Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/N508913/1
Title:	Flexible and Reconfigurable Laser Processing Tool (FlexLase)
Principal Investigator:	Lohse, Professor N
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Wolfson Sch of Mech, Elec & Manufac Eng
Organisation:	Loughborough University
Scheme:	Technology Programme
Starts:	01 January 2016	Ends:	31 December 2017	Value (£):	106,153
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Aerospace, Defence and Marine Manufacturing
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Laser processing of metals and alloys is extensively used in modern manufacturing for various applications including drilling, cutting, welding, surface modification, etc. Industrial robots are currently used for some laser processing applications like cutting and welding where the allowable tolerance limit is around 100 micron. However, applications like laser drilling requires a positional accuracy around 20-25 microns which is not feasible with existing robotic systems and hence is mostly performed using expensive CNC based systems. This project aims to develop a flexible robotic laser processing system which can have a position accuracy of less than 20 micron, and that can be used for most laser applications including laser drilling. By exploiting the speed and precision of modern CCD cameras, the positional error of the robot will be calculated based on the coordinates (of the laser interaction point and a reference point) obtained from the CCD camera. The CCD camera will be co-axial to the nozzle exit. The positional error calculated by the vision system will be compensated by offsetting the laser beam and nozzle position, through a novel mirror and optical assembly. The project will initially undertake proof-of-principle experiments to establish the positional error from the CCD camera image. A new algorithm will be developed to extract the real-time positional error from the CCD camera image and to facilitate compensation of the error by offsetting the laser beam position. National Instruments (NI) real-time module along with a NI CompactRIO system will be used to achieve the required cycle time (less than 10ms). Finally, the CCD camera and the software will be integrated with the robot and the nozzle assembly, to achieve a truly flexible manufacturing system. The immediate application will be on robotic laser drilling of aerospace combustion chambers. It is expected that the FlexLase system will be more accurate and affordable than the systems at present and that it will also open the door for exciting new robotic applications in bio-technology and semiconductor industries.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher
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Project URL:
Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.lboro.ac.uk