A robot-based inspecting system for 3D measurement

Zero Defect Manufacturing aims to minimize the number of defects within a process through proper measurement and control that make possible defect prediction and prevention. This procedure should ideally be performed in a non-destructive approach. Hence, this paper presents two novel non-destructive measurement systems for the geometric control of metal bars concerning a plant producing steel parts. The aforementioned systems are designed to be integrated into the actual process with minimum intervention supporting the online quality control of the manufactured product.The two measurement systems exploit an industrial robotic manipulator and an optical sensor mounted on the robot’s end effector. They differ in the strategy of motion of the laser line triangulation sensor relative to the steel part to be measured. The proposed systems have been implemented as prototypes and deployed at the premises of a steel manufacturer to test and validate their performance, with the preliminary findings being provided and discussed in this work.