34960 - Design of automatic machines and robots (2nd cycle)

Learning outcomes

The student knows the problems of the design and construction of machinery for the automation of discrete processes, the resources available for their solution, the criteria for the choice of these solutions and the procedures for an optimal application.

Course contents

General aspects of industrial processes and their automation; machines and automated production lines; degree of flexibility of an automated production system; productivity parameters. Main types of automatic machines and robots, and their functional classification.

Main operational architectures of single-purpose machines, with particular reference to the sector of the packaging and the automatic assembly; intermittent and continuous machines and their functional and constructive characteristics. General criteria for sizing intermittent and continuous machines.

The industrial robots: main morphological characteristics, the overall structure and construction problems and use.

Auxiliary systems for the manipulation of the parts in automated production systems.

General aspects of the actuators. The fluid actuation systems and their general aspects, design and application.

Subsystems of automatic machines and robots: operational part and the control part.

Elements of patent law.

Readings/Bibliography

For the exam, students can refer to a copy of the slides projected in the classroom and handouts provided by the teacher. Other reference books are recommended:

• Nordmann R. and Birkhofer H., Elementi di macchine e meccatronica, McGraw-Hill, 2002.

• Derby S. J., Design of Automatic Machinery, CRC Press, 2004.

• Siciliano B. and Khatib O. editors, Handbook of robotics, Springer Verlag, 2008.

Teaching methods

Lectures.

The course includes an exercise to be carried out in groups (4/5 students per group, in general); This tutorial will consist of a research of industrial interest assigned by the teacher at the beginning of the course; meetings will be made periodically to check on the progress of the activities of each group; the discussion of the research will be evaluated.

The cours foresee a part of laboratory activities with the use of commercial software for the analysis and simulation of complex mechanisms.

Assessment methods

Oral examination and discussion of an industrial project that will be assigned to the students during the first month of the course.

Teaching tools

Teaching will be conducted through lectures in the classroom based on representative multimedia materials (slides, videos, simulations) designed to effectively document the class topics

Office hours

See the website of Giangiacomo Minak

See the website of Alberto Martini