ME3055: Advanced Systems Design Project

Automatic Swaging Machine

Written By:
Table of Contents
List of Figures.............................................................................................................................................2
1. Background.........................................................................................................................................3
2. Current State of the Art for Automatic Swaging Machines.................................................................4
3. Functional Requirements of the Automatic Swaging Machine............................................................6
4. Why Develop Automatic Swaging Machine?......................................................................................6
5. Concept Development.........................................................................................................................7
6. Details of The Proposed Concept......................................................................................................10
6.1 Hardware.........................................................................................................................................13
i. Strain Gauge Load Cell..............................................................................................................13
ii. Inductive proximity sensor........................................................................................................13
iii. Capacitive displacement sensor.............................................................................................13
iv. Photo-conductive cell............................................................................................................14
v. Microcontroller..........................................................................................................................14
vi. Solenoid valve.......................................................................................................................14
7. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................14
8.References..............................................................................................................................................15
9. Appendices............................................................................................................................................17
9.1 Appendix 1: System Algorithm.......................................................................................................17
9.2 Appendix 2: AP8 Low Profile Force Sensor....................................................................................18
9.3 Appendix 2: KY008 LASER 650nm Transmitter Module...............................................................19

List of Figures
Figure 1:System data flow.............................................................................................................11
Figure 2: Strain Gauge Load Cell Module (Flintec, 2019)............................................................18
Figure 3:KY-008 Laser transmitter module specs (Nadi Eleczone Solutions, 2018)....................19
 1. Background

Artisanal writing instruments are used by talented craftsmen all over the world to produce works

of immense beauty. The instruments are the medium through which these craftsmen channel

their exquisite visions into reality for others to appreciate. Therefore, the tools by which such

beauty is created, themselves have to be extraordinary. These artisanal writing instruments,

therefore are made from precious metals, such as silver and are built with the tightest tolerances

to ensure that the highest precision can be achieved when used.

One of the processes that these writing instruments undergo during their manufacture is the

swaging process. Swaging is the process of reforming or reshaping a tube or pipe into a specific

size or form. For the writing instruments, the swaging process is used to change the diameter of

the metal tube by forcing it into a confining die[CITATION Man \l 1033 ]. A radial hammer is used

on the workpieces to shape them into a tube with a smaller diameter, this is called radial or rotary

swaging. This is done by placing the tube inside a die that applies compressive force by

hammering radially. Swaging is the perfect choice for the forming of these tubes, as it is a cold

forming process. This means that no heat needs to be applied, hence no problems with the metals

reacting with oxygen and loosing their desirable properties. It also means that there is barely, if

any, loss of material during the process. Silver being a precious metal is quite expensive, and any

unnecessary loss would be costly.

At present the swaging is a skilled manual process and the machines tend to require user input to

function. The operator must choose the tube to be swaged, lubricate the tube and then place it in

the swaging machine. After the tube has been swaged the operator must then remove the tube

and store it with other swaged tubes. The operator must then pick a new a new tube to start the
process again. When tubes are manually swaged they tend to be slightly bent or have a bow in

them which could cause them to be defective thus it is important to consider the precision

required to limit the waste of precious materials such as silver. It is difficult to keep a tube

aligned perfectly with a swaging machine if this is done manually. An automatic swaging system

would reduce personnel costs and would be more time effective as very little human input will be

required for the system to run, it would also reduce the number of defective tubes due to bends or

bows in the tube from the manual swaging operation.

2. Current State of the Art for Automatic Swaging Machines

Automatic swaging systems are already being used in industry, however these are on the larger

scale with large pipes undergoing the swaging process to be used as supports or other

applications. These systems are sometimes fully automatic, with the feeding and output of the

workpieces being self-regulating. But most often these systems are manual and require a worker

to place the tube in the swaging machine and then replace the tube once the tube is swaged.

