Robot Path Verification Method for Automotive Glue-Coating Based on Augmented Reality and Digital Twin

The automotive glue-coating, as an important part of automobile manufacturing, has a crucial impact on automotive water-proof and rust-proof performances. The glue-coating robots need to be path planned with software, and the paths have to be repeatedly tested with the actual production line using prototype vehicles. There are multiple issues concerning nozzle damage and inefficiency by using the traditional glue-coating path verification method, which calls for a new method to solve these problems. This paper proposes a path verification method for automotive glue-coating based on augmented reality and digital twin. The results show that with this augmented reality and digital twin based method, the operator can observe the glue-coating process intuitively and immersively, so that he can adjust or re-plan the glue-coating path according to the verification results, even before the production of the actual prototype vehicle. The collision between the actual prototype vehicle and the nozzle of the glue-coating robot will be transformed into the collision between the virtual vehicle model and the robot digital twin, which can avoid nozzle damage, save a lot of time for waiting for the production of the prototype vehicle. This method is in line with the general trend of smart manufacturing development and effectively shortens the manufacturing cycle time.