SBIR Phase II: High-Throughput Agile Robotic Manufacturing System for Tile Mosaics

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将展示一个高吞吐量，敏捷，低成本的瓷砖马赛克制造系统的原型。几千年来，马赛克一直是视觉辉煌的源泉，但它们总是需要艰苦而细致的手工组装。我们的第一阶段证明了可编程、高吞吐量的机器人瓷砖组装系统的可行性，以提高马赛克瓷砖的生产。第二阶段的研发将建立在第一阶段的成功，以进一步加速，自动化和规模的系统，开发一个有效的敏捷制造管理系统，并分析第三阶段的机器人马赛克装配的经济可行性。除了开发生产流程信息系统外，我们还将通过增强机械流程和减少操作时间来实现这一目标。在二期系统优化后，我们将评估阿尔泰技术的商业潜力。预期的技术成果将提供一个5倍更快的制造过程与75%的价格降低每平方英尺的定制马赛克瓷砖生产。这个SBIR项目的智力价值涉及阿尔泰？该项目具有更广泛的影响力/商业潜力，扩大了手工镶嵌工作的利用率，同时通过增加自动化和定制化提高了美国制造工艺的竞争优势。这项技术的成功开发将使突破性的定价结构比竞争对手低75%（基于手动和基本的自动化过程），从而导致广泛的市场负担能力和广泛的商业采用。我们的机器人系统有可能彻底改变价值760亿美元的全球瓷砖行业，同时创造大量的国内就业机会。Artaic预计，在第一阶段实现的制造速度提高5倍将在第二阶段的制造规模扩大过程中保持，而不会损失放置精度。对机器人敏捷制造支持的大规模定制过程的理解的增加将扩展对利用高吞吐量柔性组件的相关机器人过程的科学理解，例如用于医疗或制药技术或消费品。此外，经典的马赛克技术将成为所有学生更容易获得的艺术形式，而本科生将通过利用这种技术的工程课程增加他们对STEM概念的理解。艺术家和设计师会发现他们的设计工作的实现更实际和负担得起的商业企业。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will demonstrate a prototype of ahigh-throughput, agile, low-cost manufacturing system for tile mosaics. Mosaics have been a source ofvisual splendor for millennia, but they have always required arduous and painstaking hand assembly.Our Phase I proved the feasibility of a programmable, high-throughput robotic tile-assembly system toenhance the production of mosaic tilings. Phase II R&D will build upon Phase I success to further speedup, automate and scale the system, develop an effective agile manufacturing management system, andanalyze the economic viability of robotic mosaic assembly for Phase III. We will accomplish this byenhancing the mechanical processes and reducing operator time - in addition to developing a productionflowinformation system. After Phase II system optimization, we will evaluate the commercial potentialof the Artaic technology. The anticipated technical result will be providing a 5x faster manufacturingprocess with a 75% reduction in the price per square foot of customizable mosaic tilings produced. Theintellectual merits of this SBIR project involve Artaic?s disruptive robotic technology, which transformsmosaic installation from its current, time-consuming manual labor processes to a rapid, roboticallydirected customizable process.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project expands the utilization of artisanal mosaic workwhile increasing the competitive advantage of U.S. manufacturing processes through increasedautomation and customization. Successful development of this technology will enable a breakthroughpricing structure that is 75% lower than the competition (based on manual and rudimentary automatedprocesses), leading to broad market affordability and widespread commercial adoption. Our roboticsystem has the potential to revolutionize the $76B global tile industry, while creating numerousdomestic job opportunities. Artaic expects that the 5x increase in manufacturing speed realized duringPhase I will be maintained in Phase II during manufacturing scale-up without loss of placementaccuracy. The increased understanding of robotic agile manufacturing-enabled mass customizationprocesses will expand the scientific understanding of related robotic processes that utilize highthroughputflexible assemblies, such as for medical or pharmaceutical technologies, or for consumerproducts. In addition, classical mosaic techniques will become more accessible as an art form to allstudents, while undergraduate students will increase their understanding of STEM concepts throughengineering courses utilizing this technology. Artists and designers will find the realization of theirdesign work much more practical and affordable as a business enterprise.