Real-time system integration in a multi-robot sewing cell

Abstract

The sewing process is a manufacturing technology which presents severe challenges for automation. Due to variations in the material properties and unpredictable mechanical compliance, real-time sensor-based control strategies are necessary to achieve satisfying results. This paper presents a sewing cell consisting of two lightweight industrial robots and a sewing machine. Sensors are included both for force and edge positioning control. Experiments are presented showing the performance of the proposed real-time control framework. The experiments focus on the real-time control loop for force and edge control during the sewing process.