Automatic swaging systems have been developed previously. For example, one machine

developed by Torington Forming Machinery makes use of rollers to feed tubes into the swaging

die, which clamps onto the tube. The tube is then swaged and then extracted by means of a

gripper, which is running on a track on a base [CITATION Swa \l 1033 ].This system is quite

effective, however there is little control over the swaging length and centricity.

Another system designed by Proto-1, involves the use of a 4 Degree of Freedom robotic arm to

pick the tube from the crate and feed it into the die inside the rotary hammers. Once the swaging

is complete, the robotic arm removes the tube and places it in another crate. The robotic arm can

also be placed into feedback loop with sensors inside the die, allowing it to adjust the tube as per
the required finish. This can also be used to ensure precision of length and centricity of the tube

during the swaging process.

Another example is a machine developed by Western Tube and Conduit which makes use of a

conveyor belt to which tubes are dispensed. The conveyor system is activated by a proximity

sensor which detects whether a tube is in position on the conveyor belt. When the tube reaches

the end of the conveyor belt it reaches a v shaped support which is aligned with the swaging

machine, the v support then acts as a clamp and holds the tube in place whilst allowing the

swaging machine housing to move toward the tube. The machine uses a photodetector to

determine whether swaging has been completed, the tube is then dispensed into a receptacle.

This system uses a receptacle in which tubes of the same sizes are placed to be dispensed onto

the conveyor system and swaged. The system being proposed will make use of a spinning barrel

which can dispense tubes of different sizes and swage them to the desired length. The system

will also use a pneumatic gripper instead of a v support clamp and conveyor system, an

advantage being this system will be capable of determining whether the tube is centralised and

adjust the tube if it is not aligned. The most critical element in the system is having the tube

aligned with the swaging machine, tubes that are not aligned may be swaged incorrectly and not

to the desired specification. Another critical element is ensuring the system runs autonomously in

a closed loop to ensure a continuous supply of tubes to be swaged.

3. Functional Requirements of the Automatic Swaging Machine

The desired system is expected to perform the entire swaging process completely automatically.

This means that it should be capable of loading new tubes for processing when one becomes
available, release tubes after completion, and stop and alert the operator when stock has been

depleted.

The system should dispense lubricant on the tubes before they enter the die for swaging. This

prevents wear and tear on the rotary hammers and the tube itself.

The system should allow the operator to input a specific swaging length for each tube. It should

then be able to measure this length on the tube and halt the process as soon as the required length

is swaged. This allows for tubes to be swaged to any length required.

The system is also expected to sense any misalignment of the tube in the die during swaging and

halt the process. The system should then alert the operator of the error and attempt to self-correct

the alignment.

4. Why Develop Automatic Swaging Machine?

The current method of manually swaging the tubes is a very slow process. The tube is lubricated

by the artisan, then placed carefully in the die which is then placed in the rotary hammers. The

artisan has to turn on the rotary hammers, and then carefully swage the tube as to the required

length. The artisan has to also make sure of the centricity of the tube in the die. This means that

the process has to be done very meticulously, with almost no room for error. This also means

that the swaging can only be done by a highly skilled artisan, with many years of experience.

This, together with the slow rate of production, amplifies the already expensive price tag of the

artisanal writing instruments being produced.

The presence of human hands, no matter how skilled, always leads to errors. Like some of the

tubes can become bent or bowed when swaged manually. This can cause problems further down

the line, thus slowing the manufacture process even more and also lead to defective products.

These problems can be overcome by automating the feeding and extraction process, as this will

mean that the process is carried out perfectly every time without fail. The swaging can then be

controlled using sensors and this will allow the production to be extremely precise, as again

machines are way better at performing precise repetitive tasks than humans.

5. Concept Development
To develop the concept, each of the functional requirements is analysed in order to identify the

corresponding technical requirements and the technologies that can be used to achieve them.

