Development and Analysis of a Shape-Conformable Supporting Head

for a Self-Reconfigurable Intelligent Swarm Fixture System

Roberto Avvenente, Aamir Khan, Xiong Li, Matteo Zoppi, Dimiter Zlatanov, Rezia Molfino
PMAR Lab, DIMEC, University of Genoa, Via Opera Pia 15a, Genoa, 16145 Italy
Email: zoppi@dimec.unige.it




Abstract

The development of a self-reconfigurable intelligent fixture system has been the focus of the SwarmItFIX project funded
by European Commission. The proposed system consists of several actuated fixtures (agents) collaborating to hold the
workpiece in position without human interference. Each fixture is composed of a mobile base, a parallel mechanism and
a self-adjustable head. This paper focuses on development and analysis of the agent head. Based on an analysis of the
design requirements, various conformable strategies are proposed, evaluated and compared. A head subsystem using
granular material with vacuum adhesion, using the concept of pseudo-phase change, is proposed and analyzed. Proto-
types have been created and experiments have been carried out to check their general feasibility, and in particular their
self-adaptation to surfaces with various geometries.





1 Introduction
Intelligent manufacturing is a new discipline of industrial
automation which will play an increasingly important role.
The intelligence level of a manufacturing system is lim-
ited by the intelligence of any of its components. As the
automation of fixturing systems has often lagged behind
that of other components, the development of flexible fix-
ture systems (FFS) has been the focus of a lot of recent
effort in research and development. Flexible fixtures can
be classified into modular flexible fixture systems (MFFS)
and single-structure flexible fixture systems (SFFS) [1].
These fixtures can be adapted to various workpieces.
However, none of these fixtures offer simultaneously the
advantages of short reconfiguration time, easy set-up,
adaptability to large shape ranges, minimum complexity,
and low cost with respect to performance. In fact, these
tools often need off-line human interference to set up, and
may require external measuring equipment to adjust their
position and orientation.
To fill this gap, the development of a novel autonomous
flexible fixture system is the focus of the SwarmItFIX
project funded within the European Commissions Sev-
enth Framework Programme. Autonomous fixtures are
ones that can be implemented and operated without direct
human participation via automated servo control, artificial
intelligence, and sensing. The proposed SwarmItFIX sys-
tem combines flexibility, self-reconfigurability, automa-
tion, and swarm collaboration.
The projects primary target area of application is the ma-
chining of large metal sheets, especially in the manufac-
turing of parts for the aerospace industry, such as fuselage
sections, aerofoils, and other panels.
The proposed solution involves mobile autonomous fix-
turing agents, which reposition periodically in order to
support the workpiece area near the moving machine tool.
Significant increase in effectiveness and decrease in cost
can come from on-line fully actuated reconfiguration,
large adaptability to different shapes, as well as the capa-
bility to dynamically concentrate the support in the region
where machining is actually performed, especially when
this is done on-line, without moving the part from the fix-
ture.
In this paper, after a short description of the system con-
cept, we focus on the development and analysis of one
subsystem, the agents supporting head. The head has three
major functions: adapting to the local workpiece geometry,
ensuring stiffness compatible with the machining fixturing
requirements, and providing a sufficient adhesion force.
On the basis of an analysis of the design requirements,
several solutions, using different mechanisms and smart
phase-change materials, are proposed. The created proto-
types and the performed experiments are described. Finally,
the conclusions are summarized and future tasks are out-
lined.

2 The fixturing system and the
role of the agent head
The proposed system consists of several actuated fixtures
(agents) which collaborate to hold and position the work-
piece without human interference (Figure 1). During the
machining process, the fixtures move periodically to form
a supporting configuration consistent with the process plan
and the workpiece geometry. Each fixture agent is com-
posed of a mobile base, a parallel mechanism (PM) and a
self-adjustable head. The mobile base provides the loco-
motion of the agent and houses all the electronic parts for
the control system. The PM with six degrees of freedom
provides the local positioning of the supporting head with
respect to the sheet. The head is in direct contact with the
sheet panel and utilizes an intelligent material with phase-
change properties to conform to the surface geometry
which can vary substantially in different panels.


