Kitting performed by a collaborative robot with an anthropomorphic tool

Abstract: In the fields of automated manufacturing, flexibility has been a long struggle for companies. This factor is profoundly dependable on the demands of the customer in the form of high-quality products, variations, and low-prices, which has a high impact on the manufacturing industry. With the help of an anthropomorphic tool, the flexibility factor in, some extend, be the answer for companies working with robotic automation manufacturing. This thesis aims to investigate what kinds of objects that can be picked and placed, with the help of an anthropomorphic tool, mounted on a collaborative, UR3 robot—thereby evaluating the potential of what an anthropomorphic tool can and cannot pick. Also, investigate pick and place operation with different geometrical shape objects. The project consists of identifying objects that are being picked and placed on a tailormade kitting box located on a conveyor belt. With help from the next station regarding what kinds of objects that are being delivered, a kitting box was designed and created. Stands could then be created for the kitting box and the objects. This was performed with the help of the software Creo Parametric, which was then 3D-printed. A shelf was created to successfully pick objects from, and thereby placing objects into the kitting box. In the thesis, investigation regarding what kinds of objects the tool can pick was performed. This was conducted by picking the objects used for the thesis and everyday objects, such as duct tape, knife, and coffee cup. The experiment consisted of 15 different objects, were different grasping techniques were tested and how much force the tool used. The result of the station as a whole has successfully been created in Assar innovation arena. The an-thropomorphic tool proved to be a concept to conquer the flexibility struggle in the form of success-fully grasping and placing different objects that have different geometrical shapes and weights. With the help of a conveyor, the whole station can also work in reverse mode, by picking objects from the kit-ting box and placing them into the stands, assembled on a shelf.