Compound Robotic Workcell Optimized for Shipboard Weapons Assembly

Assembly of weapons aboard ship is a difficult, manpower intensive operation. The Navy's move toward complex, precision guided munitions such as the JDAM increases these manpower demands. Introducing automation has the potential to improve weapons throughput while reducing the number of Navy personnel needed for the assembly process. Any automated solution must possess both the payload capacity to handle heavy bomb bodies and the dexterity to perform the intricate assembly tasks associated with the JDAM Guidance Set, all within the confined space of a carrier's magazine. Square One proposes a novel automated workcell that mates a pair of tightly-coordinated robots: an overhead gantry stages bomb bodies and JDAM tail assemblies and off-loads finished weapons while an articulated arm attaches strakes, lugs and retainers and performs BIT testing. A two-position rotary table links the work envelopes of these robots allowing them to operate in parallel thus maximizing the workcell's throughput. Automated end effector exchange incorporated into both robots provides operational flexibility. Phase I development will include workcell lay-out, component selection, the evaluation of force sensors and numerical simulation of coordinated robot operations to conclusively establish the feasibility of automated shipboard weapons assembly.