to do one box and then be left alone while it did the next hundred bozes. I can attest to the fact that it was a boring job and since they paid by piecework there was a lot of hustling for almost no money.

At that time, in that factory there were lots of jobs that were done by Sheltered Workshop level staff. Today you could probably make a small robot arm that did all the steps from shaking the fittings loose from the sand to cutting them from the casting tree, to machining the sweat seats, to testing for pinholes to boxing.

[elorenz]

what features dod attachments do you have for your robot?? could be something as simple as threading a bolt into something

i can use pretty much anything. I have to pick it all out. i have to look up types of grippers and what arms and elbows ill need. And yes it could be something as simple as threading a bolt...or the teacher would probably like it to thread a bolt pattern better. any suggestions as to applications that arent already bolted together by a machine?

[doorknob]

How about making sandwiches to order?

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

Or a beer can opener as opposed to a can crusher.LOL

Dick Z

[MILLMARK]

I've never gotten bored opening my own beer cans, though

[xero_xero]

Take a look online for youtube vids of parallel gripers. There is also a robot that palletize bags. Others that apply stick on labels. There are many jobs as simple as flipping a work piece to mill or engraving the opposite side.

[elorenz]

Well its a little late I already finished. It was for a class last semester but thanks fr the help.

[xero_xero]

thats a bit more than monotonous. well deserved.

[headsmess]

all over red rover but i had one that was good a few yrs ago...


carbide inserts for reciprocating "plunge" saws...

4 types of insert, roughly 2.5*5*5mm, two left hand, two right hand, with the clearance angles alternating...

sorting, setting em up the right way round, inserting...

or the other one was pretinning small wear pads, diamonds of 9*16mm... basically laying em on a rotary table while you sat there with a torch and rod.

with the...um....thing? the old guy made, when it worked, and with the right encouragement, id get 1000 an hour... you spent more time thumping and reloading the precise amount(half a cup), than actually tinning

a few magnets and a motor and two hours to make it, i coulda gotten 2.5-3k an hour easily... old guys are obstinant ******** when its something theyve made though... especially when it doesnt work.