Automation and Robotics Lab
Automation and Robotics Lab
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
LAB MANUAL
SUBJECT: INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION & ROBOTICS
LIST OF PRACTICALS
Sr.
Name of Experiment
No.
PRACTICAL NO. 01
AIM: - DESIGN AND ASSEMBLY OF HYDRAULIC/PNEUMATIC CIRCUIT.
THEORY: -
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The circuit is defined as a pictorial representation of the working of a system using
symbols. The hydraulic/pneumatic circuit must essentially include the symbols of the
following:
Power/Pressure source
Reservoir( In Hydraulic Systems)
Fluid lines
Filter
Lubricator (In pneumatic system)
Pressure Regulator( For example Relief Valve)
Direction Control Valves
Flow Control valves ( If speed regulation is desired)
Special Purpose valves( if required)
Actuators etc.
The circuit must be a closed in case of hydraulic where incompressible oil is used as an
actuating fluid. The circuit must ensure the proper working of the actuators along with a
control strategy. The safety aspect must also be taken into consideration. The system
should function in a logical manner. The design must be as simple as possible and the
logic should be apparently clear. Proper connections must be ensured before releasing
the fluid under pressure from the source into the system.
1.2 PROBLEM
To control a double acting pneumatic cylinder in such a way that during the return stroke
the speed of the piston shall be adjusted. There is no stopping of the piston rod in
between the terminal points.
(The piston rod of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder extracts if right hand side push
button of the 5/2 DC valve is pressed and the cylinder should retract when the left hand
side push button of the DC valve is pressed. Also there should be a provision for speed
control of cylinder during the return stroke)
1.3 SOLUTION
we have to control a double acting cylinder which doesn’t have to stop in between so we
chose a 5 port,2 position pushbutton actuated, spring return direction control valve. We
have to provide an adjustable speed control during the retracting motion of the cylinder,
so a non return type adjustable flow control valve is put in between the actuator and the
DC valve so as to ensure a throttling in speed control of cylinder.
PRACTICAL NO. 02
THEORY
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 WORKING
The pinion (2) is attached to the steering shaft which is attached to the steering
wheel. Thus, as the steering wheel is turned, the teeth in the pinion mesh with
the rack (1) and slides the rack left and right. The rack is attached to the tie rods
(3) which in turn attach to the knuckle (not shown) and tire. That's manual
steering with a rack and pinion.
In the power assist system, fluid from the pump (high pressure side) enters the
steering gear at (4) and returns (low pressure side) at (5). A valve system inside
the gear box directs fluid out at (6) and (7) which re-enters the gearbox at (8)
and (9). This pressurized fluid acts on the power piston (10) to assist steering.
Thus, if the driver is turning right, additional fluid is directed to the right side of
the piston, which helps move the rack and therefore steer the tires.
Fluid is directed to either the right or left sides by means of a rotary valve and
torsion bar. Through this mechanism, the fluid pressure (and thus the amount of
"assist") is proportional to the torque due to steering effort, and not the direction
that the wheels are turned. In other words, it is possible for the system to help
you turn left, even if the steering wheel is right of center. Here is a sketch of the
rotary valve. Only one quarter is shown (it's symmetrical).
Figure 2.2: Sketch of one quarter of the rotary valve during left turn
The various positions of rotary control valve is shown in this figure give below:
Figure 2.3
The torsion bar (a torsional spring) connects the steering shaft to the pinion. As
stated at autoshop-online.com, "When the steering wheel is turned, resistance is
created by the weight of the car and tire-to-road friction, causing a torsion bar in
the rotary valve to deflect. This changes the position of the valve spool and
sleeve, thereby directing fluid under pressure to the proper end of the power
cylinder."Here's another sketch of the rotary valve in a hard right turn.
Figure 2.4: Sketch of one quarter of the rotary valve during right turn
As you can see, as the torsion bar twists, it changes the alignment between the input
shaft and valve sleeve, delivering more pressure to one side, and less to the other.
