ROBOT TECHNOLOGY

OBJECTIVE

REALIZE THE FUNDAMENTALS OF ROBOT TECHNOLOGY.

KNOW THE GENERAL CHARACTERSITICS OF ROBOTS
UNDERSTAND THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF ROBOTS
RECOGNIZE ROBOT ANATOMY
BE INFORMED OF ROBOT GENERATIONS
BE AWARE OF ROBOT SELECTION

DEFINITION

ROBOT TECHNOLOGY IS AN APPLIED SCIENCE THAT IS REFERRED TO AS

A COMBINATION OF MACHINE TOOLS AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS.
INCLUDES SUCH DIVERSE FIELDS AS MACHINE DESIGN, CONTROL
THEORY, MICROELECTRONICS, COMPUTER PROGRAMMING, ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE, HUMAN FACTORS, AND PRODUCTION THEORY.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
A SPECIALIZED MACHINE TOOLS WITH A DEGREEN OF FLEXIBILITY
THAT DISTINGUISHES THEM FROM FIXED-PURPOSE AUTOMATION.

IS ESSENTIALLY A MECHANICAL ARM THAT IS BOLTED TO THE FLOOR, A

MACHINE, THE CEILING, OR, IN SOME CASES THE WALL FITTED WITH
ITS MECHANICAL HAND, AND TAUGHT TO DO REPETITIVE TASK IN A
CONTROLLED, ORDERED ENVIRONMENT.

ABILITY TO MOVE MECHANICAL ARM TO PEROFRM WORK.

ROBOT INTERFACE WITH THEIR WORK ENVIRONMENT ONCE A

MECHANICAL HAND HAS BEEN ATTACHED TO THE ROBOT’S TOOL-
MOUNTING PLATE.

DEFINITIONS:

WORK ENVELOPE: THE SET OF POINTS REPRESENTING THE MAXIMUM EXTENT

OR REACH OF THE ROBOT HAND OR WORKING TOOL IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
PAYLOAD: THE ABILITY TO CARRY, CONTINOUSLY AND SATISFACTORILY, A
GIVEN MAXIMUM WEIGHT AT A GIVEN SPEED.

VELOCITY: THE MAXIMUM SPEED AT WHICH THE TIP OF A ROBOT IS CAPABLE OF

MOVING AT FULL EXTENSION, EXPRESSED IN INCHES OR MILLIMETERS PER
SECOND.

CYCLE: TIME IT TAKES FOR THE ROBOT TO COMPLETE ONE CYCLE OF PICKING UP
A GIVEN OBJECT AT A GIVEN HEIGHT, MOVING IT TO A GIVEN DISTANCE,
LOWERING IT, RELEASING IT, AND RETURNING TO THE STARTING POINT.

ACCURACY: A ROBOT’S ABILITY TO POSITION THE END EFFECTOR AT A

SPECIFIED POINT IN SPACE UPON RECEIVING A CONTROL COMMAND WITHOUT
PREVIOUSLY HAVING ATTAINED THAT POSITION.

REPEATIBILITY: THE ABILITY OF A ROBOT TO RETURN CONSISTENTLY TO A

PREVIOUSLY DEFINED AND ACHIEVED LOCATION.

RESOLUTION: THE SMALLEST INCREMENTAL CHANGE IN POSITION THAT IT MAKE

OR ITS CONTROL SYSTEM CAN MEASURE.

SIZE: THE PHYSICAL SIZE OF A ROBOT, WHICH INFLUENCES ITS CAPACITY AND
ITS CAPABILITIES.
BASIC COMPONENTS
THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF AN INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARE THE
 MANIPULATOR
 THE END EFFECTOR (WHICH IS THE PART OF THE MANIPULATOR).
 THE POWER SUPLLY
 AND THE CONTROLLER.

THE MANIPULATOR, WHICH IS THE ROBOT’S ARM, CONSISTS OF SEGMENTS

JOINTED TOGETHER WITH AXES CAPABLE OF MOTION IN VARIOUS
DIRECTIONS ALLOWING THE ROBOT TO PERFORM WORK.

