Integração de uma impressora 3D com função contínua na produção e logística utilizando a etiquetagem RFID

Abstract

With the increasing automation of processes in industry, the use of different technologies and resources has occurred spontaneously. Among the various areas of implementation of new technologies, logistics and sorting are two of the areas most affected by possible human errors, thus requiring a change in the processes currently used in order to make them less manual. This type of automation is proposed by the 4th Industrial Revolution, called Industry 4.0, and allows the whole system to work correctly without human labor and therefore with less susceptibility to errors. In this context, this project proposed a laboratory experiment using a programmable logic controller (PLC), sensors, RFID tags, robotic arms, and an automatically guided vehicle in order to improve the quality of the parts selection and sorting process. Using a PLC, it was possible to control the picking and writing/reading of each part made by the 3D printer, establish the route of the vehicle to the sorting area, and make the sorting reliable according to the information contained in each printed part. The main objective was to reduce the degree of human labor intervention in the different production steps. This method provided a drop in sorting errors and also allowed the whole process to take place autonomously. By interconnecting the different elements of the system, a closed and totally independent network was created that ensures the passage of all essential information from printing to sorting.