Integrating machine vision in the development of automatic mounting system for massive electroplating components

Abstract The traditional industrial electroplating parts manufacturing process typically relies on manual labour to suspend them in the electroplating tank, requiring a significant amount of manual work. However, due to a shortage of manpower and frequent staff turnover, this has posed challenges to production efficiency. Therefore, this research proposes an automated mounting system by integrating machine vision technology and the development of robotic arms to replace the conventional manual suspension method. The automated mounting system initially separates individual ring-shaped electroplating components using a disk vibratory feeder. Subsequently, it utilizes a unidirectional reciprocating mechanism and infrared detection to position these electroplating components onto a backlit panel. Then, the IDS uEye XS2 autofocus camera captures images, and in conjunction with machine vision technology, rapidly determines the position, characteristics, and orientation of these ring components. Finally, through TCP communication protocol, commands for gripping points are transmitted to the robotic arm, which uses electromagnetic valves on the arm to pick up the components and suspend them onto the hanger using an optimized path. The final test results demonstrate that the automated installation system can complete 14 installation operations per minute, effectively reducing the time and cost associated with manual labour, significantly enhancing the production output of the assembly line. Therefore, this study combines machine vision technology to propose a solution for the automated installation system of large-scale electroplating components.