THE END EFFECTOR WHICH IS A GRIPPER TOOL, A SPECIAL DEVICE, OR

FIXTURE ATTACHED TO THE ROBOT’S ARM, ACTUALLY PERFORMS THE WORK.

POWER SUPPLY PROVIDES AND REGULATES THE ENERGY THAT IS

CONVERTED TO MOTION BY THE ROBOT ACTUATOR, AND IT MAY BE EITHER
ELECTRIC, PNEUMATIC, OR HYDRAULIC.

THE CONTROLLER INITIATES, TERMINATES, AND COORDINATES THE

MOTION OF SEQUENCES OF A ROBOT. ALSO IT ACCEPTS THE NECESSARY
INPUTS TO THE ROBOT AND PROVIDES THE OUTPUTS TO INTERFACE WITH
THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
MANIPULATOR
IS A MECHANICAL UNIT THAT PROVIDES MOTION SIMILAR
TO THAT OF A HUMAN ARM.

ITS PRIMARY FUNCTION IS TO PROVIDE THE SPECIFIC

MOTIONS THAT WILL ENABLE THE TOOLING AT THE END OF
THE ARM TO DO THE REQUIRED WORK.

A ROBOT MOVEMENT CAN BE DIVIDED INTO TWO GENERAL

CATEGORIES: ARM AND BODY (SHOULDER AND ELBOW)
MOTIONS AND WRIST MOTIONS.

THE INDIVIDUAL JOINT MOTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE

CATEGORIES ARE REFERRED TO AS DEGREE OF FREEDOM.

EACH AXIS IS EQUAL TO ONE DEGREE OF FREEDOM.

TYPICALLY AN INDUSTRAIL ROBOTS ARE EQUIPPED WITH 4-
6 DEGREES OF FREEDOM.
THE WRIST CAN REACH A POINT IN SPACE WITH SPECIFIC ORIENTATION BY
ANY OF THREE MOTIONS: A PITCH, OR UP-AND-DOWN-MOTION; A YAW, 0R
SIDE-TO-SIDE MOTION; AND A ROLL, OR ROTATING MOTION.
 THE JOINT LABELED PITCH, YAW, AND ROLL ARE CALLED ORIENTATION AXES.

THE POINTS THAT MANIPULATOR BENDS, SLIDES, OR ROTATES ARE CALLED

JOINTS OR POSITION AXES.

MANIPULATION IS CARRIED OUT USING MECHANICAL DEVICES, SUCH AS

LINKAGES, GEARS, ACTAUTORS, AND FEEDBACK DEVICES.

POSITION AXES ARE CALLED AS WORLD COORDINATES, IS IDENTIFIED AS

BEING FIXED LOCATION WITHIN THE MANIPULATOR THAT SERVES AS
ABSOLUTE FRAME OF REFERENCE.

THE X-AXIS TRAVEL MOVES THE MANIPULATOR IN AN IN-AND-OUT MOTION.

THE Y-AXIS MOTION CAUSES THE MANIPULATOR TO MOVE SIDE-TO-SIDE.

THE Z AXIS MOTION CAUSES THE MANIPULATOR TO MOVE IN AND UP-AND-

DOWN MOTION.

THE MECHANICAL DESIGN OF A ROBOT MANIPULATOR RELATES DIRECTLY TO

ITS WORK ENVELOPE AND MOTION CHARACTESTICS.
END EFFECTOR

IS THE DEVICE THAT IS MECHANICALLY OPENED AND CLOSED.

ACT AS THE TOOL- MOUNTING PLATE

DEPENDING ON THETYPE OF OPERATION, CONVENTIONAL END EFFECTORS

ARE EQUIPPED WITH VARIOUS DEVICES AND TOOL ATTACHMENTS, AS
FOLLOWS:

 GRIPPERS, HOOKS, SCOOPS, ELECTROMAGNETS, VACUUM CUPS, AND ADHESIVE

FINGERS FOR MATERIAL HANDLING.
 SPRAY GUN FOR PAINTING.
 ATTACHMENTS FOR SPOT AND ARC WELDING AND ARC CUTTING.
 POWER TOOLS SUCH AS DRILLS, NUT DRIVERS, AND BURRS.
 SPECIAL DEVICES AND FIXTURES FOR MACHINING AND ASSEMBLY.
 MEASURING INSTRUMENTS, SUCH AS DIAL INDICATORS, DEPTH GAUGES, AND
THE LIKE.
FIG. ILLUSTRATES VARIOUS DEVICES AND TOOLS ATTACHED TO THE END
EFFECTOR TO PERFORM A VARIETY OF OPERATIONS