Figure 1 Self-reconfigurable intelligent swarm fixtures


The agent head is a subsystem of key importance for the
targeted application. The main function of the head is to
support the thin-sheet workpiece. Therefore, the head
needs to adapt and adhere to the geometry of the local sur-
face of the workpiece. The specific design requirements of
the conformable head for fixturing metal sheets are as fol-
lows:
(1) Stiffness. During the agents support phase, the head
must have sufficient yield stiffness to hold the large-scale
sheet and resist the machining force.
(2) Adhesion. To avoid sheet vibrations and other slight
movements, the head must adhere to the sheet rigidly and
maintain uninterrupted contact with it during the support
phase.
(3) Shape self-conformability. The head must be auto-
matically adaptive to the workpiece shape.
(4) Fast operation time. Since the agents need to self-
reconfigure while keeping pace with the machine tool, the
head placement on and removal from the workpiece, as
well as the change of stiffness, must be done in very short
time.
(5) Heat resistance. Operation should not be affected by
the heat that can be generated during drilling and milling
processes.
(6) Cost efficiency.

Additionally, the operation of the head should cause no
harm or hazard to the workpiece or the environment.
3 Methods of shape conformability
Shape conformability can be realized using mechanical
structures, special materials, or a combination of the two.
3.1 Conformability via special materials
Memory metal and phase-change materials (PCMs) are
the most common solutions to achieve adaptability via
special materials.
A shape memory alloy (SMA) can return to its previous
shape after deformation when heat is applied. Researchers
at MIT have used SMA to develop a set of conformable
clamps [2]. The clamps consist of 4x4 arrays of fingers,
Figure 2. The pack of fingers is normally compressed by
lateral forces and the friction between the fingers locks
them. To reconfigure the system, the lateral forces are re-
leased and springs beneath the fingers push them out. Ex-
ternal forces are applied to move the fingers to new de-
sired positions. Lateral forces are reapplied to lock the
system.

Figure 2 MIT conformable clamp made of SMA
Phase-change materials are able to change their state from
liquid to solid, and back. They can be classified into au-
thentic phase-change and pseudo-phase-change materials.
The phase change can be induced by temperature, elec-
tricity, compressed air/vacuum, or a combination of those.
Authentic phase-change materials can be: thermoplastic
materials, fusible alloys, electrorheological (ER), and
magneto-rheological (MR) fluids. Zalba et al. [3] list 45
types of commercial materials. Boyes and Sedlik [4] ana-
lyse some applications such as Rigidax and fusible alloy
produced of the Cerro brand which are commercially
available [5]. The typical application setup is the fluidized
bed: the workpiece is immersed into the liquid-state fix-
ture; the fixture undergoes phase change into solid state to
hold the workpiece; after the machining is finished, the
material changes back to its liquid state allowing the re-
moval of the workpiece. Though this technology is com-
mercially viable, the use of such materials has limitations.
Thus, the high temperature (needed to induce phase
change) may cause deformation of the workpiece. More-
over, the phase-change velocity may be too variable, mak-
ing it difficult to comply with operation scheduling time
requirements. There are also environmental concerns and
risks from residual thermal stress.
The ER fluid is controlled by electrical fields and usually
consists of a suspension of fine dielectric particles in a
liquid of low dielectric constant [6, 7]. When there is no
electrical field, the liquid suspension is stable with low
viscosity. When the electrical field is applied, and the
field strength exceeds a certain critical value, the viscosity
will increase and the ER fluid will solidify with a body
centred tetragonal (BCT) structure [8]. At present, the
normal and highest yield stress of ER fluid can typically
reach to 10 kPa and 60 kPa respectively. Grippo et al. de-
veloped a prototype using ER fluids, Figure 3 [9].

Figure 3 Fixture using electrorheological fluid
Magnetorheological (MR) fluids consist of a suspension
of ferromagnetic or paramagnetic particles of micrometer
size in a non-magnetic carrier fluid. They are used in a
similar manner to ER fluids. Fixture systems using this
principle are presented in [10, 11].
Phase change is realized with the application of high volt-
age (2-4 kV/mm) for the ER fluids or a high strength
magnetic field for the MR fluids [12].
The use of the ER and MR fluids for fixturing applica-
tions can help ensure fast operation time and avoid the
harmful thermal effects of heat-induced phase change.
Pseudo-phase-change materials do not truly change their
aggregate state, but rather modify some of their properties
and behaviour under certain conditions. The process of
pseudo-phase change is usually generated by air.
The phase-change material typically consists of loose
small particles in an enclosed soft-walled container. When
air is present, the bag with granular material behaves as if
filled with liquid. When vacuum is applied, the particles
are tightly packed and the container becomes solid. A
typical example is shown in Figure 4 [13]. The fluidized-
bed vice consists of a container with numerous small
spheres. The container has a porous base through which
air passes at a controlled rate. In this case, the spheres be-
have like fluid into which the workpiece is partially im-
mersed. When the air supply is switched off, the spheres
fall down onto the base due to gravity, and are compacted
to form a solid mass, thus securing the workpiece.
porous
base
workpiece
spheres
air supply

