Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Hadi Atwi

Richard Moore

Harold P Sears

An automated additive manufacturing production (AAMP) system includes one or more AAMP system stations disposed in an environment and configured to perform one or more AAMP routines, where each AAMP system station from among the one or more AAMP system stations includes a door. The AAMP system includes one or more robots configured to autonomously travel within the environment and a controller comprising an application program interface (API) configured to communicably couple the one or more robots and the one or more AAMP system stations, where the one or more robots are configured to command, via the API, the one or more AAMP system stations to selectively position the door and initiate the one or more AAMP routines.

Automated additive manufacturing production systems and methods

A robotic gripper apparatus for an automated additive manufacturing production system (AAMPS) includes a pair of gripping assemblies. Each gripping assembly is moveable in a transverse direction between a first position in which the gripping assembly engages an AAMPS workpiece and a second position in which the gripping assembly is disengaged from the AAMPS workpiece. Each gripping assembly includes a gripping element that defines an interface slot configured to receive the AAMPS workpiece. The interface slot is defined by a pair of transversely extending edges of the gripping element and a longitudinal edge of the gripping element disposed between the pair of transversely extending edges.

Robotic gripper apparatus

An AAMP system includes a plurality of AAMP system stations disposed in an environment and configured to perform one or more AAMP processing routines, and a plurality of robots configured to autonomously travel within the environment, where one or more robots from among the plurality of robots include an auxiliary AAMP processing station configured to perform one or more auxiliary AAMP processing routines. The AAMP system includes a controller configured to select an AAMP system station from among the plurality of AAMP system stations to perform the one or more AAMP processing routines based on AAMP system operation data and select a robot from among the plurality of robots to initiate the one or more AAMP processing routines at the selected AAMP system station based on a digital model of the environment and robot operation data, where the robot operation data includes an auxiliary processing state.

A post-processing system includes a rinse tank, a robot arm, a locking fixture, and a controller. The robot arm is configured to engage and move a workpiece. The locking fixture includes a platform support structure and a clamping assembly. The controller is in communication with the robot arm and the platform locking fixture. The controller is configured to instruct the robot arm to move the workpiece from a workstation to the rinse tank, instruct the robot arm to move the workpiece from the rinse tank to the platform support structure, and instruct the clamping assembly to secure the workpiece onto the platform support structure after the workpiece has been moved to the platform support.

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Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Hadi Atwi