Lucas Nuelle, KPR Institute Engineering and Technology, Autonomous Engineering Institution, Coimbatore, India

Centre of Excellence for Robotics and Automation

About the Centre

KPRIET Robotics and Automation Centre of Excellence is a state-of-the-art robotics and automation centre. It has been set up in the year 2022 with collaboration of Lucus Nuelle, Germany, a focus of strengthening smart Manufacturing, Industry 4.0 technology training and improving educational systems. A faculty team of has been taken training on Robotics and Automation by the LN Trainer from Germany.
To further improve the diversity and quality of training, an e-yantra embedded systems and robotics lab has been set up with the collaboration of E-Yantra Lab, IIT Bombay in the year 2021. In this CoE students get opportunity work on Firebird V and Spark Robots.

Introduction to Robotics and Automation

Robotics and Automation play a key role in modern, highly automated and efficient smart manufacturing processes. The experiment sets for robotics and automation technology guide automation or mechatronics engineers of the future step by step from the fundamentals, through handling the equipment and on to programming of robots. It also demonstrates optimised interaction with smart manufacturing plant.

Lucas Nuelle

About UniTrain Courses

Plenty of multimedia courses are available for the UniTrain system in the areas of electrical engineering and electronics. Each of the courses consists of the training program, specific circuitry on one or more experiment cards and a browser (LabSoft) for the control, management and display of the training course. UniTrain courses convey practical skills by providing a theoretical basis then guiding students through numerous experimental measurements. Experiment cards are linked to the Interface and the training program via Experimenters. With the help of virtual instruments and power sources included with the system, circuits can be analysed and results of measurements stored directly within the training program.

Hardware

Experiment cards with specific circuits and components allowing the measurements in the course to be made as well as permitting unguided experimentation
Simple set-up: simply insert into the Experimenter
Experiment cards connected to the system via UniTrain bus
Modifiable, open experiment set-up on experiment cards allow experiments to be started quickly
Points for measurement all made available via 2-mm sockets
Systematic fault simulation, faults can be switched on and off by relays via the UniTrain bus
Industry-standard circuits, highly relevant to modern practice
Supplied in hard case for transport and storage

Software

Interactive, HTML-based multimedia courses to provide theoretical knowledge and practical skills
Theory, experimental procedure, evaluation, fault simulation and sample solutions
Animations, graphics and images to explain theory and experiment set-ups
All courses may be edited using an HTML editor
LabSoft: browser with menu, navigation and display windows for display and conduct of all UniTrain courses
Virtual instruments (VIs) are made available for real-time measurement or for generating output signals.
Navigation to any point within the course
User-specific documentation, evaluation and storage of experimental results
Management of courses, users and user groups
Optional integration of circuit simulator, course editor, etc. into the menu structure.
Self-designed courses may be integrated and displayed
Languages: D, GB, F, E (others available on request)

Modules Offered

Module 1

Sensors for Automation

Inductive and capacitive proximity switches, optoelectronic proximity switch, magnetic field sensor, optoelectronic sensor with fiber optic wave guide
Two guide rails (X and Y axes) for moving material samples
Electrically driven X axis with displacement measurement facility
Motor-driven segmented disc with speed control to determine limiting frequencies
Counters and frequency meters
Various interchangeable material samples
Lab soft browser and course software

Module 2

Fundamentals of PLC technology

Training contents

PLC fundamentals and basic concepts
Design and operation
Logical operations, memory functions, timer and counter functions, signal edge evaluation, control of program sequence, analog value processing
Addressing
Program structures
Project planning of automation systems
Programming with ST, FBD or KOP according to IEC 1131
Basic logical operations in ST, FBD and KOP
Combined basic logical operations
Memory chips
Function blocks
Program structures
Analog value processing
Sequence control systems
Project planning in digital technology, traffic light control and analog value processing
Project planning with 7-segment displays

Module 3

Pneumatics

The course imparts the basic knowledge of pneumatics. In all practice-related project tasks, core and specialist qualifications are imparted in an integrated manner, including independent planning, execution and control.

Basic training in a wide range of vocational fields is intended to impart skills and qualifications in a practice-oriented manner. In order to carry out a qualified professional activity, the pupils should in particular learn how to plan, carry out and control independently as well as how to act in the overall context of the company.

Module 4

Electropneumatics

The course imparts the basic knowledge of electropneumatics. In all practice-related project tasks, core and specialist qualifications are imparted in an integrated manner, including independent planning, implementation and monitoring.

Basic vocational training in a wide range of occupational fields is intended to impart practical skills and qualifications. In order to carry out a qualified professional activity, the pupils should in particular learn how to plan, carry out and control independently as well as how to act in the overall context of the company.

Module 5

PLC with Applications

Module 6

Handling Robot Mover4 HD

The Mover4 HD is a four-axis robot arm designed for use in schools and colleges. The Mover4 HD allows realistic automation scenarios to be simulated. It can be set up as a movement platform and combines physics, mathematics and information technology in such a way that they are made tangibly real. The robot arm has four serial axes and can therefore move through three dimensions and tilt its hand to specific angles.

Module 7

3 - Axis Gantry Robot

The portal robot is used to perform pick & place or storage tasks with workpieces. Other tasks such as stacking workpieces, storage, following contours and much more are also possible. With the help of the pen holder, pens can be fixed and used to draw figures. The programming of circles, rectangles or even triangles is represented graphically. The pens, or even the work surfaces, cannot be damaged by incorrect operation, since the pen holder automatically decouples in this case. The pen holder can then be reattached at any time.

Module 8

KUKA Industrial Robot

With the basic equipment set 'CRK 10 Kuka Industrial Robot' and the corresponding course, all of the basics of robot programming can be taught. For more advanced applications the robot control unit is equipped with a Profinet port for connection to a PLC. The projects described in the course enable the student to, among other things, set the working range, define the tools or program Pick&Place assignments.

Module 9

Collaborative 6 - Axes Robot

The 6-axes robot arm does not need a protective cage or zone. The collaborative properties of the arm permit safe operation with the robot without any protective safety measures. The force-disabling sensitivity is adjustable.

The assembled two-finger gripper can be incrementally open and closed with precision. The gripping force used to grasp objects can also be set separately and variably for each project. This makes it deployable for a host of different project tasks.

With its integrated camera system, the collaborating robot can reliably detect the shape and location of objects and then grip these objects at predetermined positions. The robot automatically adapts itself to the new location depending on where the object being gripped is.

Module 10

Automated Guided Vehicle System with Cyber Physical System

In modern companies more and more driverless transport systems (DTS) are being deployed. Orientation of the DTS is performed via integrated sensors which scan the environment. By comparing the environment with the previously created map, the DTS can safely navigate the room.

The conveyor belt permits one or more workpiece carriers to be loaded. The DTS docks at the transport system of a production line and receives a workpiece carrier transferred from the belt. The DTS then drives automatically to a drop-off point previously stored and hands over the workpiece carrier to another conveyor belt system.