SENSOR‐GUIDED ASSEMBLY

Sensors considerably increase the new applications of industrial robots. Assembly utilizations exist in the fields of part loading, the supervision of the gripping and part mating process, and tolerance compensation as well as the testing and checking of the assembly job. A couple of years ago sensor applications in assembly with industrial robots existed only in research laboratories and development institutions. Nowadays, industry cannot refuse to use them. Improvements on sensorics such as faster data processing and lower costs, as well as higher accuracies in measuring and a more favourable rate to price and efficiency, allow sensor guided robots in assembly with technical and economical significance. Assembly systems with industrial robots demand high flexibility, process supervision and control to increase output quality, and require manifold sensor utilizations.