Assembly - January 2009 - (Page 70) Automated Assembly a significant cost advantage vs. hard tooling, locators or other ways to locate parts.” Erwin DiMalanta, solar segment manager for ABB Inc. (Auburn Hills, MI), agrees, describing robot machine vision as being “extremely important,” in terms of guidance, inspection and quality. “Fully processed solar cells have a high value, around $10 each. Additionally, cells are getting thinner and thinner. The combination of high value and delicate materials lends itself to automating to reduce breakage and scrap. Robots today are accurate to well within the required tolerances,” DiMalanta says. John Yett, a senior applications engineer at EPSON Robots (Carson, CA) adds that breakage of cells and other components can be further reduced through the use of force-sensing technologies. “[Vision] is one of the most important areas as industrial robots continue Vision-equipped delta-style robots can be especially effective in picking and placing individual solar wafers prior to installation into arrays. Photo courtesy Adept Technology Inc. a conveyor belt or help place them correctly during installation. It can also be used execute accurate welds and position framing. By allowing assemblers to forego the need for expensive, time consuming fixturing, vision-equipped robots help cut cost and time to market. The same is true with respect to programming. “Robotic vision…lends itself very well to solar manufacturing,” says FANUC Robotics’industrial marketing manager Mark Handelsman. “As with other areas of robotics, vision offers 70 ASSEMBLY / January 2009 www.assemblymag.com http://www.techno-sommer.com http://www.qbcbearings.com http://www.qbcbearings.com http://www.techno-sommer.com http://www.assemblymag.com
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