A Low-Cost Automated Fastener Painting Method Based on Machine Vision

Zhao, Ran; Drouot, Adrien; Griffin, Joseph; Crossley, Richard; Ratchev, Svetan

Abstract

Fastener painting of aerospace structures, in particular legacy products , relies heavily on the skill or rather craftsmanship of the human operator. This process is time-consuming while automated operations with industrial robots can be a more efficient solution. Spray painting robots have been widely used in industry, however, they are not suitable for painting fasteners individually because it will cause a significant waste of materials. Thus, it is essential to develop proper tools and automated methods to replace manual work in order to reduce the cost and improve product quality. This research topic has been receiving more and more attention from both academia and industry. In this article, we present a low-cost and flexible solution for automated fastener painting using a painting dabber and machine vision. A specific nozzle for the dabber is designed to apply paint on fasteners. The system locates the fasteners on aerospace structures with a Cognex camera, then painting is done by the robot with off-line programming. Experimental results show the effectiveness and practicality of automated painting system developed in this paper.

Citation

Zhao, R., Drouot, A., Griffin, J., Crossley, R., & Ratchev, S. (2019). A Low-Cost Automated Fastener Painting Method Based on Machine Vision. In S. Ratchev (Ed.), Precision Assembly in the Digital Age: 8th IFIP WG 5.5 International Precision Assembly Seminar, IPAS 2018, Chamonix, France, January 14—16, 2018, Revised Selected Papers (92-100). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05931-6_9

• Conference Name: 8th IFIP WG 5.5 International Precision Assembly Seminar, IPAS 2018
• Conference Location: Chamonix, France
• Start Date: Jan 14, 2018
• End Date: Feb 16, 2018
• Acceptance Date: Oct 9, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Dec 31, 2018
• Publication Date: Dec 31, 2019
• Deposit Date: Feb 11, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 1, 2020
• Publisher: Springer
• Volume: 530
• Pages: 92-100
• Series Title: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
• Series Number: 530
• Series ISSN: 1868-422X
• Book Title: Precision Assembly in the Digital Age: 8th IFIP WG 5.5 International Precision Assembly Seminar, IPAS 2018, Chamonix, France, January 14—16, 2018, Revised Selected Papers
• ISBN: 9783030059309
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05931-6_9
• Keywords: Low-cost; Automated Fastener Painting; Machine Vision
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1534847
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-05931-6_9
• Additional Information: Conference Acronym: IPAS; Conference Name: International Precision Assembly Seminar; Conference City: Chamonix; Conference Country: France; Conference Year: 2018; Conference Start Date: 14 January 2018; Conference End Date: 16 January 2018; Conference Number: 8; Conference ID: ipas-ifip2018; Conference URL: http://www.ipas-seminar.com/