A method for analyzing the kinematic influence of a robot on the WAAM process

This article propose a method to analyze the kinematic behavior of a robotic cell during a tool path following. This methodology is applied to a WAAM robotic cell to study the manufacturing of single-wall, tubing-type parts with a robotic WAAM process. Initial feedback shows deposit defects. The objective of the study is to identify the impact of the robot behavior on the observed defects on the manufactured part and to propose a test protocol to validate the consistency of the robot kinematic behavior with the requirements of the WAAM process. Thus, the main problem lies in measuring and estimating the deposition feed rate of the torch relative to the part. To accomplish this, it is necessary to first establish the geometric model of the robot before determining its kinematic model. This model enables the calculation of the torch speed in the part reference frame based on the measurement of the robot axis angular speeds. Analyses reveal variations in the torch feed rate that correlate with the defects observed in the manufactured part. This work is completed by a theoretical analysis allowing conclusions on the capacity of the manufacturing cell to follow a program deposition speed. Finally, the proposed studies lead to develop a protocol for testing the kinematic behavior of a robotic cell for WAAM processes.