Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing 21 (2005) 11–17 Complete robotic inspection line using PC-based control, supervision and parameterization software J. Norberto Pires a, *, Se´rgio Paulo b a Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal b Roca Come´rcio e Cer # amica SA, Leiria, Portugal Abstract Non-flat ceramic products, like toilets and bidets, are fully inspected at the end of the production process, to search for structural, surface and functional defects. Ceramic pieces are transported to the inspection lines assembled in pallets, carried by electro- mechanical fork-lifters or automatic guided vehicles. Pallets need to be disassembled, while feeding with the inspection lines where human operators execute the inspection tasks. Also, the pieces that pass inspection need to be palletized again for product distribution. Those de-palletizing and palletizing operations are physically very demanding and can be performed with advantages by robots. This paper discusses with enough detail the adopted solutions used to perform those tasks, giving special attention to the software designed to parameterize and supervise the system. r 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Keywords: Industrial robotics; Distributed software; Palletizing and de-palletizing 1. Introduction This paper is a case study reporting the development of a collection of prototype manufacturing cells, designed to perform automatic palletizing and de- palletizing operations of non-flat ceramic pieces such as toilets and bidets. The factories of these types of products show an impressive mixture of human and automatic labour, meaning that special attention must be taken with regard to human–machine interfaces (HMI), safety, mode of operation, etc. In fact, today manufacturing setups rely increasingly on technology and it is really common to have all sources of equipment on the shop floor, commanded by industrial PCs or PLCs connected by an industrial network to other factory resources [1]. Also, the production systems are becoming more and more autonomous, requiring less operator intervention in day to day normal operation. That means using computers for controlling and super- vision of the production systems, industrial networks [2] and distributed software architectures. It also means, designing application software that is really distributed in the shop floor, taking advantage of the flexibility provided by using programmable equipment. Conse- quently, there is an extensive mixture between human and machine labour in the actual manufacturing systems. The situation, although desirable since agility is a key issue for productivity and efficiency of actual companies, poses some difficulties to the efficient cooperation between humans and machines. Human– machine interfaces (HMI) are consequently very essen- tial to take advantage of the flexibility and capabilities of installed production machines, in cooperation with the human operators [1]. Non-flat ceramic products are commonly used in our homes and are mainly associated with personal care tasks. The industrial production of these ceramic products poses several problems to industrial automa- tion, especially if robots are to be used. Basically, these problems arise from the characteristics of the ceramic pieces: non-flat objects with high reflective surfaces, difficulty to grasp and handle due to the external configuration, heavy weight and fragility, extensive surface sensitivity to damage, high demand on quality of surface smoothness, etc. Also, the production set- ups for this type of products require high-quality and ARTICLE IN PRESS *Corresponding author. 0736-5845/$ - see front matter r 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.rcim.2004.05.003