Flexible and Reconfigurable Laser Processing Tool (FlexLase)

激光加工金属和合金在现代制造业中广泛应用于各种应用，包括钻孔、切割、焊接、表面改性等。工业机器人目前用于一些激光加工应用，如切割和焊接，其允许公差限制在100微米左右。然而，像激光钻孔这样的应用需要大约20-25微米的位置精度，这对于现有的机器人系统来说是不可行的，因此主要使用昂贵的基于CNC的系统来执行。该项目旨在开发一种灵活的机器人激光加工系统，其定位精度小于20微米，可用于包括激光钻孔在内的大多数激光应用。利用现代CCD相机的速度和精度，根据CCD相机获得的坐标（激光相互作用点和参考点）计算机器人的位置误差。CCD相机将与喷嘴出口同轴。视觉系统计算的位置误差将通过一种新型的反射镜和光学组件来补偿激光束和喷嘴的位置。该项目将首先进行原理验证实验，以确定CCD相机图像的位置误差。本文将开发一种新的算法，从CCD相机图像中提取实时位置误差，并通过偏移激光束位置来补偿误差。将使用NI实时模块和NI CompactRIO系统来实现所需的周期时间（小于10ms）。最后，CCD相机和软件将与机器人和喷嘴组件集成，以实现真正的柔性制造系统。该技术的直接应用将是航天燃烧室的机器人激光钻孔。预计flexlase系统将比目前的系统更准确、更实惠，它也将为生物技术和半导体行业令人兴奋的新机器人应用打开大门。

Laser processing of metals and alloys is extensively used in modern manufacturing for various applications includingdrilling, cutting, welding, surface modification, etc. Industrial robots are currently used for some laser processingapplications like cutting and welding where the allowable tolerance limit is around 100 micron. However, applications likelaser drilling requires a positional accuracy around 20-25 microns which is not feasible with existing robotic systems andhence is mostly performed using expensive CNC based systems. This project aims to develop a flexible robotic laserprocessing system which can have a position accuracy of less than 20 micron, and that can be used for most laserapplications including laser drilling.By exploiting the speed and precision of modern CCD cameras, the positional error of the robot will be calculated based onthe coordinates (of the laser interaction point and a reference point) obtained from the CCD camera. The CCD camera willbe co-axial to the nozzle exit. The positional error calculated by the vision system will be compensated by offsetting thelaser beam and nozzle position, through a novel mirror and optical assembly.The project will initially undertake proof-of-principle experiments to establish the positional error from the CCD cameraimage. A new algorithm will be developed to extract the real-time positional error from the CCD camera image and tofacilitate compensation of the error by offsetting the laser beam position. National Instruments (NI) real-time module alongwith a NI CompactRIO system will be used to achieve the required cycle time (less than 10ms). Finally, the CCD cameraand the software will be integrated with the robot and the nozzle assembly, to achieve a truly flexible manufacturingsystem.The immediate application will be on robotic laser drilling of aerospace combustion chambers. It is expected that theFlexLase system will be more accurate and affordable than the systems at present and that it will also open the door forexciting new robotic applications in bio-technology and semiconductor industries.