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Industrial automation and robotics refers to the use of industrial robots and computer software to perform tasks with little to no human involvement.
Automation is commonly found in factories and on the production line where various tasks that require speed, endurance, and, more commonly, accuracy or precision must be performed at high-speed and volume.
The technologies include a wide range of robots and configurations, such as robotic palletizing systems, delta robots, collaborative robots (cobots), and articulated robots (e.g., robotic arms, SCARA robots).
As these robots continue to develop, many industries have started replacing the manual methods of their processes on the production line with robotic metrology systems. The transformation from manual to automated production, fueled by the use of computers and machine-learning, is changing the way companies manufacture products.
Production operations become more flexible, efficient, and accurate, and the increased accuracy of inspection and quality control proves to be extremely beneficial when complex, hard-to-reach, and manually-intensive applications are frequently performed.
Numerous industries have benefited: the aerospace and aviation industry has a faster way to accomplish highly-accurate, non-destructive testing; the automotive industry has a way to streamline inspection; the modern manufacturing industry (e.g., consumer goods) has a way to speed up picking and packaging; and the medical devices industry can perform 100% inspection of parts on the factory floor or directly on the production line.
Lastly, as sensor technology and vision systems improve, so does 3D inspection. Robotic automation coupled with the proper optical 3D laser sensors, scanners, trackers, or radars offers a number of benefits to production, saving companies time and money by catching manufacturing errors early in the process using real-time data acquisition, minimizing waste by avoiding the need to scrap thousands of parts.
Through the use of industrial robots and innovative laser radar technology, automated inspection and manufacturing processes have seen increases in throughput, precision, and accuracy.
While robots were originally great for simple and repetitive tasks that didn’t require high precision or accuracy, they have become more sophisticated as the technologies that power them, such as optical tracking systems, progressed. This has allowed their range of capabilities and applications to broaden. Industrial robots and robotic systems can now perform tasks that require high levels of accuracy and precision.
Let’s take a look at the common types of robots, automated inspection and its uses, and the benefits of robotics in metrology and manufacturing.
There are about six common types of industrial robots. which are categorized based on mechanical configuration: cartesian, articulated (or vertically articulated), cylindrical, SCARA, polar, and delta.
Cartesian Robots
A cartesian robot is a type of linear robot made up of three linear joints: a base X-axis, a cantilevered Y-axis, and/or a Z-axis that can move up and down, in and out, and side to side in linear motions. This allows the robot to operate using the Cartesian coordinate system.
They are commonly used for numerous industrial applications, including picking, placing, and packing, sorting, labeling, measurement, inspection automation and repetitive material handling. Their precision, speed, stroke length, and size can be adjusted as needed, and almost any type of actuator can be added to the drive mechanism. Furthermore, they can be used alongside a CNC (computer numerical control) machine for milling and drawing.
You may see cartesian robots referred to as gantry robots, however, these terms aren’t necessarily interchangeable, depending on who you are talking to. That said, cartesian robots do mechanically resemble a gantry crane.
SCARA Robots
A SCARA robot is a type of robotic arm well-suited for assembly, semi-conductor, biomedical, packaging, pallteizing, and machine loading applications. It is similar to a cartesian robot because it moves on three axes, or joints. But, unlike the cartesian, two of its axes are rotational, making them more capable of complex movements. Although this makes them faster and more flexible, it sacrifices precision.
SCARA stands for selective compliance articulated robot arm. In robotics, compliance means that a robot has flexibility in one or more of its joints. Sometimes, this means it is flexible in its mechanical structure. If you push a compliant robot, it will move instead of push back or hold still. This means that SCARA robots are compliant in the X-Y axis but rigid in the Z-axis.
Articulated Robots
When you picture an industrial robot, what most likely what comes to mind is an articulated robot. This is because articulated robots are the most common robot type used in industrial settings. Articulated robots contain rotary joints, or axes, and can be as simple as a two axis structure or as complex as a ten axis structure. However, most articulated industrial robots have four to six axes, with six axes being the most common.
Each robotic joint provides an additional degree of freedom, giving the robot more independent motions. The joints are typically arranged in a chain, allowing each one to support another further along the robotic structure. Articulated robots’ structures are made of a base that is vertical to the ground and contains the first joint.
The body is connected to the base through this first revolute joint. Another revolute joint runs perpendicular to the robot body, connecting the shoulder to the body. At the end of the robot shoulder is a parallel revolute joint that is used to attach the shoulder to the robot arm.
Additional joints are then used at the end of the robot arm to attach the robot wrist and end effector. This design mimics the human arm. Articulated robots are powered using a motor, allowing for accurate, precise, and quick movement of each joint during production.
Cylindrical Robots
A cylindrical robot has at least one rotating joint at the base and two linear joints, leading to vertical and horizontal linear movement along with rotary movement about the vertical axis. as well as a cylindrical-shaped workspace.
For this reason, they are typically used in tight workspaces, and are a perfect fit for objects that require circular symmetry. Grinding, assembly, and spot welding applications are well-suited for cylindrical robots, as well as simple applications where materials are picked up, rotated and placed.
Polar Robots
A polar robot, sometimes referred to as a spherical robot, is made up of two rotational joints and one linear joint, creating a spherical workspace. They feature a centrally pivoting shaft and an extendable rotating arm, which can have quite a long reach when the linear arm is suitably sized.
Polar robots can be used for injection molding, painting, spot or arc welding, die casting, glass handling, and stacking and unstacking.
Delta Robots
A delta robot, a type of parallel link robot, consists of jointed robotic arms connected to a central base. The three joints resemble the shape of parallelograms. Unlike other types of robots, it’s attached to an overhead trestle so that it sits above the workpiece. Because all the motors are on the base, the joints and arms of the robot are very light compared to other robots.
Delta robots are mostly used as pick-and-place robots, however, they’re well-suited to some other applications and industries, including adhesive dispensing, assembly, soldering, optical fiber alignment, automotive simulators, the pharmaceutical industry, and the electronics industry.
Inspection can be a production bottleneck. Automated inspection technology offers a solution in the form of integrated, in-process inspection.
By integrating these robotic systems directly into the production line, inspection can occur at the same speed as the rest of the process. Industrial robots coupled with laser radar technology can take advantage of machine learning.
Through constant self-calibration, robotic metrology technology can perform highly accurate QA/QC inspections of a wide variety of materials, providing absolute measurements for better trend analysis.
Some of this technology’s most common applications currently include:
When looking for a reliable metrology system, three key benefits should be considered:
High-speed automated inspection
The shop floor environment can be incredibly disruptive, however, these systems are designed to withstand those disruptions. Real-time data provided by the machine vision or sensor system allows a manufacturer to correct errors or respond to production issues quickly and effectively.
Flexible input and output
Since no two applications are the same, materials handling calls for configurable equipment. In order to keep production moving efficiently, a flexible robotic metrology system includes a number of modular interfaces, such as tray, conveyor, cassette, and process interfaces. Furthermore, marking, binning, pre- and post-meteorology assembly options allow for high throughput and output.
Vision and inspection systems
These systems provide a number of possibilities for industrial robots. Machine lighting allows for precise micrometer-level measurements. Laser scanning systems can gather 3D data necessary to create a point cloud of the part for inspection. Various sensors and software can interpret inspection results, determining different colors and finishes.
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