Analysis of robotic systems test methods targeting test resource utilization improvement

Abstract

The robotics industry continues to grow rapidly. More industries are moving towards automation and are looking for the robotics industry to support the industry 4.0 movement. Due to a push by consumers, robotics producers are getting pressured by customers to deliver higher quality products faster. Motivated by Cost of Quality and Design of Experiments methods, the author breaks down the production systems test of robot manufacturing to identify areas for the focus of experimentation to improve quality and resource utilization. Considering connections between First Pass Yield and Field Failure Rates, the focus on quality improvement demonstrates the strong ties from the robot manufacturers to the final end user customers. By analyzing the robotic production and test systems, the author identifies three areas for the focus of experiments: 1) Test effectivity, 2) Component failure, 3) Robot system and test cell matching. Within each of these areas further analysis then identifies the experimental topics that can be developed through modified Design of Experiments steps to improve quality and remove the waste from failures and production system issues.