Figure 4 Fluidized-bed vice
This approach can accommodate workpieces with various
geometries at low-cost. However, the holding force and
torque are also relatively low. The container cannot be
moved until the vacuum compaction process is complete.
3.2 Conformability via mechanical structures
Conformable devices can be built using only mechanical
structures with no special materials. The most common
approach involves the use of springs and/or pin-array sys-
tems with small contact area. As described in reference
[7], a conformable clamping system comprised of two-
section clamps was developed for turbine blades. Pneu-
matic plungers in the lower half of each clamp conform to
the shape of the blades. A similar solution, described in
[8], adopts lockable spring-loaded plungers for multi-
point contact with the workpiece to ensure its conform-
ability to the workpiece geometry.

Figure 5 Spring system
Another design using this spring mechanism is shown in
Figure 5 [14]; the design in Figure 6 [15] incorporates
springs and pins. Another design [16] uses an array of
pins to adjust to the form of the sheet. The work reported
in [13, 14] also uses pin-array systems to realize shape
adaptation.


Figure 6 Spring and pin system
4 Agent head development
The design of the supporting head of the smart fixture can
be based on two different conceptual approaches. One
employs magnetorheological fluid, while the other is
based on incompressible grains (e.g. sand).
4.1 Conceptual design
4.1.1 Concept 1: Magnetorheological Fluid
Magnetorheological fluids are stable suspensions of mag-
netically polarisable micron-sized particles suspended in a
low-volatility carrier fluid, usually a synthetic hydrocar-
bon.
The change in properties of the magnetorheological fluid
can be used, in turn, to stop and to permit the movement
of pistons that materially support the workpiece, while
adhesion to the workpiece is achieved by vacuum.
However, the magnitude of the force in these systems is
limited and the stability might be a problem when holding
a workpiece subject to large machining forces. The yield
stiffness and pre-yield elastic modulus are the key factors
for the feasibility of the application of MR fluids. There-
fore, the feasibility of this concept must be tested with
special attention to the rigidity and stiffness of the sup-
porting head.
4.1.2 Concept 2: Granular Material
In this concept, suction of air from the inter-particular
space is used to compact granular material into a hard
state.
The material is loose initially, allowing the head to adapt
to the workpiece. The agent then places the head in the
correct working position, and the granular material takes
the shape of the surface of the metal sheet to be machined.
After correct positioning is achieved, a vacuum generator
draws the air out of the inter-particular space. As a result,
the granular material becomes hard and is able to support
the workpiece rigidly in the desired position. After the
end of the support phase for the agent, the vacuum is re-
leased and the granular material becomes loose again. The
agent can now move the head to the next desired place-
ment and begin another support phase.
4.2 Structural design and analysis
Based on the Concept 2, three kinds of structures have
been designed. Herein, they are referred to as cup-shape,
ring-shape, and perforated-sandbag designs.
4.2.1 Cup-shape design
As shown in Figure 7, in this design the sand is packaged
in the central pit of the cup and supported by the perfo-
rated sand support. The sand is contained in a thin fabric
net acting as a container and a filter. The small bag con-
taining the sand is then covered by a rubber membrane,
which allows the generation of vacuum inside the sand
bag and provides high friction between the head and the
workpiece.
A rubber pipe links the vacuum generator with the empty
space at the bottom of the cup. This volume is connected
both to the sand container, through the multiple holes of
the perforated sand support, and to the space between the
sand bag and the sealing lip, by twelve other holes.
Air is thus simultaneously removed from two separate
volumes.