THE ORIGIN OF THE COORDNATE SYSTEM OR THE POINT OF ACTION OF THE TOOL
ATACHED OF THE ROBOT ARM IS CALLED AS TOOL CENTER POINT (TCP).
END EFFECTORS GENERALLY CUSTOM-MADE TO MEET SPECIAL
HANDLING REQUIREMENTS.

MECHANICAL GRIPPERS ARE MOST COMMONLY USED AND ARE

EQUIPPED WITH WITH TWO OR MORE FINGERS.

THE SELECTION OF AN APPROPRIATE END EFFECTOR FOR A SPECIFIC

APPLICATION DEPENDS UPON FACTORS SUCH AS PAYLOAD,
ENVIRONMENT, RELIABILITY, AND COST.
POWER SUPPLY
THE FUNCTION OF THE POWER SUPPLY IS TO PROVIDE AND
REGULATE ENERGY THAT IS REQUIRED FOR A ROBOT TO BE
OPERATED.

THERE ARE THREE BASIC TYPES OF POWER SUPPLIES:

 ELECTRIC
 HYDRAULIC
 PNEUMATIC

ELECTRICITY IS THE MOST COMMON SOURCE OF POWER AND IS

USED EXTENSIVELY WITH INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS.

THE SECOND MOST COMMON US PNEUMATIC, AND THE LEAST

COMMON IS HYDRAULIC POWER.

THE POWER SUPLY HAS A DIRECT RELATION TO THE PAYLOAD

RATING.
CONTROLLER
THE CONTROLLER IS A COMMUNICATION AN INFORMATION PROCESSING
DEVICE THAT INITIATES, TERMINATES AND CORRDINATES THE MOTIONS AND
SEQUENCES OF A ROBOT.

IT ACCEPTS NECESSARY INPUTS TO THE ROBOT AND PROVIDES THE OUTPUT

DRIVE SIGNALS TO A CONTROLLING MOTOR OR ACTUATOR TO CORRESPOND
WITH THE ROBOT MOVEMENTS AND OUTSIDE WORLD.

BLOCK DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATES THE MANY DIFFERENT PARTS OF ROBOT

CONTROLLER.

THE HEART OF THE CONTROLLER IS THE COMUTER AND ITS SOLID-STATE

MEMORY.

THE INPUT AND OUTPUT SECTION OF A CONTROL SYSTEM MUST PROVIDE A

COMMUNICATION NTERFACE BETWEEN THE ROBOT CONTROLLER COMPUTER
AND FOLLOWING PARTS:

 FEEDBACK SENSORS
 PRODUCTION SENSORS
 PRODUCTION MACHINE TOOLS
 TEACHING DEVICE
 PROGRAM STORAGE DEVICES, HARD COPY DEVICES.
THE COMPUTER CONTROLS THE MOTION OF THE ROBOT ARM BY
MEANS OF DRIVE SIGNALS THAT PASS THROUGH THE DRIVE
INTERFACE TO THE ACTUATORS ON THE ARM.

ROBOTS ARE OFTEN CLASSIFIED UNDER THE THREE MAJOR

CATEGORIES, ACCORDING TO THE TYPE OF CONTROL SYSTEM USED:
 NONSERVO – OPEN LOOP SYSTEM
 SERVO – CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM
 SERVO-CONTROLLED – CLOSED LOOP SYSTEMS WITH CONTINUOUSLY
CONTROLLED PATH.
ROBOT ANATOMY
ROBOT ANATOMY IS CONCERNED WITH THE PHYSICAL CONSTRUCTION AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BODY, ARM, AND WRIST, WHICH ARE
COMPONENTS OF ROBOT MANIPULATOR.

MOVEMENTS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THE BODY, ARM, AND

WRIST ARE PROVIDED BY A SERIES OF JOINTS.