Data to be captured includes presence of tubes in machine for swaging, length of tube,

lubrication of tube, centricity of tube to the die, distance travelled by tube, and geometry of

swaging for the tube. Suitable sensors are required to capture this data.

Loading cells are used to detect the presence of tubes in the loading barrel and finishing bin.

Specifically, a strain gauge load cell will be used. The strain gauge load cell works by measuring

the change in electrical resistance, which is proportional to its deformation. The change in

resistance of the strain gauge provides an electrical value change that is calibrated to the load

placed on the load cell.

Proximity sensors are used to detect tubes position in the loading barrel and that relative to the

clamp of the overhead gripper. The proximity sensor is placed on the front of dispensed tube

housing to ensure that the clamp can be positioned at the right distance to ensure it can receive

the tube and grip it perfectly. The best proximity sensor for such a use would be an inductive

sensor. The inductive sensor uses the principles of electromagnetic induction, whereby it creates
a magnetic field which changes when a metallic object interacts with the magnetic field. This

change is proportional to the proximity of the metallic object to the sensor. This sensor is the best

choice for our use as it can ignore non-metallic substances[ CITATION DuW14 \l 1033 ].

Displacement sensors along the entire line to ensure alignment of clamp to maintain centricity of

the tube to the die and sense distance travelled by tube. The sensors are placed at equal intervals

along the entire path of the tube, to be able to pin point the tubes position, and centricity at any

point in the process. The best displacement sensor for the job would be capacitive displacement

sensors. These sensors make use of the change in capacitance between the target, which in our

case is the tube, and the probes to detect any displacement of the target[ CITATION Lio12 \l

1033 ].The change in capacitance is used as a signal to alter the position of the gripper. For our

case the displacement could be in either the X-axis or the Y-axis, therefore the probes will have

to be placed all around the path of the tube. The capacitive displacement sensors are capable of

high resolution measurement of the position or change in position of any conductive target

[ CITATION Lio121 \l 1033 ]therefore making them ideal for our use.

Image sensors, to detect lubrication of tubes and geometry of swaged tubes. These are placed

mainly inside the housing of the rotary hammers to give a proper view of the tube during the

swaging process. The best option for this case is using a tiny image camera which can take

pictures of the tube at specified intervals and send them for image processing. These images are

then compared to images of tubes with the desired geometry to confirm that the swaging process

is performed as required. The image camera can also check if the tube has been lubricated to

sufficient degree, again by comparing the images to existing images of properly lubricated tubes.

Photodetector to detect presence of tube in clamp. These are placed on the inside part of the

clamp’s jaws and the inside part of the rotary hammer. The best candidate would be a photo-
conductive cell. These are simple devices whose resistance decreases with increasing light

intensity. The presence of the tube between the claws would block some light, causing a decrease

in light intensity falling on the detector. This will cause an increase in resistance in the detector.

This can be used as a signal to confirm the presence of the tube within the jaws of the claw and

the claw can therefore shut thus gripping the tube adequately.

All these sensors must be connected to an on-board computer of some sort. It can be a

microcontroller or a normal PC. Although a PC would be a cheaper option, the microcontroller is

more customizable to the specific needs of the process. It is also smaller and therefore can be

integrated easily into the main frame of the machine instead of it being detached. The method of

connecting the sensors to the micro-controller depends on the specific sensor as provided by the

manufacturer. The decisions made are governed by both the prevailing conditions as determined

by the sensors as well as the set conditions regarding the required geometry of the swaged tube.

as we have seen all the sensors produce electrical signals, which can be converted to digital

signals and be fed into the microcontroller. The microcontroller will then interpret what each of

the signals means and then produce an output signal in response. For example, the capacitive

displacement sensors will send a signal when there is a change in capacitance. This signal will be

interpreted by the microcontroller, which will produce an output signal to the grippers to move in

the appropriate direction. Similarly, the microcontroller can compare the image of a perfectly

swaged tube to that of the tube currently being swaged to ensure that they both have similar

geometries. If the geometries are not similar the microcontroller can send a signal to the gripper

to adjust its position and the rotary hammers to adjust their speed.

