Development of the Triple Theta Assembly Station with Machine Vision Feedback

Increased requirements for tighter tolerances on assembled target components in complex three-dimensional geometries with only days to assemble complete campaigns require the implementation of a computer-controlled high-precision assembly station. Over the last year, an 11-axis computer-controlled assembly station has been designed and built with custom software to handle the multiple coordinate systems and automatically calculate all relational positions. Preliminary development efforts have also been done to explore the benefit of a machine vision feedback module with a dual-camera viewing system to automate certain basic features like crosshair calibration, component leveling, and component centering.