Robotics

Introduction

 The term robot has its

origin in a Czech word
“robota” meaning “forced
labour”. It was first
introduced by the
playwright Karel Capek,
in a 1920 play
R.U.R(Rossum’s
Universal robot.
 Robot Laws

1. A robot may not injure a human

beings, or, through inaction,
allow one to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders
given to it by human beings
except where such orders
would conflict with the first law.
3. A robot must protect its own
existence as long as such
protection does not conflict with
the First or Second Laws
Why Use Robots?
• Consistent performance in repetitive boring tasks, such as
machine loading and inspection
• Hazardous or uncomfortable environments, such as those
associated with spray painting, arc welding, grinding,
deep sea diving, radioactive materials handling

 Cost reduction and increased productivity

– robots can work up to 10 times faster than people in repetitive low-
skill tasks, such as spot welding, drilling and reviting
– in general, robots work at about the same rate as a person, but cost
about 50% as much as a person per hour
– robots can work 24 hrs/day, do not take breaks or sick leave
 The benefits(advantages) of application of robots in
manufacturing industries can be listed as follows :

1) Flexibility – essential for automation of

batch production.
2) Reduced change over time and cost –
needed for mixed products on high volume
lines.
3) Better quality.
4) Consistency in production rate and quality.
5) Increased productivity rate and quality.
6) Reduced lead time and capital cost.
7) Increased morale of the workers.
8) Reduction in overall manufacturing
cost/price or unit.
The major conditions justifiable for robot application in the
industries essentially are :

a) Dull for repetition, monotony and fatigue.

b) Difficult for arduousness and complexity of work and
desired precision and
consistency.
c) Dirty – nonworkable for human being.
d) Dangerous – hazardous for chemicals, gas, heat,
noise, electricity, radio-activity etc. unsafe- underwater,
space, mines.
a)   Industry –
I) Material handling applications
ii) Processing operations
iii) Assembly operations
iv) Inspection operation
i)Material Handling application.

 Equipped with right type of gripper or end

effectors for various applications like
Part placement
 Pick up part from one location and place at new
location.
 Basic application –pick and place. Ex.
Transferring parts from one conveyor to
another.
ii) Palletizing & depalletising

 Palletizing:stacking parts on one on top of the

other.
 Ex. Taking parts from an assembly line and
stacking them on a palette.
 Depalletising: opposite of Palletizing
 Ex. Taking parts from a palette and placing them
on an assembly line.
 iii) Material handling

• The simple task of moving a

part or object from one
location to another within
the work area in one of the
most common applications
for robots today.
(palletization &
depalletization).
• Other important parts-
handling applications
involve the acquiring of
blank or unfinished parts
and feeding them into some
 iv) Machine loading and unloading

 Machine loading :press working operation.

 Machine unloading :bin picking,die casting,
plastic molding.
 Machine loading and unloading:machining
operation,heat treatment,forging.
 Insertion operations:
 v) Processing operations
 Robot performs a processing operation on the
part. EX.
 Spot welding
 Continuous arc welding
 Spray painting
 Metal cutting and deburring operations
 Drilling,grinding,laser and water jet cutting.
Riveting.
 Adhesive and sealant dispensing.
 Welding
 The most popular applications of
robots are in industrial welding.
 The repeatability, uniformity
quality, and speed of robotic
welding are unmatched.
 The two basic types of welding
tasks performed by robots are
spot welding and arc welding,
although laser welding is done.
 Another major welding task
performed by robots is seam
welding
 Painting
 Another popular and efficient use for robots
is in the field of spray painting.
 The consistency and repeatability of a
robot’s motion have enabled neat perfect
quality while at the same time wasting no
paint
 The spray painting done relieve humans
from a hazardous, albeit skillful job, while
at the same time increasing work quality,
uniformity, and cutting costs.
 Painting robots have 2 special features the
capability of moving the painting head over
a complex surface at a constant velocity
relative to that surface, and a non spark
emitting safety feature.
 Assembly operations
 Assembly operations represents an
attractive application of robots
because these jobs may be
extremely tedious because of their
repetitive nature.
 E.g. Assembly of printed circuit
boards. Extremely accurate
placement before insertion of
transistors & chips is usually
required.
 Robots can also be used to
assemble several parts of an
automobile.
ROBOT CLASSIFICATION :
 1.Based on co-ordinate system of major linkage

1. Cartesian-(3-p)
2. Cylindrical(2p,1R)
3. Spherical(polar)
(1P,2R)
4. Jointed arm(3R)
2.Based on power source or actuator

1. Electric
2. Hydraulic
3. Pneumatic
4. Composite
 3. Based on control system

1. Limited sequence
2. Point to point(PTP)
3. Controlled path
4. Continuous path(CP)
4. Based on degrees of freedom

1. Single axis
2. Two axis
3. N axis
5. Based on mobility

1. Stationary robot
2. Mobile robot.
6. Based on load capacity.

1. Extra light< 1kg

2. Light<10 kg.
3. medium<200 kg.
4. Heavy<1000 kg.
5. Super heavy> 1000 kg.
8. Types of motion

1. Slew motion
2. Joint interpolated
3. Straight line interpolation
4. Circular interpolation
Geometrical configuration.
 1.Cartesian
1.Cartesianrobot
robot

