Development of Smart Casting System

Robots have been used for more than half a century. If the computer visions are integrated with the robots, the functions improve considerably for the detection of color, shape, and position and the inspection of the defects of parts. However, these applications are used for solid objects, and the research on liquid objects is scarce. Moreover, computer vision is not enough for developing an automated manufacturing system. Thus, we developed an automated casting system using robotic arms, computer vision, and weight sensors. The developed system consisted of a six-axis robotic arm, an electric gripper, computer vision modules, weight sensors and others. The control console and the human-machine-interface (HMI) of the system were operated with LabVIEW. The operation of the system starts with inputting the required conditions and collecting the weight of the cylinder measured by the sensors. The position of the casting mold was detected by computer vision modules. Then, the robotic arm moved for casting. In casting, the information on the weight was fed from the sensors to keep the casting system stable. The developed system can be applied to the manufacturing industry.