Figure 7 Cup-shape design
First, from the sand container, through the perforated sand
support disk, causing it to compact and become hard un-
der the load of the atmospheric pressure acting on the ex-
posed part of the membrane.
Second, from the space between the rubber membrane
and the sealing lip, it creates the vacuum responsible for
the adhesion force holding the workpiece pressed hard
against the membrane containing the sand.
The vertical support is provided by the compacted sand,
while the rigid support in the lateral direction comes from
the friction generated between the work piece and the
rubber membrane (containing the compacted and hence
hardened sand) as inside vacuum pulls the workpiece hard
against the supporting head.
4.2.2 Ring-shape design
In this design of the head (Figures 8 and 9), sand is con-
tained in the shape of a ring instead of the cylindrical vol-
ume of the last design. Vacuum is created through a bot-
tom hole, while radial horizontal openings allow the air to
be removed from the sand. A cylindrical membrane cov-
ers the sand. A sealing membrane is provided on top, as
shown in the sectional view, to permit vacuum generation.
When this ring-shaped sealing ring comes in contact with
the workpiece an enclosed space is created between the
sheet and the head. When suction is applied, air is re-
moved from this enclose space as well as from the sand
through the holes. This compacts the sand and at the same
time creates a suction force in the space which presses the
sheet against the head.
The advantage of this design over the previous one is
that the contact area is at the periphery of the head, allow-
ing better support and torsional resistance with the same
head size. A drawback is the difficulty in creating a tight
seal between the sealing ring and the membrane.

Figure 8 Ring-shape design

Figure 9 Top view of the ring-shape structure
4.2.3 Perforated sandbag design
In the perforated sandbag design (Figure 10), the sand is
contained in a thin net-fabric bag with a perforated silicon
cover connected to the main structure of the prototype. A
very thin sealing lip is used which is attached to the hous-
ing of the head with a suitable gluing material. The lip
follows the side profile of the sand bag and adheres to it
because of the generated vacuum. Atmospheric pressure
applied to the sealing lip from the sides provides stiffness
to the sand bag and prevents the crushing of the sand
when the vertical force at the workpiece becomes large or
when the vibrations are excessive. The vacuum pipe is
connected to the lower part of the head, while the upper
part contains the sandbag above a perforated surface.
Multiple holes in the head base assist the uniform com-
pacting of the sand.
The sand may be mixed with some rigid plastic or glass
spherical balls of small size. Their larger size relative to
the sands grains ensures that when the air is drawn out,
there always remain enough cavities to ensure that there is
no choking. Thus, the sand in the whole bag (including
the parts far from the suction holes and close to the work-
piece surface) can compact properly. The chocking could
occur if the sand close to the suction holes compacts too
quickly leaving no path for the air bubbles to escape from
the rest of the sand bag.
In this design, the air sucked out by the vacuum generator
comes only from the sandbag which also provides the ad-
hesion to the workpiece because of the holes in the silicon
cover. The external lip is only needed to ensure the seal-
ing. There is a very small space between the external lip
and the perforated sandbag, and since the lip is very thin,
it can adapt to the sand and the sheet shape very easily.
When the head comes in contact with a curved surface,
the sandbag deforms to adapt to the shape. Then, the vac-
uum generator is switched on causing simultaneously the
adhesion to increase and the sandbag to become stiff.

Figure 10 Structure of perforated sandbag
5 Experiments and discussion
5.1 Tests of Concept 1
To test the material behaviour of the first concept, a head
with the magnetorheological fluid MRHCCS4-A, devel-
oped by Liquid Research (UK) [17], is used. This fluid is
characterised by a low off-state viscosity and a very fast
response time when subjected to the action of a magnetic
field.
During preliminary tests the material was found to be
very suitable in non-magnetized state, with the ability to
move and conform to the shape of the surface quickly and
accurately. However, when a magnetic field, generated by
an NdFeB magnet, was applied the increase in stiffness
was not sufficient to allow the use of the material to sup-
port a workpiece as conceived.
Nevertheless, the observed increase in viscosity of the
MR fluid, passing from a non-magnetized to a magnetized
state, was considerable. This suggested that the use of MR
fluids is not to be discarded completely, but that it was
necessary to find a different way to fully exploit the prop-
erties of the fluid. Currently, a new concept for the head,
using a magnetorheological fluid is under development.
This new research direction became apparent only due to
the results obtained from these preliminary tests.
5.2 Tests of Concept 2
5.2.1 Experiments
The aim of the tests, carried over the heads constructed in
accordance with Concept 2, was to evaluate whether the
suction force provided by the different designs was
enough to ensure a stable and sufficiently stiff adherence
of the workpiece to the head.
The test bench was setup as illustrated in Figure 11. A
scaffolding structure was erected to support the workpiece
at four points. The tested prototype of the head was
mounted on the end-effector flange of a Kuka serial robot
KR16. Vacuum was provided by a Venturi pipe posi-
tioned on the robot and connected to the head by a rubber
duct.
The workpiece is resting on the scaffolding. A pulling
system with a load cell is attached to the top of the work-
piece via two suction cups. The type of the load cell is
U2B.
The head positioned under the workpiece by the Kuka
Robot is moved perpendicular to the surface to achieve
contact; then the vacuum generator is switched on. This
causes the sand contained in the prototype to become stiff
and adhesion to be achieved. It is now tested if the com-
pacting of the sand yields enough rigidity to maintain the
positional accuracy needed for milling and drilling opera-
tions. After the workpiece is fixed to the head the robot
lifts the sheet. The pulling system begins to apply the load
until the sheet is torn away from the head.
Additionally, by attaching the pulling system with the
load cell to a small hole at the side of the workpiece, it is
possible to test the lateral stiffness of the system com-
posed of the sheet and the head.
Based on the different designs, prototypes (Figure 12)
have been made to conduct tests to validate the concept
and provide information for further improvements.

