Model-based Design and Simulation of a Soft Robotic Gripper for Fabric Material Handling

Fabric and textile materials are widely used in many industrial applications, especially in automotive, aviation, and consumer goods. Currently, there is a lack of automatic solutions for rapid and effective fabric handling operations that can be expanded to various applications, causing economic loss, workplace safety issues, and process bottlenecks. As a bio-inspired novel technology, soft robotic grippers provide new opportunities for the automation of fabric handling tasks. In this research, an elastomer-based tendon-actuated soft gripper for fabric pick and place tasks is developed through a model-based design approach. Based on finite element analysis, the gripper design is simulated, modified, and validated. Multiple design variables and their impacts are studied. Detailed motion patterns of the underactuated structure are obtained. After the design is established, a prototype is fabricated trough additive manufacturing and overmolding processes to physically test the functionality of the gripper and further validate the simulation results.

Green synthesis and characterization of carboxymethyl guar gum: Application in textile printing technology

This study focusses on the synthesis of carboxymethyl guar gum (CMG) via monochloroacetic acid under alkaline conditions. The reaction conditions were also optimized during the course of experiment. Guar derivative with variable degree of substitution (DS) were prepared and were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The DS was determined quantitatively by titration method for each derivative. The synthesized guar gum derivatives, being the natural thickners, have been used in textile printing technology. Substituted guar gum has been proved environmental friendly thickener as compared to synthetic thickeners. Penetration properties, fixation ability, colour fastness, levelness and fabric handling was compared with alginate thickener (commercially available). Guar gum thickeners showed enhanced properties versus alginate thickener and can be used as an alternative to synthetic thickeners in view of its green, non-hazardous and economical derivatives. Guar gum is the outstanding natural thickener, stabilizer, gelling agent and could possibly be used in various industrial units including food, cosmetic, textile, oil fracturing and mining.

Numerical strength analysis of the roller for textile fabric handling

Presented is the methodology of conducted numerical tests and experiments on the stress analysis in the roller for transporting textile fabrics, gained directly from the production line. The results of both analyses were compared and the tested object verified in terms of its operational safety.

Robotic Material Handling of Flexible Fuel Cell Membranes

One of the biggest challenges in the manufacturing of high temperature fuel cells is the creation of the Membrane Exchange Assembly (MEA). This is the heart of the fuel cell, where the 4–5 components must be assembled with very high tolerances to perform successfully. One of the key components, the membrane, is similar to plastic food wrap. Handling plastic wrap alone in a wrinkle free mode, with precision cut edges is difficult enough. But it also must be saturated in acid, creating a very slippery product. And the membrane will grow or shrink in a matter of 5 minutes when exposed to moisture in the air. So this material handling effort is orders of magnitude more difficult than the established methods for “simple” items like paper. This paper will document the research conducted into the robotic material handling of the fuel cell membranes. It requires a mix of traditional robotic techniques, some techniques from the fabric handling arena, and some new approaches. The issues from lifting a wet film from a PET backer sheet consistently and the sensing requirements for accurate placement have made this a challenging effort.

The Influence of Environmental Conditions on Automated Fabric Handling

The automation of garment assembly has proved to be very difficult to achieve with the cost, flexibility and reliability required by the manufacturers. The importance of two fabric properties, friction and bending stiffness, is emphasised, with a focus on a pick and place task. It is also shown that changes in humidity can cause significant changes in the unloaded friction coefficients and the bending stiffnesses of fabrics and thus affect the task operation. Both theoretical and experimental results are given. This leads to three possible approaches: close regulation of the materials and processes, handling processes tolerant to changes in the material properties, and thirdly, intelligent systems which can learn from and adapt to each situation.