Open Access

Julian Hanke

• The manufacturing industry has undergone significant transformations in the past, culminating in the current era of Industry 4.0. The main impact of this revolution is the transition of mass manufacturing to unique and individualized products tailored to customers' needs and preferences. Industries such as aerospace or automotive production, typically characterized by very rigid production and testing processes as a consequence of the high safety demands placed on their products, are also beginning the transition to increasingly customized production. Flexible testing methods are essential to test the diverse and complex components required by this paradigm. Robots, particularly in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), have become valuable assets for ensuring component integrity and safety. However, destructive component testing still relies mainly on traditional, non-flexible testing machines. Industrial robots can be utilized to meet the demands of Industry 4.0 and the need for adaptabilityThe manufacturing industry has undergone significant transformations in the past, culminating in the current era of Industry 4.0. The main impact of this revolution is the transition of mass manufacturing to unique and individualized products tailored to customers' needs and preferences. Industries such as aerospace or automotive production, typically characterized by very rigid production and testing processes as a consequence of the high safety demands placed on their products, are also beginning the transition to increasingly customized production. Flexible testing methods are essential to test the diverse and complex components required by this paradigm. Robots, particularly in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), have become valuable assets for ensuring component integrity and safety. However, destructive component testing still relies mainly on traditional, non-flexible testing machines. Industrial robots can be utilized to meet the demands of Industry 4.0 and the need for adaptability in component testing. Robots offer precision, repeatability, and adaptability, simulating real-world conditions and conducting complex tests. Robot-based software-defined test benches are characterized by their agility and adaptability through software. These systems are not bound to static test configurations. Instead, they use software to define and control test procedures, parameters, and criteria. Therefore, software-defined test benches represent a paradigm shift in the field of destructive testing in the context of Industry 4.0. This thesis presents a holistic approach for software-defined robot-based component testing, which enables the flexible and automated destructive testing of various components using industrial robots. A versatile testing facility was realized as foundation for enabling robot-based component testing. Given the novelty of robot-based component testing, there is a lack of established practices in software development in this field. To address this shortage, a standardized testing procedure was introduced and an overarching architecture concept was developed to manage this procedure on the software-defined testing bench. The complexity of testing scenarios necessitates a systematic approach for describing motions and their sequences. A modeling framework for robot-based testing motions was introduced. Additionally, automated specimen placement is crucial for testing. The CASP (Computer Aided Specimen Placement) algorithmic approach was presented, automating specimen placement by considering reachability and applicable forces and torques of industrial robots. Four case studies were conducted to evaluate the holistic approach for software-defined robot-based component testing. The first case study was utilized to make an informed determination regarding the feasibility of employing robots in this domain. A tensile test setup on a conventional testing machine and the same setup on a robot-based test bench were compared to this end. The achieved results showed the applicability of robots for component testing in principle. In addition to this basic comparison, three further case studies with different components were evaluated. The results demonstrate the potential of robot-based testing in various real-world scenarios, highlighting the benefits of flexibility, reproducibility, and adaptability in testing complex components.…