Emerging developments in manufacturing from academia
About
Join us for this webinar covering Academic Topics in Manufacturing. This event is aimed at presenting emerging developments in Manufacturing and challenging attendees to think differently about opportunities for manufacturing within their areas of responsibility.
Hear an overview of academic developments in science and technology that could have an impact on Manufacturing in the future.
Speakers:
Professor Jörn Mehnen
Professor at the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) - University of Strathclyde
Dr. Daniela Sawyer
Senior Theme Lead for Automation at the University of Sheffield AMRC
Topic: Robotics and AI in Industrial Automation
Professor Robert Kay
Professor in Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Leeds
Topic: Autonomous Manufacturing of Robotic Systems
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Continuing Professional Development
This event can contribute towards your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours as part of the IET's CPD monitoring scheme.
21 Nov 2024
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Reasons to attend
CPD
Experts speaker
Insight to academic research
Programme
Professor Jörn Mehnen
Professor at the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) - University of Strathclyde
Dr. Daniela Sawyer
Senior Theme Lead for Automation at the University of Sheffield AMRC
Topic: Robotics and AI in Industrial Automation
Professor Robert Kay
Professor in Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Leeds
Topic: Autonomous Manufacturing of Robotic Systems
Abstract
Miniature robots integrate actuators, sensors, and microprocessors within compact, centimetre-scale structures, offering diverse applications in areas like infrastructure inspection and search and rescue when deployed in swarms. Traditionally, these robots are assembled manually with fasteners and wiring, which imposes design constraints and limits miniaturisation. This research presents a method for automated assembly of miniature robots using a single machine that combines multi-material 3D printing with various ancillary tools, such as grippers, clamps, and screw delivery systems, eliminating the need for operator intervention. By employing an intelligent tool-changing mechanism, the machine minimises its footprint while maintaining a 250 x 200 mm build area, enabling inactive tools to be efficiently stored when not in use. This setup allows complex assembly tasks through repositionable grippers and out-of-sequence manufacturing, demonstrated here in the production of a miniature pipe inspection robot with a precision of 0.2 mm.