ATTACHED TO THE ROBOT WRIST IS THE END EFFECTOR (OR END-OF-ARM

TOOLING) THAT PERFORMS THE WORK.

THE END EFFECTOR IS NOT CONSIDERED A PART OF THE ROBOT’S ANATOMY.

ROBOT CONFIGURATIONS:

1. INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS ARE AVAILABLE IN A WIDE RANGE OF SHAPES, SIZES, SPEEDS,

LOAD CAPACITIES, AND OTHER CAPABILITIES.
2. THE VAST MAJORITY OF TODY’S COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE ROBOTS POSSESS FIVE
DISTINCT DESIGN CONFIGURATIONS:

A. RECTANGULAR (OR CARTESIAN)

B. CYLINDIRICAL (OR POST-TYPE)
C. SPHERICAL (OR POLAR)
D. JOINTED ARM (ARTICULATED OR REVOLUTE)
E. SCARA (SELECTIVE COMPLAINCE ASSEMBLY ROBOT ARM)
ROBOT GENERATIONS
THE FIVE GENERATIONS OF ROBOT CONTROLLERS AFTER THE HIGH-
TECH INCEPTION IN 1960 ARE AS FOLLOWS:

 FIRST GENERATION: REPEATING ROBOTS. THESE WERE GENRALLY PICK

AND PLACE ROBOTS, WITH MECHANICAL SEQUENCES DEFINING STOP
POINTS.
 SECOND GENERATION: HARDWIRED CONTROLLERS PROVIDED THE FIRST
PROGRAMMABLE UNITS.
 THIRD GENERATION: PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLERS (PLC),
INTRODUCED IN THE INDUSTRY OVER THIRTEEN YEARS AGO, PROVIDED A
MICROPROCESSOR-BASED ROBOTIC CONTROLLER THAT IS EASY TO
PROGRAM.
 FOURTH GENERATION: WHEN CONTROL BEYOND THE PLC IS REQUIRED, A
MICROCOMPUTER MAY CONTROL THE ENTIRE SYSTEM, INCLUDING OTHER
PROGRAMMABLE MACHINERY IN A ROBOT WORKCELL.
 FIFTH GENERATION: ROBOT CONTROLLER WILL INVOLVE COMPLETE
ARTIFICAIL INTELLIGENCE (AI), MINIATURED SENSORS, AD DECISION
MAKING CAPABILITIES.

AN ARTIFICIAL BIOLOGICAL ROBOT MIGHT PROVIDE THE IMPETUS

FOR SIXTH AND HIGHER GENERATION ROBOTS.
ROBOT SELECTION
ROBOT MUST BE MATCHED PROPERLY BY CAPABILITIES TO TASK
REQUIREMENTS.

AN OBJECTIVE APPROACH TO ROBOT SELECTION PROVIDES FEWER

RESTRICTIONS IN SYSTEM DESIGN BY ALLOWING FOR THE OPTIMUM SYSTEM
DESIGN TO BE ACHIEVED REGARDLESS OF THE SPECIFIC ROBOT NEED.

CRITERIA FOR ROBOT SELECTION:

 TECHINICAL ISSUES:
 TYPE: NONSERVO, SERVO, SERVO-CONTROLLED
 WORK ENVELOPE: RECTANGULAR, CYLINDIRCAL, SPHERICAL, JOINTED ARM, SCARA
 PAYLOAD
 CYCLE TIME
 REPEATABILITY
 DRIVE: ELECTRIC, PNEUMATIC, HYDRAULIC, ANY COMBINATION
 UNIQUE CAPABILITIES

 NON-TECHNICAL ISSUES:
 COST AND BENEFIT CONSIDERATION
 COMMONALITY OF EQUIPMENT
 TRAINING AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS
 RELIABILITY
 SERVICE
 “SYSTEMS” HELP
 SAFETY
SUMMARY
ROBOT TECHNOLOGY IS AN APPLIED SCIENCE THAT IS
REFERRED TO AS COMBINATION OF MACHINE TOOL
FUNDAMENTALS AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS.

THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF AN INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARE,

MANIPULATOR, END EFFECTOR, POWER SUPPLY AND
CONTROL SYSTEM.