The microcontrollers job is mainly to receive input, interpret it, and send the necessary output.

The physical actions are carried out by the actuators. The main actuators in our machine are the
 stepper motors running the two grippers and their claws for feeding and extraction, the stepper

motor in the jaws of the rotary hammers, the solenoid valve which controls the flow of lubricant

to the hose and the electric motors used to turn the loading barrel and the rotary hammers.

In order for the user to specify the tube length and the swaging length, an input device is

necessary. Considering there is not much input required a simple LCD touchscreen is sufficient.

The LCD touchscreen can also be used to alert the user. The microcontroller can use the LCD

touchscreen to output alerts regarding improper lubrication, tubes not detected or even the

current position of the tube in the machine.

6. Details of The Proposed Concept

The general data flow within the system is illustrated in figure 1 below:

SENSORS
LCD TOUCHSCREEN (USER INPUT DEVICE)

1. STRAIN GAUGE LOAD CELL

2. INDUCTIVE PROXIMITY SENSOR

1. SWAGING LENGTH 3. CAPACITIVE DISPLACEMENT
MICROCONTROLLER SENSOR
2. TUBE LENGTH 4. IMAGE CAMERAS
5. PHOTO-CONDUCTIVE CELL

ACTUATORS

1. ELECTRIC MOTOR IN THE LOADING

BARREL

2. STEPPER MOTORS IN THE GRIPPERS,

CLAWS AND ROTARY HAMMER
JAWS

3. ELECTRIC MOTOR FOR THE ROTARY

HAMMERS
4. SOLENOID VALVE

Figure 1:System data flow

As illustrated in the figure 1 above, the microcontroller receives data from the input devices and

the sensors. It then sends the required command to the relevant actuators.

The process starts by the operator using the LCD touchscreen to input the length of tube that is

required and the swaging length that is specified. This is interpreted by the microcontroller and

load cells within the loading barrel are checked to confirm the presence of the tube required.

Once confirmation of tubes presence is acquired a prompt is created on the screen alerting the

operator. The operator can then start the process by pressing the button on the LCD touchscreen.

The electric motor turns the barrel, so that the desired tube is on top. Then due to gravity, the

tube falls into the centre column of the barrel, which then slides to the front of the barrel where

there is an opening. At the opening is the proximity sensor which detects the presence of the

tube. this triggers the grippes stepper motors to bring the gripper to the mouth of the barrel. Here

the proximity sensors again guide the gripper to align itself with the tube. As the claw of the

gripper moves towards the tube and the tube is positioned in between the jaws of the claw, the

photo-conductive cell’s resistance increases as the light intensity on it decreases. This signals the

stepper motors on the claw to close the jaws, thus gripping on to the tube.

Once the claws have a firm hold of the tube, the stepper motors start moving the gripper towards

the housing of the swaging machine. Along the entire path are capacitive displacement sensors

which detect the change in X and Y direction of the tube in the claw by detecting the change in

capacitance. To maintain centricity to the die in the housing, a pre-set distance between the

probes of the sensors and the centre of the claw is specified. When the capacitance changes this

indicates a change in distance and the they are directly proportional. Therefore, each time there is

a change in capacitance, the stepper motors of the claw adjust its position so that it is the right

distance from the probes to maintain centricity. These sensors also track the position of the tube
in real-time and project this on the screen so the operator can track the progress. When the

gripper reaches the mouth of the swaging machines housing, lubricant is sprayed onto the tube

by an overhanging hose.

As the tube is slid into the jaws of the rotary hammer, it is detected by the photo-conductive cell.