• Arm moves in 3 linear axes. x,y,z axes

Cartesian
Cartesian
Cartesian Robot: 3P
3P
1.Cartesian/rectangular

Three Linear axis of

motion.(3P)Left-right
Forward –backward
Up-down(z)
Work envelope
Is rectangular.
 Advantages

1. Linear movements allow for simple controls

2. High degree of mechanical rigidity ,accuracy
and repeatability
3. They can carry heavy loads because the
weight –lifting capacity does not vary at
different locations in work envelope.
(Independent of gravity loading)
4. Resolution-smallest possible increment same
for all axis.
Disadvantages

1. Large structural framework.

2. More complex mechanical design for linear
sliding motions.
3.Movement is limited to one direction at a time.
4.Can only reach in front
of itself
 applications

1. Pick and place operation

2. Adhesive applications(mostly long and straight)
3. Assembly and sub assembly(mostly straight)
4. Inspection
5. Nuclear material handling
6. General machining and loading operation.
7. Water jet cutting.
2.Cylindrical coordinates robot

Arm rotates about the base, moves in and out, and up and
down
2.Cylindrical coordinate
 A cylindrical or post type co-ordinate robot has two linear
motion and one rotary motion.
 Radial motion ®
 The first co ordinate
describes the angle θ
of base rotation.
 Up-down(Z)
 Work volume is
 cylindrical.
 Reach and height
 axis rigid
 Base resolution in
degrees
 Advantages
1.Two linear axes make the mechanical design less
complex than the Cartesian robots.
2.vertical structure conserves space
3.Can reach all-round itself
Disadvantages
1.Cannot reach above itself.
2.Horizontal motion is circular.
3.Won,t reach around obstacles.
4.Base rotation axis is less rigid.
5.Repeatability and accuracy are lower due to rotary joint.
3. Polar/Spherical Robot
Arm rotates about the base, moves in and out, and up and
down
Spherical or polar robots
Spherical or polar robots

A spherical co-ordinate robot has one linear

motion and two rotary motion.
 I.e(2R-1P)
 The first co ordinate describes the angle θ of
base rotation.
 The second co ordinate describes the angle
Ø of elbow.
 Radial motion ®
 Advantages
1. Design is simple and gives good weight lifting
capabilities.
2. Long horizontal reach.
3. Configuration suited for applications where small
amount of vertical movement is adequate.
Disadvantages.
1. Short vertical reach
2. Less stability
3. Can’t reach around obstacles.
4. Repeatability and accuracy are lower due to rotary
joints.
Application

1. Press loading
2. Dip coating
3. Stacking and unstacking
4. Part cleaning
5. Heat treatment
6. Forging.
4.Joined-arm or revolute-coordinates robot
 3 axes rotational
Also called articulated robot

 Most anthromorphic or
human like robot.
 i.e design is similar to human
arm.
 Rotation about base-
waist(vertical axis)
 Shoulder(horizontal)
 Elbow. (horizontal)
 Work envelope is circular
when viewed from top.
 From side ,the envelope has circular outer
surface and scalloped inner surface.

Advantages
1. Can reach around obstacles.
2. Large work area for least floor space.
Disadvantages
1. Less accuracy due to rotary joints.
2. Sophisticated controller because programming is
complex.
3. Less stable especially at maximum reach.
Industrial Robot Subsystems

Motion power unit Elbow Arm

2 3

6
4
1
Control unit
Shoulder Wrist

6 Revolute joints
= 6R robot Manipulator
 1. Manipulator

 The manipulator is a
mechanical unit that
provides motion similar to
human arm.
 The manipulator consists
of a series of rigid
members ,called links and
are connected at joints
 Its primary function is to
provide the specific
motion that will enable
the tooling at the end to
do the required work
 The motion of joints are accomplished by actuator
 The manipulator bends,slides ,or rotates about these joints
which as referred to as degrees of freedom.
 The manipulator itself may be thought of as being composed
of three divisions
1. The major linkages.(Positioning)
2. The minor linkages(wrist components-orientation)
3. The end effector.
 The Minor Linkages
(wrist Assembly-orientation)

 The wrist movement is

designed to orient the end
effector properly.
 Normally wrist is provided
with 3 DOF.
 A typical wrist is shown
 The DOF are
1. Wrist roll
2. Wrist pitch
3. Wrist Yaw.
1. Wrist roll:-This involves rotation of mechanism
about the arm axis.Also called as wrist swivel.
2. Wrist pitch:-Given the wrist roll is in its center
position ,the pitch would involve the up or
down rotation of the wrist.It is sometimes
called wrist bend.
3. Wrist yaw :-Given the wrist roll is in its center
position ,the pitch would involve the right or
left rotation of the wrist.
 End-effector's: Grippers and tools

The device which is attached to the wrist of a robot to enable it work by

basically gripping and releasing parts or tools is called end-effector
or simply robot hand.
These, special purpose fixture like attachments are custom engineered
and procured separately by :
1) placing special order to the robot manufacturer/supplier if they have
such provision.
2) design, and build in the users’ side
3) buy standard device from market and adopt it to requirement
4) get it by contract or consultancy.
 End Effector (Gripper):

Standard hand Self-aligning fingers Round object finger Cam-operated hand

Finger action Secure grip Grips different sizes Lifts heavy objects
Force multiplication No object ‘cocking’ or different shapes Narrow size range

Spot
Arc welding
Pouring
welding gun
ladle
torch