GelSight Partners with Flexxbotics to Transform Robotic Precision Testing

A leader in tactile intelligence solutions, GelSight has recently announced its collaboration with Flexxbotics, a leading provider of digital solutions for robotics-driven manufacturing. Combining tactile sensing technology from GelSight with Flexxbotics’s expertise in robotics manufacturing, the partnership introduces a new non-destructive testing (NDT) solution that is robotics-enabled with automated process control for quality control across various industries.

An elastomeric tactile sensing platform allows the technology to inspect any surface. Image used courtesy of GelSight

Partnership Set for Precision Inspection at Scale

Using the unique 3D imaging capabilities of GelSight's tactile sensing technology integrated into Flexxbotics's robot-driven production systems, fast and accurate micron-level surface characterization and 3D mapping of surface defects and finishes can be precisely implemented. This allows quality inspection, enabling manufacturers to conduct NDT during production. According to CEO and Co-founder of Flexxbotics, Tyler Bouchard, the new joint solution brings advanced automated inspection capabilities to modern industries.

The CEO of GelSight, Youssef Benmokhtar, claimed that items that are too complex to measure dimensionally can be inspected consistently and quickly using robotics. Tyler supported the sentiment and expressed the potential of collaboration in handling complex geometry parts.

Key Features of the Joint Solution

The joint solution has tactile sensors from GelSight that offer 3D imaging of defects and surface finishes, allowing for real-time measurement in the production process. To further reduce inspection time by 40% or more, the new solution features an advanced robotic machine tending from Flexxbotics with digital thread traceability and precision. This eliminates costly lab-based inspections with real-time data analysis and automated tracking for nonconformance inspection results.

To ensure accuracy in each measurement in relation to predefined tolerances, manufacturers can automatically feed the geometric dimensioning and tolerancing for each part into the robot and GelSight programs directly. This, together with the compatibility with existing business systems connectivity such as IIoT, MES, CAD/PLM, and QMS, ensures a closed-loop quality control, allowing communication and coordination in the joint solution and other systems in the plant.

A robotic arm fitted with mini tactile sensors from GelSight. Image used courtesy of GelSight

The new NDT solution by the two companies is able to send defect alerts via text or email, and data can be optionally transferred to MES systems of records and quality repositories. Flexxbotics further escalates any issues to the appropriate personnel for root cause identification and corrective action.

Applications in Smart Factories

This advanced NDT solution can be integrated into a smart factory environment, allowing companies to carry out cost-effective inspections with improved margins and increased throughput. The new inspection system is designed for aerospace, defense, automotive manufacturing, and medical devices, where precision and measurement accuracy are important. Operating under high tolerance, these industries are set to leverage the micron-scale precision of the collaborative solution for quality and a fast production process.

As the need for inspection solutions that cater to modern industries grows, partnerships like Gelsight and Flexxbotics offer the potential to transform the way inspection is done with their joint NDT solution. Showcased in Chicago at the international manufacturing technology show (IMT2024), the joint solution by the two companies stands as a potential choice for manufacturers looking to automate inspection, improve productivity, and save inspection costs.