Maintenance and Economic Justification of a Pick and Place Scara Robot

Abstract

Pick and place robots are widely used in industry. The use and maintenance of these robots require an understanding of robot kinematics, microprocessor control, and the economic aspects of getting a return on the investment made while incorporating automation in industry. This project looks at all the above aspects of industrial automation. The objectives are to become familiar with the basics of how a simple robot works, using a “learn by doing” process. A robot is designed with a CAD software, and 3d printed in house. Arduino controlled stepper motors are added to the 3d printed structure. The demonstration 2 link scara robot serves as the focal point for the other phases of the project - that of modeling and simulating pick and place operations with Matlab/Simulink employing a discrete event system modeling approach. The critical “return on investment calculation” for such robots is carried out by designing a relational database where cash flow and return of investment graphs are generated.

Jesse Fortin, Joseph Dinsmore, Brendon Kelleher, Jordin Parker, and Colestein Pluviose | Engineering Technology | Faculty Sponsor Soumitra Basu