2.3 OPERATION:
1. The input turn of spool of rotary valve is achieved by turning of the steering wheel.
2. This moves the valve sleeve, which ports oil to the actuator (steering cylinder).
3. The piston rod moves the wheels via the steering linkage.
4. The valve spool is attached to the linkage and thus moves with it.
5. When the valve spool has moved far enough, it cuts off oil flow to the cylinder. This
stops the motion of this actuator.
6. Additional motion of the steering wheel is required to cause further motion of the
output wheels.
PRACTICAL NO. 03
THEORY: -
3.1 INTRODUCTION
A double acting cylinder is to advance when a push button is operated. Upon release of
the push button the cylinder is to retract. The cylinder is 250 mm in diameter and
consumes a large volume of air. Draw the circuit diagram for the problem. Designate the
valves and indicate the numbering system for the connections.
For controlling cylinders at high speed or of large diameter, the air flow required
determines that a large size control valve should be used. The operating force to
actuate the valve may be relatively large and in this case indirect control is preferable.
A 4/2-way or 5/2-way direction control valve controls the double acting cylinder if the
piston is not to be stopped in between and 4/3 way or 5/3 way direction control valve
controls the cylinder in which the piston can be stopped anywhere required.
3.3 PRECAUTIONS
Draw the cylinders and directional control valves horizontally wherever possible.
The energy flow within the circuit moves from the bottom to the top.
Show elements in the initial position of the control. Identify actuated elements by a
cam.
Draw pipelines straight without cross-over wherever possible.
PRACTICAL NO. 04
AIM: - USE OF DIRECTION CONTROL VALVE AND PRESSURE CONTROL VALVES CLAMPING DEVICES
FOR JIG AND FIXTURE.
THEORY: -
4.1 PROBLEM
A plastic cubical component is embossed using a die driven by a double-acting cylinder
2. The die is to advance and emboss the plastic component only after clamping. The
cylinder 1 is to be used for clamping. The cylinder 2 must operate in a sequential way
only when the cylinder 1 has caught hold of the plastic piece. The embossing pressure
or working pressure of the cylinder 2 must is to be adjustable.
4.2 SOLUTION
This problem can very easily be tackled by using a sequence valve as shown in the
given figure If the piston rod is not in its initial position, the must be reset by operating
the manual override on the 5/2-way double pilot valve.
All valves are unactuated in the initial position, pressure is applied at the piston rod side
of the cylinder and the piston rod remains in the retracted state. Circuit diagram for
solution to this problem is shown in figure 4.1 below. The circuit includes:
4.3 PRECAUTIONS
The response pressure set on the pressure sequence valve must be lower than the
system pressure in order to ensure reliable switching.
PRACTICAL NO. 05
THEORY: -
There are in general 5 basic configurations namely
1. Cartesian
2. Spherical
3. Cylinderical
4. Jointed Arm
5. SCARA
Spherical - Two revolute joints and one prismatic joint allow the robot to
point in many directions, and then reach out some radial distance It is a
RRP configuration & is used for handling at machine tools spot welding,
Cylindrical - The robot has a revolute motion about a base, a prismatic joint for
height, and a prismatic joint for radius. This robot is well suited to round
workspaces. It is a RPP configuration & is used for assembly operations,
handling at machine tools, spot welding, and handling at die-casting machines.
It's a robot whose axes form a cylindrical coordinate system.
This robot conforms to cylindrical coordinates, but the radius and rotation
is obtained by a two planar links with revolute joints. It is a RRP
configuration & is used for pick and place work, application of sealant,
assembly operations and handling machine tools. It's a robot which has
two parallel rotary joints to provide compliance in a plane
5.6 WORK VOLUMES
Work Volume is defined as the 3 Dimensional Space around the arm where it
can reach again & again with a desired accuracy & precision.