This signals the system to close the jaws of the rotary hammer so as to ensure a firm grip on the

tube. As the jaws shut the imaging camera inside the housing starts taking images of the tube. the

images are sent to the microcontroller for comparison with a reference image to ensure proper

lubrication. Once this is confirmed, the electric motors of the rotary hammers start rotating and

the swaging process is commenced. During the swaging the image camera is still continuously

taking images of the tube and sending them to the microcontroller which uses reference images

to analyse the geometry of the tube. if the geometry is not up to par, the process is halted and an

alert is sent to the screen. Then adjustments are made based on pre-set configurations

corresponding to the differences in the geometries, like the speed of the swaging motor, and the

position of the tube in the die. As soon as the geometry is up to par, the electric motor stops and

the jaws of the rotary hammer as well as the gripper open. The swaged tube is now picked up by

a second gripper, which uses the same sensors and feedback loops to position itself with the tube

to grip it as firmly as possible. The gripper then moves the tube, over a set distance, and drops it

into a bin. The bin has a load cell, which detects the presence of the tube. the load cells signal is

used to create a prompt on the monitor that the process is complete. The operator can then

specify a new tube and swage length and the entire process can start again.
6.1 Hardware
The necessary hardware is given in this section:

i. Strain Gauge Load Cell

The strain gauge load cell that will be used is the AP8 Low Profile Force Sensor from Flintec. It

has a measuring range of 0.5kg to 1 kg which is ideal for the tubes. Its low profile allows it to be

fitted in tight spaces[ CITATION Fli19 \l 1033 ].

ii. Inductive proximity sensor

We shall make us of the IMC12-04BPPVC0SC05 Inductive Proximity Sensor by SICK Sensor

Intelligence. This sensor has a sensing range of 0mm to 4mm and is quite compact and therefore

can fit fairly easily into the assembly[ CITATION SIC19 \l 1033 ].

iii. Capacitive displacement sensor

The capacitive sensor system that is ideal for this situation is the capaNCDT 6110 Compact

single channel system by Micro-Epsilon. It is ideally suited to measurements requiring high

precision, between 0.05 to 10 mm, and stability. It is also miniaturized controlled making it easy

to incorporate into the assembly[CITATION Mcr \l 1033 ].

iv. Photo-conductive cell

A suggested laser and sensor module would be the KY008 LASER 650nm Transmitter

Module[ CITATION Nad18 \l 1033 ]. The module makes use of an Arduino architecture and

therefore is fairly easy to program and is quite cheap and readily available

v. Microcontroller
A PIC microcontroller (Microchip SMART SAM C Microcontrollers) was selected

because of its flexibility, ease-of-use, energy efficiency and optimized architecture[ CITATION

Mic18 \l 1033 ]. 

 vi. Solenoid valve
The best solenoid valve for the system is the ½” Nylon NBR Solenoid Valve by RPE[ CITATION

Tam19 \l 1033 ]. It is normally closed, which is ideal for our use and its ½ inch diameter will

allow the perfect amount of lubricant to pass through.

7. Conclusion

A design concept for an automatic swaging machine for swaging artisanal writing instruments

has been proposed in this report. The proposed design tries to address the gaps in previous

automatic swaging systems. For instance, our proposed design has automatic length and

proximity detection so as to allow for completely automated feeding and extracting of the tubes

from the rotary hammers. Our system also incorporates a vision system to ensure proper

geometry of the tube being swage is achieved.

The recommended next stage of development is the making of computer simulations for the

subsystems in order to evaluate the effectiveness and practicality of the design. The systems can

be subjected to various conditions like different tube sizes and different tube geometries different

centricities and different swage lengths and then the results can be recorded and analysed to

improve the actual system.

The proposed automated system has been designed so as to cater for a wide variety of swaging

scenarios. It has also been designed to be as user friendly as possible thus eliminating the need

for highly skilled labour.

Its evident that the proposed design for the automatic swaging machine is effective as it can load,

lubricate, swage and release tubes without any human interference.