ROBOT ANATOMY IS CONCERNED WITH THE PHYSICAL

CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE MANIPULATOR AND
HAS FIVE BASIC CONFIGURATIONS: RECTANGULAR,
CYLINDRICAL, SPHERICAL, JOINTED-ARM, AND SCARA.

SO FAR, THERE HAVE BEEN FIVE GENERATIONS OF ROBOT

CONTROLLERS, AND WE ARE MERGING NOW TO SIXTH,
SEVENTH, AND EVEN HIGHER GENERATIONS.
ROBOTS WITH INCREASING INTELLIGENCE, SENSORY
CAPABILITY, DEXTERITY, AND SOPHISTICATED CONTROL
SYSTEMS HAVE BECOME DOMINANT FACTOR IN MODERN
MANUFACTURING.

THE THREE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE SELECTION OF

ROBOTS IN MANUFACTURING ARE: DYNAMIC PROPERTIES
AND PERFORMANCE, ECONOMICS AND SAFETY.
ROBOT CLASSIFICATION
OBJECTIVES:

 BE AWARE OF ROBOT CLASSIFICATION.

 BE ACQUAINTED WITH MANIPULATOR ARM GEOMETRY.

 UNDERSTAND THE DEGREES OF FREEDOM OF A ROBOTIC

SYSTEM.

 RECOGNIZE THE TYPE OF POWER SOURCES USED IN

CURRENT ROBOTS.

 BE FAMILIAR WITH TYPE OF MOTION.

 KNOW A ROBOT’S PATH CONTROL.

 UNDERSTAND THE INTELLIGENCE LEVEL OF ROBOTS.

CLASSIFICATION: CLASSIFIED INTO SIX CATEGORIES

 ARM GEOMETRY: RECTANGULAR;CYLINDIRICAL;SPHERICAL;

JOINTED-ARM(VERTICAL);JOINED-ARM(HORIZONTAL).

 DEGREES OF FREEDOM: ROBOT ARM; ROBOT WRIST.

 POWER SOURCES: ELECTRICAL;PNEUMATIC;HYDRAULIC;ANY

COMBINATION.

 TYPE OF MOTION: SLEW MOTION; JOINT-INTERPOLATION;

STRAIGHT-LINE INTERPOLATION; CIRCULAR INTERPOLATION.

 PATH CONTROL: LIMITED SEQUENCE; POINT-TO-POINT;

CONTINOUS PATH; CONTROLLED PATH.

 INTELLLIGENCE LEVEL: LOW-TECHNOLOGY(NONSERVO); HIGH-

TECHONOLOGY(SERVO).
ARM GEOMETRY
ROBOT MUST BE ABLE TO REACH A POINT IN SPACE WITHIN THREE
AXES BY MOVING FORWARD AND BACKWARD, TO THE LEFT AND
RIGHT, AND UP AND DOWN.

ROBOT MANIPULATOR MAY BE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE TYPE

OF MOVEMENT NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE TASK.

RECTANGULAR-COORDINATED:

- HAS THREE LINEAR AXES OF MOTION.

- X REPRESENTSD LEFT AND RIGHT MOTION
- Y DESCRIBES FORWARD AND BACKWARD MOTION.
- Z IS USED TO DEPICT UP-AND-DOWN MOTION.

THE WORK ENVELOPE OF A RECTANGULAR ROBOT IS A CUBE OR

RECTANGLE, SO THAT ANY WORK PERFORMED BY ROBOT MUST ONLY
INVOLVE MOTIONS INSIDE THE SPACE.
RECTANGULAR COORDINATES
ADVANTAGES:

 THEY CAN OBTAIN LARGE WORK ENVELOPE BECAUSE RAVELLING ALONG THE X-
AXIS, THE VOLUME REGION CAN BE INCREASED EASILY.

 THEIR LINEAR MOVEMENT ALLOWS FOR SIMPLER CONTROLS.

 THEY HAVE HIGH DEGREE OF MECHANICAL RIGIDITY, ACCURACY, AND

REPEATABILITY DUE O THEIR STRUCTURE.