Figure 11 Setup of the test system


Figure 12Prototypes of the head mounted on the robot
The decision to mount the SwarmItFIX head prototypes
on a Kuka Robot was taken in order to allow testing the
head behaviour with different approach angles and differ-
ent orientations of the curved surface of the workpiece.
5.2.2 Experimental results and discussion
To achieve the experimental objectives various tests were
conducted. One is shown in Figure 13.
Different granular materials were tested, such as: small
plastic, metallic, and glass spheres; sand of different
granulometries; and mixtures of different size grains and
materials. For sand, of all tested granulometries (from 0.1
to 1.5 mm), the mixture of grains of 0.1 mm and 0.4 mm
was selected. Using a mixture of grains of different sizes
facilitates the air suction and also the mobility of the
grains. The mixture chosen is composed of very small
grains in order to have a more homogeneous interface
with the workpiece and to increase the number of points
of contact.
Different rubber membranes were tested, such as natural
rubber (Para 36 TD) and nitrile rubber, in a range of
thickness from 0.1 to 1 mm. The membrane chosen after
testing with the physical prototype was a 0.12 mm thick
nitrile rubber sheet, capable to ensure a good resistance
and a high coefficient of friction with good workability.


Figure 13 Lateral stiffness test
Different kinds of sealing lips were also tested in a large
range of hardness, thickness, and shape, such as: silicon
rubber SH A 4, SH A 22, SH A 50; styrene-butadiene
rubber; natural rubber. Best results were achieved with
silicon rubber SH A 4 and SH A 22 because they are very
soft and able to adhere perfectly to the surface and to the
sandbag.
After a series of tests and analyses, the Structure 1 of
Concept 2, the cup-shape design, was found to be feasible
and to offer good overall performance satisfying the de-
sign requirements.
6 Conclusions and future work

This paper presents the development of a supporting agent
head for the new intelligent swarm fixture system pro-
posed within the SwarmItFIX project.
Tests have shown that the cup-shape design head using
a mixture of sand grains between 0.1 and 0.4 mm, a
membrane in nitrile rubber 0.12 mm thick, and sealing lip
in silicon rubber with a low shore like SH A 4 or SH A 22,
is able to meet the design requirements. When vacuum is
created in the sandbag, the sand becomes very stiff and is
able to support high loads without deformation.
Improvements are underway of the head shape and the
distribution of vacuum. In particular, a triangular shape
for the part of the head in contact with the workpiece is
developed to allow the closer placement of two heads to
provide better continuous support near the moving ma-
chine tool.
The concept employing magnetorheological fluids needs
to be developed following a different approach. At pre-
sent, we are developing new head designs in which MR
fluid is made to flow into small-diameter pipes, and oth-
ers in which porous materials are soaked in the fluid.
New extensive experiments are programmed with the
built prototypes, as well as those currently under devel-
opment. The new tests will be in realistic conditions, and
will involve performing drilling and milling operations
with equipment currently used in the manufacturing of the
parts.
7 Acknowledgments
The research is developed within the SwarmItFIX project
funded under the Seventh Framework Program of the
European Commission (Collaborative Project 214678).
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