Flexible robotic demanufacturing using real time tool path generation

The need for new demanufacturing technologies exists due to a growing population of end of life electronic products. The demanufacturing method presented in this work is unique from disassembly because destructive methods are employed; thus, eliminating the need to account for precedence relationships. Furthermore, the new demanufacturing method employs cutting operations but differs from traditional machining operations due to the degree of flexibility required. To address this very high scale flexibility, a unique prototype flexible demanufacturing work cell has been established. Unique contributions of this flexible demanufacturing method include a new system model that utilizes a product surface model and a robot tool position model to actively generate real time tool paths. The model uses manifolds to reduce the tool path generation function to navigation of the surface manifold. Tool path generation occurs in three stages: machining operation sequencing, active tool path generation and active product avoidance. A case study of the demanufacture of mobile phones is presented to illustrate the flexible robotic demanufacturing operation. The case study shows that a new flexible robotic demanufacturing process has been achieved that requires no predetermined information on the product surface geometry.