Robot-Controlled Stitching Machine

Description:

Industrial robot from KUKA (KR 125) with linear unit (KL 1500). 3 stitching heads from KSL (double lock stitch, blind stitch and tufting head).

Technology:

The stitching technology is applied for the creation of complex textile structures (pre-forms) and for the improvement of the structural properties of consolidated composites. The robot is a 6-axis robot from KUKA (KR 125) with a repeatability within 0.2 mm. In order to enlarge its work envelope, the robot is attached to a gantry and can be moved linearly on a guide rail (KL 1500) so that an overall volume of 5000 x 3500 x 1500 mm can be attained. By using a fast-changing device, three different stitching heads and a laser measuring head can be attached. The latter is used to measure the deposition area. It can be automatically connected to the robot. The stitching heads are two single-sided stitching heads (blind stitch and tufting head) and a double-lock stitching head for which the part needs to be accessible from both sides. The program is developed with the aid of an offline programming system based on the Mechanical Desktop CAD software.

View of the robot stitching unit