Methods of Improving Ply Collation Time
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Date
2017-12-06
Authors
Rosas, Raphael Hurtado
Paraluch, Jackson
Qiu, Xiaran
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Abstract
Our team was tasked with designing a method to improve ply collation times at Boeing Canada Winnipeg. For this process, pre-impregnated composite sheets are nested and cut with a CNC gantry system on a cloth cutting table with a length of 15.6m. The plies are then manually collated, in a specific order, and placed on a cart. The scope of this project is to develop a method to improve the cycle time of the collation step of this process. To achieve this, the design process was divided into three phases: problem definition, concept generation and selection, and final concept development. During the problem definition phase, customer needs and target specifications were collected. The most crucial specifications included minimizing cycle time, minimizing the payback period for the initial investment, and maximizing employee safety. For the concept generation and selection phase of the project, several manual and automated concepts were evaluated and compared against each other through a set of weighted criteria that were decided upon by the team. The best manual concept and the best automated concept were then compared against each other through these criteria, as well as time analyses. As a result of this comparison, the final design is a fully automated solution consisting of three components: a robotic rail system, a 4-axis robotic arm, and an end effector that would use suction cups to grip the plies. For the third and final phase of this project, the main objectives were to select the equipment for the final design and to design the end effector. The 4-axis robot and the rail system were selected from external providers. The end-effector, in contrast, was designed to be built in house. Once the design and selection process were complete, the team performed a cost analysis to determine the benefits the new system would bring. The first step in the design of the end effector consisted of selecting appropriate suction cups, and a method to provide them with the suction power. In the final design, 130 suction cups are needed for the end effector, and the Schmalz SPB1 30 ED-65 G1/8-IG cups were...