| The importance of automation and robots in all | | | | actions. Gantry robots have all their axes above the |
| manufacturing industries is growing. Industrial robots | | | | work making them also ideal for dispensing applications. |
| have replaced human beings in a wide variety of | | | | - SCARA Robots: (Selectively Compliant Articulated |
| industries. Robots out perform humans in jobs that | | | | Robot Arm) These robots have 4 axes of motion. |
| require precision, speed, endurance and reliability. | | | | They move within an x-y-z coordinated circular work |
| Robots safely perform dirty and dangerous jobs. | | | | envelope. They are used for factory automation |
| Traditional manufacturing robotic applications include | | | | requiring pick and place work, application and assembly |
| material handling (pick and place), assembling, painting, | | | | operations and handling machine tools. |
| welding, packaging, palletizing, product inspection and | | | | - Articulated robots: An articulated robot has rotary |
| testing. Industrial robots are used in a diverse range of | | | | joints. It can have from two to ten or more interactive |
| industries including automotive, electronics, medical, food | | | | joints. Articulated robots are well suited to welding, |
| production, biotech, pharmaceutical and machinery. The | | | | painting and assembly. |
| ISO definition of a manipulating industrial robot is “an | | | | Basic industrial robot designs can be customized with |
| automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose | | | | the addition of different peripherals. End effectors, |
| manipulator”. According to the definition it can be | | | | optical systems, and motion controllers are essential |
| fixed in place or mobile for use in industrial automation | | | | add-ons. End effectors are the end-of-arm-tooling |
| applications. These industrial robots are programmable | | | | (EOAT) attached to robotic arms. Grippers or |
| in three or more axes. They are multi-functional pieces | | | | wrenches that are used to move or assemble parts |
| of equipment that can be custom-built and | | | | are examples of end effectors. End effectors are |
| programmed to perform a variety of operations. The | | | | designed and used to sense and interact with the |
| major advantages of industrial robots is that they can | | | | external environment. The end effectors’ design |
| be programmed to suit industry specific requirements | | | | depends on the application requirements of the specific |
| and can work continuously for years, consistently | | | | industry. Machine Vision systems are robotic optical |
| meeting high manufacturing quality standards. The | | | | systems. They are built-on digital input/output devices |
| economic life span of an industrial robot is | | | | and computer networks used to control other |
| approximately 12-16 years. Due to their persistent | | | | manufacturing equipment such as robotic arms. |
| accuracy industrial robots have become an | | | | Machine vision is used for the inspection of |
| indispensable part of manufacturing. Industrial robots | | | | manufactured goods such as semiconductor chips. |
| are classified into different categories based on their | | | | Motion controllers are used to move robots and |
| mechanical structure. The major categories of industrial | | | | position stages smoothly and accurately with |
| robots are: | | | | sub-micron repeatability. Industrial robots fill the need for |
| - Gantry (Cartesian) Robot: They are stationary robots | | | | greater precision, reliability, flexibility and production |
| having three elements of motion. They work from an | | | | output in the increasingly competitive and complex |
| overhead grid with a rectangular work envelope. They | | | | manufacturing industry environment. |
| are mainly used to perform ‘pick and place’ | | | | |