Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Conception of a flexible workpiece carrier to enable automated activities during transportation using a mobile manipulator
Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
|
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613735467614208 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Weitkamper, Jens |
| author2 | Von Leipzig, K. |
| author_browse | Von Leipzig, K. Weitkamper, Jens |
| author_facet | Von Leipzig, K. Weitkamper, Jens |
| author_sort | Weitkamper, Jens |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135564 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:40:52.447Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135564 Conception of a flexible workpiece carrier to enable automated activities during transportation using a mobile manipulator Weitkamper, Jens Von Leipzig, K. Hummel, V. Zincume, P. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering. Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Weitkamper, J. 2026.Conception of a flexible workpiece carrier to enable automated activities during transportation using a mobile manipulator. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/02890795-9379-4a83-836d-b432c9c83d4f The growing need for flexibility and efficiency in intralogistics requires automation systems that can adapt to variable production environments while ensuring optimal use of time and equipment. Mobile manipulators, which combine an autonomous mobile robot with a collaborative robot, have emerged as promising solutions for integrating transport and manipulation in a single system. However, existing studies and industrial implementations show that such systems are still limited to stationary operations. Productive activities during travel time have not yet been realized, leaving the travel time during transport unutilized. This absence of continuous operation defines a technological and methodological gap and provided the motivation for this research. The purpose of the study was to develop a flexible workpiece carrier that enables automated value-adding operations to be carried out while the mobile manipulator is in motion. The research aimed to identify intralogistics tasks that can be executed during travel time and to design and validate a workpiece carrier that supports these operations. The methodological foundation of the work followed the principles of design science research, combining theoretical analysis with artifact development and empirical evaluation. A semi systematic literature review was conducted to identify the state of research, define the research gap, and derive system requirements. These requirements were structured using the Requirements, Functional, Logical and Physical (RFLP) method to ensure transparency and traceability throughout the design process. Based on the derived requirements, the workpiece carrier was developed as a flexible and adaptable structure with an adjustable base frame, integrated extensions, and standardized interfaces for mounting and fixation. The design ensures compatibility with different commercially available mobile manipulator platforms and allows the reconfiguration of the load space for various workpiece types. Structural stability and mechanical feasibility were verified through a finite element analysis, confirming sufficient stiffness and safety for the intended load conditions. The functionality of the design was validated through experimental testing using a fractional factorial design, which examined operational, process, and product flexibility across representative assembly and quality-control scenarios. The experimental results confirmed that simultaneous execution of productive activities during transport is feasible without affecting system stability or process reliability. The results demonstrate that current mobile manipulator systems can be extended toward process execution during motion through appropriate workpiece carrier design and integration. The developed concept increases workspace utilization, shortens idle travel periods, and enables efficient intralogistics operations such as assembly and quality-control during movement. The study contributes a structured and replicable approach for deriving design requirements and demonstrates through verification and validation that productive in motion operations are technically feasible. Future research should address the integration of adaptive control and dynamic safety mechanisms as well as the development of harmonized safety and performance standards to enable industrial implementation and large-scale deployment. Masters 2026-04-01T13:36:57Z 2026-04-01T13:36:57Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135564 en Stellenbosch University 157 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Weitkamper, Jens Conception of a flexible workpiece carrier to enable automated activities during transportation using a mobile manipulator |
| title | Conception of a flexible workpiece carrier to enable automated activities during transportation using a mobile manipulator |
| title_full | Conception of a flexible workpiece carrier to enable automated activities during transportation using a mobile manipulator |
| title_fullStr | Conception of a flexible workpiece carrier to enable automated activities during transportation using a mobile manipulator |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conception of a flexible workpiece carrier to enable automated activities during transportation using a mobile manipulator |
| title_short | Conception of a flexible workpiece carrier to enable automated activities during transportation using a mobile manipulator |
| title_sort | conception of a flexible workpiece carrier to enable automated activities during transportation using a mobile manipulator |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135564 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT weitkamperjens conceptionofaflexibleworkpiececarriertoenableautomatedactivitiesduringtransportationusingamobilemanipulator |