Maximizing Robot Production Rates for Simple Insertion Operations

Abstract

In the application of a robot to any process requiring component insertions, one must consider the ability of the robot to attain consistent part insertions given its inherent variability and the dimensional tolerances of the mating components. For some combinations of robot repeatability and component tolerances, failure at insertion is expected to occur with frequencies that can be determined analytically. Given this condition, it is important to be able to determine the point at which the robot should cease attempting to insert a particular component or set of components, given a prior sequence of failed attempts. In this paper the structure of the problem is analyzed and formulas for determining stopping rules are derived. We focus on the case of chamferless insertions, where there are no lead-ins to assist in centering the part.