 THEY CAN CARRY HEAVY LOADS BECAUSE THE WEIGHT-LIFTING CAPACITY DOES
NOT VARY AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS WITHING THE WORK ENVELOPE.

DISADVANTAGES:

 THEY MAKES MAINTENANCE MORE DIFFICULT FOR SOME MODELS WITH

OVERHEAD DRIVE MECHANISMS AND CONTROL EQUIPMENT.

 ACCESS TO THE VOLUME REGION BY OVERHEAD CRANE OR OTHER MATERIAL-

HANDLING EQUIPMENT MAY BE IMPAIRED BY THE ROBOT-SUPPORTING
STRUCTURE.

 THEIR MOVEMENT IS LIMITED TO ONE DIRECTION AT A TIME.

APPLICATION:

 PICK-AND-PLACE OPERATIONS.

 ADHESIVE APPLICATIONS(MOSTLY LONG AND STRAIGHT).

 ADVANCED MUNITION HANDLING.

 ASSEMBLY AND SUBASSEMBLY(MOSTLY STRAINGHT).

 AUTOMATED LOADING CNC LATHE AND MILLING

OPERATIONS.

 NUCLEAR MATERIAL HANDLING.

 WELDING.
CYLINDRICAL-COORDINATED
HAS TWO LINEAR MOTIONS AND ONE ROTARY MOTION.

ROBOTS CAN ACHIEVE VARIABLE MOTION.

THE FIRST COORDINATE DESCRIBE THE ANGLE THETA OF BASE

ROTATION--- ABOUT THE UP-DOWN AXIS.

THE SECOND COORDINATE CORRESPOND TO A RADICAL OR Y--- IN OUT

MOTION AT WHATEVER ANGLE THE ROBOT IS POSITIONED.

THE FINAL COORDINATE AGAIN CORRESPONDS TO THE UP-DOWN Z

POSITION.

ROTATIONAL ABILITY GIVES THE ADVANTAGE OF MOVING RAPIDLY TO

THE POINT IN Z PLANE OF ROTATION.

RESULTS IN A LARGER WORK ENVELOPE THAN A RECTANGULAR ROBOT

MANIPULATOR.

SUITED FOR PICK-AND-PLACE OPERATIONS.

ADVANTAGE:

 THEIR VERTICAL STRUCTURE CONSERVES FLOOR SPACE.

 THEIR DEEP HORIZONTAL REACH IS USEFUL FOR FAR-REACHING

OPERATIONS.

 THEIR CAPACITY IS CAPABLE OF CARRYING LARGE PAYLOADS.

DISADVANTAGE:

 THEIR OVERALL MECHANICAL RIGIDITY IS LOWER THAN THAT OF THE

RECTILINEAR ROBOTS BECAUSE THEIR ROTARY AXIS MUST OVERCOME
INERTIA.

 THEIR REPEATABILITY AND ACCURACY ARE ALSO LOWER IN THE

DIRECTION OF ROTARY MOTION.

 THEIR CONFIGURATION REQUIRES A MORE SOPHISTICATED CONTROL

SYSTEM THAN THE RECTANGULAR ROBOTS.
APPLICATION:

 ASSEMBLY
 COATING APPLICATIONS.
 CONVEYOR PALLET TRANSFER.
 DIE CASTING.
 FOUNDARY AND FORGING APPLICATIONS.
 INSPECTION MOULDING.
 INVESTMENT CASTING.
 MACHINE LOADING AND UNLOADING.
SPHERICAL COORDINATED

HAS ONE LINEAR MOTION AND TWO ROTARY MOTIONS.

