ASTM International Developing Standards for Testing Robot Assembly

ASTM International’s F45 committee on robotics, automation, and autonomous systems is seeking participation in the development of proposed standards for testing and recording assembly capabilities of robot systems.

The proposed standards -- WK87213 and WK87214 -- will provide a reliable and repeatable means for testing assembly capabilities of robot systems, according to ASTM committee member Kenny Kimble, a mechanical engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The proposed standards also include a practice for recording the testing setup and configuration so that users can create and compare test results across the robotics community.

“The proposed standards will be most useful to robotics research labs, both academic and industry-based, that are regularly working with manufacturing assembly operations,” said Kimble in a release. “Manufacturers can use the standards to benchmark robot performance as well as compare results to encourage innovation and solve manufacturing problems.”

ASTM welcomes manufacturers to join standards effort

Kimble noted that the organization's task group is particularly looking for participation from the manufacturing industry in the development of these standards.

“Manufacturers deal directly with the current problems involved in robot assembly,” he said. “They are also some of the most primary users of the already-available NIST assembly test boards referenced in the proposed standards.”

ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards, and it offers membership at its website.