Cooperative Robot Workstation

I worked on a project at Siemens Healthineers to create a cooperative robot workstation that would partially automate a repetitive task involving the use of a pipette and spinner to evenly coat silicon wafers with a substance. The task was only performed a few dozen times daily, but the waiting time for the spinner to complete its cycle between each wafer made it suitable for automation by a robot.

I began by researching the relevant procedures used by technicians and speaking to them to ensure their needs were met and the proper procedure was followed. Next, I recreated in CAD all the components that the robot would interact with, including the pipette, pipette charging stand, the spinner, and a custom gripper part for the UR3e robot.

I also designed a storage rack for the robot to place trays of completed wafers in, as well as components to mount the pipettes and spinner to the table. A drying rack was also needed to prevent the substance from dripping off the completed wafers before they were placed on the trays.

I created several possible layouts of the workstation with all the components and had a design review with my coworker and manager. The final layout was selected and I added further detail to the CAD design and created a video showcasing the robot's function using SolidWorks motion studies.