The Eurecat technology centre has presented at the Advanced Manufacturing Madrid trade fair the DismantBot project which addresses robotisation of the process of dismantling tower PCs to help in safely and efficiently managing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
The initiative, backed by Sadako Technologies and funded by the PADIH programme, has made it possible to develop “a collaborative robotic system guided by AI vision which also includes a blend of different technologies for recycling computer components and materials at the end of their service life,” says Óscar Palacín, a researcher in Eurecat’s Robotics and Automation Unit.
The Sadako Technologies team has identified waste electrical and electronic equipment as the fastest growing and most technologically challenging waste stream. The project has enabled progress in creating specific datasets for screening electronic components and validating their operation within a fully integrated prototype.
The robot includes spatial identification and detection of components, advanced handling with an optimised multi-tool system, a magnetic gripper and an electronic screwdriver coupled with real-time control and coordination of dismantling work.
Multi-technology bioprinter
The technology centre has also unveiled a multi-technology bioprinter it has designed and manufactured for bioprinting 3D models such as scaffolds and structures from bio-inks, and has made five beta tester positions available to trial the technology.
The innovation includes a plug-and-play system “that allows the type of technology to be switched over and used quickly and easily,” points out Antonio Guerra, a researcher in Eurecat’s New Manufacturing Processes Unit.
It additionally displayed ISF (Incremental Sheet Forming) technology for prototyping and manufacturing one-of-a-kind sheet metal parts or short production runs in complex shapes. The technology makes it possible to produce parts without using costly forming tools with applications in sectors such as transport, machinery and capital goods along with architecture and interior design and in metal processing industries.
The technology centre’s booth also featured metal powder manufactured using centrifugal atomisation technology for additive manufacturing, powder metallurgy processes and spray coating along with an aircraft window equipped with LED lights built in during the manufacturing process using compositronics, a technology which enables the development lightweight and functional structural components with composite materials.
