Manufacturing Process Planning for Laser Cutting Robotic Systems

Abstract : The paper presents a new computational technique for the manufacturing process planning in laser cutting robotic systems. It focuses on the optimisation of robot motions for continuous contour tracking using the redundancy caused by the tool axial symmetry. In contrast to previous works, the developed technique is based on the dynamic programming and explicitly incorporates verification of the velocity/acceleration constraints. It also takes into account recent advances in robot mechanical design allowing unlimited rotations of some manipulator axes. The technique is implemented in a CAD package and verified in the automotive industry.