Joints
S.NO Configuration Advantages /Disadvantages
Type
Advantages
1. Maximum Flexibility
2. Covers a large work space compared to
work volume
3. Revolute joints are easy to seal
4 Jointed Arm RRR 4. Suits electric drives
5. Can reach over & under objects
Disadvantages
PRACTICAL NO. 06
THEORY: -
6.1 INTRODUCTION
The end of the manipulator is the part the user or robot uses to affect something in the
environment. For this reason it is commonly called an end-effector, but it is also called a
gripper since that is a very common task for it to perform when mounted on a robot. It is
often used to pick up dangerous or suspicious items for the robot to carry, some can
turn doorknobs, and others are designed to carry only very specific things like cans.
Closing too tightly on an object and crushing it is a major problem with autonomous
grippers. There must be some way to tell how hard is enough to hold the object without
dropping it or crushing it. Even for semi-autonomous robots where a human controls the
manipulator, using the gripper effectively is often difficult. For these reasons, gripper
design requires as much knowledge as possible of the range of items the gripper will be
expected to handle. Their mass, size, shape, and strength, etc. all must be taken into
account. Some objects require grippers that have many jaws, but in most cases,
grippers have only two jaws and those will be shown here.
1. Mechanical grippers
2. Collet grippers
3. Vacuum grippers
4. Fragile-object grippers
5. Magnetic grippers
6. Expandable grippers
MECHANICAL GRIPPERS
Mechanical grippers are the most common grippers available. They make use of levers,
gears, springs etc to hold objects. They can be angular or parallel
COLLET GRIPPERS
VACUUM GRIPPERS
FRAGILE-OBJECT GRIPPERS
Fragile grippers have got cushioning in their grips along with they are provided with
force control system on the grips in the form of load cells or adjustable pressure control
so that the object of interest is gripped properly without damage. These grippers are
used to handle sophisticated, delicate and prone to fracture objects in which the amount
of compliance required is controllable and which plays a great role.
MAGNETIC GRIPPERS
EXPANDABLE GRIPPERS
PRACTICAL NO. 07
THEORY: -
7.1 INTRODUCTION
The function of valves is to control the pressure or flow rate of pressure media. The
principle of operation of most valves is the same. A valve is a variable area orifice
where the orifice area may be controlled by conditions in a circuit, for example a
pressure relief valve operates without operator intervention. Alternatively the orifice
area may be controlled by an operator as in a directional control valve. Valves are
used in hydraulic & pneumatic systems to control the operation of the actuators.
Valves regulate pressure by creating special pressure conditions and by controlling
how much oil will flow in portions of a circuit and where it will go. The three
categories of hydraulic valves are pressure-control, flow- (volume-) control, and
directional-control. Some valves have multiple functions, placing them into more than
one category. Valves are rated by their size, pressure capabilities, and pressure
drop/flow. Depending upon design, these can be divided into following categories:
Logic Valve
Servo Valves
Directional-control valves also control flow direction. However, they vary considerably
in physical characteristics and operation. Directional-control valves may also be
classified according to the method used to actuate the valve element. A poppet-type
valve is usually hydraulically operated. A rotary-spool type may be manually (lever or
plunger action), mechanically (cam or trip action), or electrically (solenoid action)
operated. A sliding-spool type may be manually, mechanically, electrically, or
hydraulically operated, or it may be operated in combination. The valves maybe a
2. Rotary Spool Control type, in which a spool rotates about its axis and the
angular displacement of the spool, controls the flow of fluid from one
ring orifice that is formed by the displacement of the spool on the bore has
sharp edges. Spool valves, however, require good maintenance.
Sliding-spool type, in which a spool slides axially in a bore. In this type, a spool
is often classified according to the flow conditions created when it is in the
normal or neutral position. A closed-center spool blocks all valve ports from
each other when in the normal position. In an open-center spool, all valve
ports are open to each other when the spool is in the normal position. .
For example, a three-position, four-way valve has two extreme positions and a
center or neutral position. In each of the two extreme positions, there are two flow
paths, making a total of four flow paths or four way or four ports.
