Qualification of standard industrial robots for micro-assembly

The precision and micro assembly requires special tools, in order to fulfill the high demands in accuracy and control of the assembly process. A precise gripper tool, the micro positioning system (MPS) has been developed, that makes micro assembly with industrial robots possible. The whole assembly process can be surveyed and controlled with a vision system. A compact micro manipulator based on piezo actuators make visual servoing with a high accuracy possible. An integrated 3D-accelerometer system senses vibrations of the handling device and disturbances of the environment, that can be dynamically compensated by the piezo actuators. The MPS can be adapted to different assembly applications due to changeable grippers. The combination of the big workspace of an industrial standard robot and the high precision of the MPS results in cost advantages comparing to precision handling devices. A sample application, the assembly of radio-controlled wrist-watches, shows the performance potential of the MPS.