Analysis and prediction of the elastodynamic behavior of an automatic machine for plastic cap assembly by means of vibration measurements

The paper deals with a case study from the automation industry and is relative to an experimental campaign carried out on an automatic machine for the assembling of plastic caps. The final purpose of the manufacturer is increasing the machine working speed of 50% (and thus the productivity), by introducing only limited design modifications to the machine current version. Since elastodynamic phenomena could be an issue at high speed, an experimental campaign was performed for assessing the vibrations characterizing the machine operation at different regimes. The analysis permitted to identify the functional units mainly affected by elastodynamic issues related to the speed increment. The results concerning two of these units, namely a pick-and-place manipulator and a power transmission chain, are presented and discussed.