A strategy for human-robot collaboration in taking products apart for remanufacture

Abstract

Using humans and robots working together to disassemble end-of-life (EoL) products so that they can be remanufactured enables catering for the effects of uncertainties in the condition of those products and unpredictability in remanufacturing operations. Collaborative robots are one of the key elements of Industry 4.0. This paper presents a strategy for human-robot collaborative disassembly that exploits the active compliance control capability of collaborative robots. The paper outlines the proposed human-robot collaboration strategy and active compliance control. It then presents a case study of robotic disassembly designed to show a practical implementation of the proposed strategy to take products apart. The study involved the dismantling of an automotive water pump by a collaborative industrial robot working with a human operator and by two collaborative robots and a human operator. Active compliance control was implemented to separate press-fitted components from the water pump. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the strategy and its effectiveness at increasing flexibility and adaptability by reducing setup efforts.

Keywords

• industry 4.0
• remanufacturing
• robotic disassembly
• human-robot collaboration
• collaborative robot
• active compliance control