VISION-BASED PART RACKING

Large, or awkward-to-handle parts that require manual racking are typically a point of bottlenecks on large press lines. These operations can, by their nature, dictate line speed. To this end, High Production Technology (HPT) has introduced the RapidRacking™ system, an intelligent vision-guided robotic solution for unloading and racking a mixed series of automotive panels. The RapidRacking™ system is an intelligent, vision-guided robotic solution for unloading and racking a mixed series of automotive stampings. To unload a formed part at the end of the line, the RapidRacking system indexes and positions the part underneath cameras, which are stationed at the index conveyors. The system collects information relative to the part's position on the conveyor and is then fed as positioning instructions to the robots where the program tells them how they need to adjust their motion paths to collect and rack the parts. The RapidRacking systems offers a level of flexibility that humans take for granted in manual racking operations, but provides enhanced productivity at a level of speed, repeatability and stamina that only a robot can deliver.