THE WORK VOLUME IS LIKE A SECTION OF SPHERE.
THE FIRST MOTION CORRESPONDS TO A BASE ROTATION
ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS.
THE SECOND MOTION CORRESPONDS TO AN ELBOW
ROTATION.
THE THIRD MOTION CORRESPONDS TO A RADIAL, OR IN-OUT,
TRANSLATION.
A SPHERICAL-COORDINATED ROBOTS PROVIDES A LARGER
WORK ENVELOPE THAN THE RECTILINEAR OR CYLINDIRICAL
ROBOT.
DESIGN GIVES WEIGHT LIFTING CAPABILITIES.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES SAME AS CYLINDIRICAL-
COORDINATED DESIGN.
APPLICATIONS:
 DIE CASTING
 DIP COATING
 FORGING
 GLASS HANDLING
 HEAT TREATING
 INJECTION MOLDING
 MACHINE TOOL HANDLING
 MATERIAL TRANSFER
 PARTS CLEANING
 PRESS LOADING
 STACKING AND UNSTICKING.
DEGREES OF FREEDOM

THE DEGREE OF FREEDOM OR GRIP OF A ROBOTIC SYSTEM CAN BE COMPARED

TO THE WAY IN WHICH THE HUMAN BODY MOVES.

FOR EACH DEGREE OF FREEDOM A JOINT IS REQUIRED.

THE DEGREES OF FREEDOM LOCATED IN THE ARM DEFINE THE CONFIGURATION.

EACH OF THE FIVE BASIC MOTION CONFIGURATIONS DISCUSS PREVIOUSLY

UTILIZES THREE DEGREES OF FREEDOM IN THE ARM.

THREE DEGREES OF FREEDOM LOCATED IN THE WRIST GIVE THE END EFFECTOR
ALL THE FLEXIBILITY.

A TOTAL OF SIX DEGREES OF FREEDOM IS NEEDED TO LOCATE A ROBOT’S HAND

AT ANY POINT IN ITS WORK SPACE.

ALTHOUGH SIX DEGREES OF FREEDOM ARE NEEDED FOR MAXIMUM

FLEXIBILITY, MOST ROBOT EMPLOYEE ONLY THREE TO FIVE DEGREES OF
FREEDOM.

THE MORE THE DEGREES OF FREEDOM, THE GREATER IS THE COMPLEXITY OF

MOTIONS ENCOUNTERED.
DEGREES OF FREEDOM (CONTD.)
THE THREE DEGREES OF FREEDOM LOCATED IN THE ARM OF A
ROBOTIC SYSTEM ARE:

 THE ROTATIONAL REVERSE: IS THE MOVEMENT OF THE ARM ASSEMBLY

ABOUT A ROTARY AXIS, SUCH AS LEFT-AND-RIGHT SWIVEL OF THE
ROBOT’S ARM ABOUT A BASE.
 THE RADIAL TRAVERSE: IS THE EXTENSION AND RETRACTION OF THE ARM
OR THE IN-AND-OUT MOTION RELATIVE TO THE BASE.
 THE VERTICAL TRAVERSE: PROVIDES THE UP-AND-DOWN MOTION OF THE
ARM OF THE ROBOTIC SYSTEM.

THE THREE DEGREES OF FREEDOM LOCATED IN THE WRIST, WHICH

BEAR THE NAMES OF AERONAUTICAL TERMS, ARE

 PITCH OR BEND: IS THE UP-AND-DOWN MOVEMENT OF THE WRIST.

 YAW: IS THE RIGHT-AND-LEFT MOVEMENT OF THE WRIST.
 ROLL OR SWIVEL: IS THE ROTATION OF THE HAND.
POWER SOURCES
THE FOUR POWER SOURCES USED IN CURRENT ROBOTS ARE:

 ELECTRIC: ALL ROBOTS USE ELECTRICITY AS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF

ENERGY.

 ELECTRICITY TURNS THE PUMPS THAT PROVIDE HYDRAULLIC AND PNEUMATIC

PRESSURE.
 IT ALSO POWERS THE ROBOT CONTROLLER AND ALL THE ELECTRONIC
COMPONENTS AND PERIPHERAL DEVICES.
 IN ALL ELECTRIC ROBOTS, THE DRIVE ACTUATORS, AS WELL AS THE CONTROLLER,
ARE ELECTRICALLY POWERED.
 BECAUSE ELECTRIC ROBOT DO NOT REQUIRE A HYDRAULIC POWER UNIT, THEY
CONSERVE FLOOR SPACE AND DECREASE FACTORY NOISE.
 NO ENERGY CONVERSION IS REQUIRED.

 PNEUMATIC: THESE ARE GENERALLY FOUND IN RELATIVELY LOW-COST

MANIPULATORS WITH LOW LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY.

