Metrology grade solutions for robotic installations. Creating premium product for high tech industry
Have you ever tried measuring a turbine blade? Or whether your robot has moved to exactly the position in space you wanted?
These are the kind of tough problems tackled by the team of metrology and automation experts at Insphere, who started life in aerospace, setting up systems for difficult-to-measure critical aircraft parts.
Based on their building reputation in aerospace, Insphere have been growing into all engineering sectors, helping improve and implement automation solutions.
The challenge with measuring production robots, like you see on a car assembly line, is they are dynamic, complex processes, with no readily available tools to measure them. Insphere developed a solution with multiple optical sensors to envelope the working volume of the robot, which continuously monitors targets positioned on the end-effector.
Insphere’s challenge was that existing metrology systems are too expensive – costing around 3 times more than the robot – and still have limitations that make employing them for monitoring and controlling robots unpractical.
Insphere therefore asked Realise to help design a metrology grade camera system, specialised for robot monitoring, with a punchy cost target a fraction that of existing equipment.
Technical Requirements
The development route of the project was established by identifying the technical requirements and key ‘problems’ to resolve:
Stabilising the alignment of the dual stereoscopic cameras:
The stability of the cameras is vitally important as it is what makes the system so reliable and is required to maintain accuracy. As such the cameras must not move during transportation, everyday use or minor impacts.
Heat stabilisation and control:
The sensors not only require mechanical stability, but also thermal stability. As such, Insphere specified a +/- 1 degree tolerance on the temperature variation of the sensors. We worked together to develop the best technical solution: active temperature management capable of holding +/- 0.1 degrees! Significantly out-pacing the specification.
Improved assembly times and maintenance:
The unit is designed to reduce internal clashes and provide ruggedised protection for industrial environments, designed with to even withstand carbon dust ingress. The system can be built quickly by one individual, reducing production times and enables easier maintenance on the Iona system.
Low batch numbers, high quality:
The emphasis on high quality production in low numbers, allows for the design to grow and develop as more user data is gathered and fed back into the next design. With additional units being integrated into the market, Insphere can flex to market demands and take advantage of opportunities that arise.
Prototyping:
Substantial prototyping rounds resulted in a product that was incrementally and rigorously tested against the key requirements identified. Validation of each requirement supplied confidence to bring the product to manufacture.
Branding and Visioning
Having a passion for good design is one of the reasons we are so good at what we do.
Delivering manufacturable products is imperative, but so is making sure the final product stands out visually from its competitors.
Using high quality premium materials and finishes is unique for this industry, and Realise Team sought to help Insphere to embed the final piece of the puzzle, branding.
Defining the company values and agreeing that north star purpose, meant breaking down the company values and turning this into a mission. Defining colour choices alongside materials and manufacturing methods specification, enabled us to design a product that’s physical features and attributes were embedded into every design decision.
Maximizing the design and branding processes in parallel is key to new products launch success.
The Result
The result is Iona, a scalable network of sensors that provide metrology-grade data for automating manufacturing processes.
Measure twice cut once’ is the age-old mantra underpinning Iona’s futuristic technology. Discretely deployed for continuous data capture in real time, Iona can work in the harshest of environments and overcome the more costly elements of manufacturing such as waste, predictive maintenance and lost accuracy.
By creating a system that allows for digital twinning and embracing smart manufacturing at its very core we have been able to produce a product that is smarter, more efficient and more manoeuvrable than ever before.
INSPHERE can now provide a premium solution to its customers that will not only drive-up efficiency during manufacture, but also provide valuable data and insights on specific areas of improvement for their business.
What does INSPHERE say about Realise?
Agile and open in mindset, Insphere’s approach to the design process was one of adaption and change which has proved to be foundational to the success of the Iona project.
“When we first engaged with Realise, they really took the time to understand our company not just our product requirements; resulting in a design that reflects our brand and values. Throughout the development process they have maintained good communication, working with us as part of our engineering team. They were responsive and can deliver to tight timescales. The end result is a product that we’re all really proud of, with great visual impact whilst meeting some very challenging functional criteria.” Ollie Martin, CTO
