Automated calibration using an LBR iiwa from KUKA

In measuring technology, maximum precision is the only thing that counts. This provides ideal conditions for the use of robots. For efficient use, however, they must be able to grip various large objects without damaging them. At measuring technology specialist Perschmann Calibration GmbH, a sensitive robot system with a KUKA LBR iiwa performs the loading of a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), automating the calibration process.

“A human hair is roughly 50 µm thick and the silk threads of a spider are approx. 5 µm. The precision with which we at Perschmann Calibration calibrate measuring instruments is approx. 0.5 µm,” explains Dr. Detlef Rübesame, Head of Technology at Perschmann Calibration GmbH. The calibration service provider specializes in manual measuring instruments. Among other things, it performs the high-precision inspection of gauges such as measuring pins and setting rings. The company’s customer base consists primarily of customers from conventional mechanical engineering, the automotive industry or the aerospace sector. The customers use the measuring instruments for quality assurance in their production processes.

The automated measuring process brought many advantages for Perschmann: the time required for each measuring instrument is reduced and measuring instruments identified as faulty are discarded by the LBR iiwa. At the same time, the KUKA LBR iiwa has made it possible to perform calibration around the clock. At night, the fully automatic inspection system runs ten times faster. This is possible because other safety regulations apply to operation without humans.