The purpose of flow control in a hydraulic system is to regulate speed of the system.
The control the speed of an actuator is carried out by regulating the flow rate of the
fluid passing through it. Flow rate also determines rate of energy transfer at any
given pressure. The two are related in that the actuator force multiplied by the
distance through which it moves (stroke) equals the work done on the load. The
energy transferred must also equal the work done. Actuator speed determines the
rate of energy transfer (i.e., horsepower), and speed is thus a function of flow rate.
In fixed flow control types of valves the amount of fluid passing through it remains
fixed whereas in the variable flow control valves there is a provision of controlling the
flow of fluid passing through it.
Most pressure-control valves are classified as normally closed. This means that
flow to a valve's inlet port is blocked from an outlet port until there is enough pressure to
cause an unbalanced operation. In normally open valves, free flow occurs through the
valves until they begin to operate in balance. Flow is partially restricted or cut off.
Pressure override is a characteristic of normally closed-pressure controls when they are
operating in balance. Because the force of a compression spring increases as it lowers,
pressure when the valves first crack is less than when they are passing a large volume
or full flow. The difference between a full flow and cracking pressure is called override.
Relief valves come in two forms. In the direct acting type, the pressure to be relieved
acts directly on the fluid regulating element. This type is commonly employed in
systems with relatively low flow rates. Where high flow rates must be passed, a pilot
operated type is commonly employed. In this type the pressure to be controlled acts
on a pilot. As soon as this pilot allows flow, the pressure difference across the main
regulating element becomes large enough to provide a force that causes the valve to
open rapidly because the spring controlling the main element is light.
In non relieving type pressure control system the system pressure acts on a
diaphragm which is resting on a spring whose tension can be adjusted. As the
pressure in the system is less than the spring tension and the system pressure, the
poppet will move down and allow more fluid to enter from the pressure line and if the
system pressure is low the diaphragm will move up causing the poppet to close on
the seat thereby restricting the flow of fluid from the source into the system. In this
way the pressure is regulated without relieving the fluid to move out of the system.
These pressure regulating devices are employed where there is high pressure to
deal with and the excessive pressure can be allowed to go back into the reservoir or
to be liberated.These pressure regulating devices are provided in the high pressure
line between the source and the direction control valves as shown in the figure given
below.
It is often necessary for two actions to take place sequentially. For example, in a
machining operation the work piece may be clamped by one actuator and after the
clamping action is completed a drill head may be moved by another actuator. At the
end of clamping, the actuator extension is blocked and the pressure will rise. This
pressure rise can be sensed by a sequencing valve and the flow diverted to a
secondary circuit. A sequencing valve is a special application of a direct action relief
valve (Figure 7.17). The pressure differential across the fluid control element is
between the primary circuit pressure and the reservoir.
CHECK VALVE
The check valve in the system is to check the direction of fluid flow in the reverse
direction. This is also called as unidirectional valve as it allows the flow only in on
direction
This valve is used when the used air is removed from the actuator in a very short
time. In this valve the fluid is allowed to come from a constricted opening from P due
to a flexible ring but is allowed to escape from a bigger opening R and thereby
venting the fluid from the system in a very small time. To make the unproductive
strokes faster such valves are used which can help in reducing the cycle time.
Logic valves are those valves which work on the principle of gates.
These are infinite position valve which gives their output on the basis of a feedback
signal from the system
Servo name is associated with the feedback. The spool movement is connected to a
angular displacement measuring system which calibrates it in an electrical
signal. The movement of the servo can be controlled using the feedback electrical
signal.
In jet flapper servo valve when the flapper is in the centre the spool is at normal mean
position. As there is some variation then the flapper closes the opening of the jet
nozzles restricting the release of fluid and a differential pressure is created at the ends
of the spool valve. This differential pressure acts on the spool valve and is responsible
for the actuation of the spool thereby controlling the fluid.