AUTOMATION

Automation and robotics aretwo closely relatedtechnologies. In industrial context, we

an can

observe automation as technology that is concerned with the useof mechanical, electronic,
a
and computer-basedsystems in the operation and control of production Examples of this
technology include transferlines, Mechanized assemblymachines, Feedback control systems
(applied to industrial processes), numerically controlled machine tools, and robots.
Accordingly, robotics is aform of industrialautomation.
Ex:-Robotics, CAD/CAM, FMS, CIMS
Advantages:
High Production rates
Lead time decreases
Storing capacity decreases
Human errors are eliminated.
.
Labor cost decreases.

Disadvantages:
T h e initial cost of raw material is very high,
Maintenance cost is high,
Required high skilled Labour
Indirect cost for research development & programming increases.
Types of Automation:
Automation is categorized into three types. They are,

1. Fixed Automation
2. Programmable Automation
3. Flexible Automation.

Robotics

2 Product
Varlety
Programmable
Automation

Flexible
Automation

Fixed
Automation

100 10k 10L

Production Quantity
Relationship of Fixed automation, Programmable automation, and Flexible automation
as a function of Product Quantity and Product Variety.

Fixed Automation:
It is the automation in which the sequence of processing or assembly operations to be carried
out are fixed by the equipment configuration. In fixed automation, the sequence of operations
(which are simple) are integrated into a piece of equipment. Therefore, it is difficult to automate
changes in the design of the product. It is used where the high volume of production is
required Production rate of fixed automation is high. In this automation, no new products are
processed for a given sequence of assembly operations.

Features:

. High volume of production rates.

Relatively infexible in product variety (no new products are produced).
Ex:- Automobile industries ... etc.

Programmable Automation:
It is the automation in which the equipment is designed to accommodate various product
configurations in order to change the sequence of operations or assembly operations by means
of a control program. Different types of programs can be loaded into the equipment to produce
products with new configurations (i.e., new products). It is employed for the batch production

of low and medium volumes. For each new batch of differently configured product, a new
control program corresponding to the new product is loaded into the equipment. This
automation is relatively economic for small batches of the product.

Features:

High investment in general purpose,

Lower production rates than fixed automation,
Flexibility &Changes in produets configuration,
More suitable for batch production.
EX- Industrial robot, NC machines tools... etc.

Flexible Automation:
A computer integrated manufacturing system which is an extension of programmable
automation is referred to as flexible automation. It is developed to minimize the time loss
between the changeover of the batch production from one product to another while reloading
The program to produce new products and changing the physical setup i.e., it produces
different products with no loss of time. This automation is more flexible in interconnecting
workstations with material handling and storage system.
Classification of Robots
The robots may be classified in the following two broad categories,
1. Classification by coordinate system and
2. Classification by control system

Classification by Co-ordinate system:

Industrial robots available in a wide
are
variety of sizes, shapes, and physical configurations.
These
configurations majorly depend on the robot arm End-effectors reachability in the
or

space. The part of the space in which the robot can execute its work is called as
uork volume The
a
workspace,
available robots
or uork envelope.
one of the basic
vast majority of today's commercially
possess configurations:

1. Cylindrical
2.
Polar configuration
configuration
3. Cartesian coordinate configurable
4. Jointed-arm configuration
DEGREES OF FREEDOM

Roll
The degres of freedom (dof) of a rigid body is delined
as the number of independent movements it has
Higher mumber dof indicates an increased flexibility in
positioning a tool.
Forwa

For each degree of freedom a joint is required. Pitch

Down
The degrees of freedom located in the arm define the configuration.

Three degrees of freedom located in the wrist give the end effector all the flexibility.

A Lotal of six degrees of freedom is needed to locate a robot's hand at any point in its
work space.
Here are 8 reasons why a company should consider implementing automation into ther
manufacturing process

1. Increased Workplace Safety

Transferring some dangerous tasks to automated

machines can make the workplace safer. Since the

Occupational Safety.andHealth Act was signed into law

in 1970, the safety and health of employees has become

ee priority. Automation has made the workplace safer for

employees.