8.References
Du, W. Y., 2014. Inductive Sensors. In: Resistive, Capacitive, Inductive, and Magnetic Sensor

Technologies. s.l.:CRC Press.

Flintec, 2019. AP8 Low Profile Force Sensor (1kg). [Online]

Available at: https://www.flintec.com/weight-sensors/force-sensors/miniature/ap8

Lion Precision, 2012. Lion Precision Capacitive Sensor Overview, An overview of capacitive

sensing technology. [Online]

Available at: http://www.lionprecision.com/capacitive-sensors/index.html#apps

Lion Precision, 2012. Capacitive Sensor Operation and Optimization (How Capacitive Sensors

Work and How to Use Them Effectively). [Online]

Available at: http://www.lionprecision.com/tech-library/technotes/cap-0020-sensor-theory.html

Microchip.com, 2018. SAM MCU's Microchip Technology. [Online]

Available at: http://www.microchip.com/design-centers/32-bit/sam-32-bit-mcus/sam-c-mcus

Micro-Epsilon, n.d. capaNCDT // Capacitive displacement sensors and systems. [Online]

Available at: https://www.bestech.com.au/wp-content/uploads/dax-capaNCDT-6110.pdf

Nadi Eleczone Solutions, 2018. KY008 Laser Module - KY8 KY 008 Transmitter Board Arduino

PIC. [Online]

Available at: http://nadieleczonesolutions.blogspot.my/

SICK Sensor intelligence, 2019. Inductive proximity sensors. [Online]

Available at: https://www.sick.com/us/en/proximity-sensors/inductive-proximity-

sensors/idf/imc12-04bppvc0sc05/p/p493045?

ff_data=JmZmX2lkPXA0OTMwNDUmZmZfbWFzdGVySWQ9cDQ5MzA0NSZmZl90aXRsZ
T1JTUMxMi0wNEJQUFZDMFNDMDUmZmZfcXVlcnk9JmZmX3Bvcz0yJmZmX29yaWdQb

3M9MiZmZl9wYWdlPTEmZ

Tameson, 2019. Solenoid Valve RPE 1/2'' nylon NBR 0.2-10bar 12V DC Food. [Online]

Available at: https://tameson.com/solenoid-valve/2-way/plastic/other/5105nc-12vdc-solenoid-

valve-2way-012inch-nylon-0p2-10bar-nbr.html

Torington Forming Machinery, 2016. Swager 312 with roll feeder and extractor. s.l.:Torington

Forming Machinery.

Web Studio, IIT Madras, 2009. Manufacturing Processes 1 (Web). [Online]

Available at: http://nptel.ac.in/courses/112107144/3

9. Appendices
9.1 Appendix 1: System Algorithm
9.1 Appendix 1: System Algorithm
OPEN SOLENOID
TURN LOADING
VALVE
BARREL
` START

YES INPUT FROM

INPUT FROM
INPUT LENGTH OF PHOTODETECTOR
PROXIMITY SENSOR
TUBE AND SWAGE AND
LEGTH PHOTODETECTOR

IMAGE FROM
GRIP TUBE AND CAMERA
START MOVING
IS TUBE OF
LEGNTH
PRESENT?

START ROTARY
HAMMER MOTORS
ANY DEVIATION
FROM CENTRAL
NO LINE?

IS GEOMETRY
NO CORRECT?

ADJUST YES
NO
GRIPPER
POSITION
STOP
MOTOR

CREATE
PROMPT ON
MONITOR

SIGNAL
FROM LOAD
EXTRACT TUBE AND
STOP DROP IN BIN
SENSOR
9.2 Appendix 2: AP8 Low Profile Force Sensor

Figure 2: Strain Gauge Load Cell Module[ CITATION Fli19 \l 1033 ]

9.3 Appendix 2: KY008 LASER 650nm Transmitter Module

Figure 3:KY-008 Laser transmitter module specs[ CITATION Nad18 \l 1033 ]