Robot plasma cutting with trajectoty given by cad file

[Nuno Parreira]

Hello all

I need to cut some pipes with a plasma gun. This is easy, the problem is that the robot trajectory must come from a cad file. The pipes are always different, so the cutting is always also different. The robot must receive the trajectory from a system and cut the pipe in full automatic.

Did anyone see a system like this, and if yes can anyone send me some in formations or references

thank you
 

[TygerDawg]

I would doubt that a system capable of doing this "in full automatic" would allow much flexibilty.  I would think that the system must be highly constrained (limited range of motion, approved-shapes only, etc).

If you get beyond that argument, then you may consider RobotWorks (www.robotworks-eu.com) as a solution that would do the task nicely.  The programming could all be done offline.

[SkyeFire]

Just how different are these pipes?  Diameter?  Length?  Material?  Placement?

Quite frankly, if you don't constrain at least some of these variables, I don't think this problem is solvable.

Now, with very good vision system, it should be possible for the system to determine the placement (within limits) and diameter of the pipe, enough to perform a decent cut, probably.  However, determining material would be hard, if not impossible.  Ditto for pipe wall thickness, unless you added additional specialized sensors.  If, however, the operator could hit a button or select a menu telling the pipe schedule, this might be possible.

And even the vision system would have limits: if the vision system's field of view were, say, two feet, but the pipe was six feet long, it would be nearly impossible for the robot/vision system to determine where to place the cut along the pipe's length.  On the other hand, if you could always make sure that one end of the pipe was always up against a fixed stop at a known location, and you had some way of telling the robot what distance from that end to put the cut at, this problem re-enters the realm of possibility.

[Robo Guru]

Search for the software called StruCym.  It is a structural simulator software and is intended to be used to cut metal such as i-beams, steel plate, etc...

maybe it would help you?
RoboGuru

[TylerRobertson]

I would talk to these guys http://www.pythonx.com/

I'm sure pipe would be even easier for them

[Lex]

http://www.voortman.net/staalbouw-machines/machines/profielbewerking/raveelsysteem.html

Based on DSTV import.