2. Reduced Labor Cost

Investing in automation can help to replace manual operations and thus, reduce increasing
labor costs.

3. Increased Labor Productivity

Automated systems can perform tasks more efficiently than manual operations
Manufacturing process automation increases labor productivity and the total rate of
production.

4. Reduced Manual Tasks

Automation can reduce several operations that are repetitive,tiring or boring for employees.

5. Accomplish Impossible Manual Tasks

There are certain manufacturing operations and processes that are not possible without the
involvement of machines. Examples include rapid prototyping through graphic modeling,
making of complex surfaces with Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) or numerical
controlled systems and integrated fabrication of circuits. These processes have special
requirements for miniaturization, accuracy and geometry that are impossible to achieve
manually.

6. Enhanced Product Quality

Automation reduces the fraction defect rate and automated operations are performed with
greater conformity and uniformity.

7. Avoid Higher Costs of Not Automating

Automation benefits can lead to higher sales, better
quality, improved productivity, a better bottom line
due to higher efficiencies and a better company
image. Companies that do not implement
automation may find themselves lagging behind their
competition who have chosen to automate.

8. Reduced Manufacturing Lead Time

Automation helps to reduce the elapsed time
between the order of the customer and product delivery.
Advantages of robotics:
Increased efficiency.
Higherquality.
Improved working environment.
Increased profitability.
Longer working hours.
They are moreprecise and consistant than human workers.
Robots also allow for increased production and profit margin
because they can complete tasks faster.
Robots have the ability to work around the clock since they do
not require vacations, sick days, or breaks.
They also makefewer mistakes
time etc.
than humans.
Saving companies
Disadvantages of robotics:

Capital cost.
Expertise.
Limitations.
Needs a supply of power , the people can lose jobs in the factories
. they need the maintenance to keep them running , it costs a lot of
money to make or buy the robot , the software and the equipment
that you need to use with the robot.

The robot can take the place of many humans in the factories So.
the people have to find new jobs or be retrained, they can take the
place of the humans in several situations if the robot begin to
,

replace the humans in every field They will lead to

unemployment.
6 Explain the homogeneous transformations as
applicable to rotation.
The general form of the homogenous transformation
can be partitioned into sub-matrix in tabular form.

Rotation
matrix(3x3)
Perspective
Partition
vector (3xl)
Scaling
transform (1x3) ; factor( 1x1) |
OR The entry (3 x 3) matrix is for rotation, (3 x 1) for
translation and other two sub-matrix for perspective transform
Define and explain about homogeneous and scaling factor.
transformations. Vector and position nomenclature for homogenous

Answer: transformation matrix.

Itis a general method for solving the kinematic equation

of a robot manipulator with many It by
joints. is described a
single matrix that combines the effect of translation and H= 4,P
rotation.

The rotation transformation operates on homogenous

coordinates and perform rotation about a given axis of the Homogenous transformation is based on mapping an
reference coordinate system. N-dimensional space into (N+ I) dimensional space i.e., one
The reference co-ordinate system is given as follows. more coordinate is added to represent the poxition of a point.
Example
(a) Rotation 'a degrees about the x-axis, A 3-dimensional space point has coordinates (r. y. 2) is
represented by vector (r. y. Z, w) in homogenous
D 0 transformations in which 'w' is a dummy coordinate that on
0cosa -sin a
Rot (x, L)=
0 sin a cosa normalization gives This additional Iserves

0 0 0 as a tool to accomplish the addition of matrices required in

translation by marrix multiplication.
(b) Rotation 'oa' degrees about the y-axis.

cos 0 sin 0
0
Rot (y, a) =
1 0
0
-sin 0 cosa0

(c) Rotation 'a' degrees about the z-axis,

cos o sin a 0 0
Sin a cos a 0
Rot (. a)

00