Building and Maturing Autonomous Manufacturing Systems

Implementation of novel advanced manufacturing technologies faces unique challenges within defense applications, which often require high degrees of flexibility and tend to operate in high-mix, low volume environments. For these reasons, “artisanal” approaches offer the lowest barrier of entry, leading to manufacturing lines with significant human touch labor. Autonomous manufacturing systems that couple agile robotics, in-process sensors, and decision making engines offer a flexible alternative to human-driven manufacturing cells. However, implementation of such systems for any specific manufacturing process presents significant challenges. We highlight these challenges and offer solutions for smart integration of commercially-available hardware to implement autonomous manufacturing systems. We showcase the power of such systems in two case studies: automation of direct-ink write (DIW) printing for process exploration; and robotic incremental forging for point-of-need structural manufacturing. In the first study, we utilize an automated DIW printer with coupled in-process sensing as a testbed for exploring the relationship between ink properties and process parameters for printing complex geometries. In the second study, we implement a closed-loop robotic forging system capable of incrementally forming bulk metal into arbitrary shapes. We conclude by emphasizing the critical importance of human experts in advancing autonomous manufacturing systems, and discuss approaches for integrating human guidance into autonomous processes to form more effective human-machine manufacturing teams.