 PNEUMATIC DRIVES HAVE BEEN USED FOR MANY YEARS FOR POWERING SIMPLE
STOP-TO-STOP MOTIONS.
 IT IS INHERENTLY LIGHT WEIGHT, PARTICULARLY WHEN OPERATING PRESSURES
ARE MODERATE.
 HYDRAULIC: ARE EITHER LINEAR POSITION ACTUATORS OR A ROTARY
VANE CONFIGURATION.

 HYDRAULIC ACTUATORS PROVIDE A LARGE AMOUNT OF POWER FOR A

GIVEN ACTUATOR.

 THE HIGH POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIO MAKES THE HYDRAULIC

ACTUATOR AN ATTRACTIVE CHOICE FOR MOVING MODERATE TO HIGH
LOADS AT REASONABLE SPEEDS AND MODERATE NOISE LEVEL.

 HYDRAULIC MOTORS USUALLY PROVIDE A MORE EFFICIENT WAY OF

ENERGY TO ACHIEVE A BETTER PERFORMANCE, BUT THEY ARE
EXPENSIVE AND GENERALLY LESS ACCURATE.
TYPES OF MOTION

A ROBOT MANIPULATOR CAN MAKE FOUR TYPES OF MOTION IN

TRAVELLING FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER IN THE WORKPLACE:

 SLEW MOTION : SIMPLEST TYPE OF MOTION. ROBOT IS COMMANDED TO TRAVEL

FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER AT DEFAULT SPEED.

 JOINT-INTERPOLATED MOTION: REQUIRES THE ROBOT CONTROLLER TO

CALCULATE THE TIME IT WILL TAKE EACH JOINT TO REACH ITS DESTINATION AT
THE COMMANDED SPEED.

 STRAIGHT-LINE INTERPOLATION MOTION: REQUIRES THE END OF THE END

EFFECTOR TO TRAVEL ALONG A STRAIGHT PATH DETERMINE IN RECTANGULAR
COORDINATES.

 USEFUL IN APPLICATIONS SUCH AS ARC WELDING, INSERTING PINS INTO HOLES, OR

LAYING MATERIAL ALONG A STRAIGHT PATH.

 CIRCULAR INTERPOLATION MOTION: REQUIRES THE ROBOT CONTROLLER TO

DEFINE THE POINTS OF A CIRCLE IN THE WORKPLACE BASED ON A MINIMUM OF
THREE SPECIFIED POSITIONS.

 CIRCULAR INTERPOLATION PRODUCES A LINEAR APPROXIMATION OF THE CIRCLE AND IS

MORE READILY AVAILABLE USING A PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE RATHER THAN MANUAL OR
TEACH PENDANT TECHNIQUES.
PATH CONTROL
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO
FOUR CATEGORIES ACCORDING TO THE PATH CONTROL SYSTEM.

 LIMITED-SEQUENCE: DO NOT USE SERVO-CONTROL TO INDICATE RELATIVE

POSITIONS OF THE JOINTS.

 THEY ARE CONTROLLED BY SETTING LIMIT SWITCHES AND/OR MECHANICAL STOPS

TOGETHER WITH A SEQUENCER TO COORDINATE AND TIME THE ACTUATION OF THE
JOINTS.
 WITH THIS METHOD OF CONTROL, THE INDIVDUAL JOINTS CAN ONLY BE MOVED TO THEIR
EXTREME LIMITS OF TRAVEL.

 POINT-TO-POINT: THESE ROBOTS ARE MOST COMMON AND CAN MOVE FROM
ONE SPECIFIED POINT TO ANOTHER BUT CANNOT STOP AT ARBITRARY POINTS
NOT PREVIOUSLY DESIGNATED.

 CONTROLLED PATH: IS A SPECIALIZED CONTROL METHOD THAT IS A PART OF

GENERAL CATEGORY OF A POINT-TO-POINT ROBOT BUT WITH MORE PRECISE
CONTROL.

 THE CONTROLLED PATH ROBOT ENSURES THAT THE ROBOT WILL DESCRIBE THE RIGHT
SEGMENT BETWEEN TWO TAUGHT POINTS.
 CONTROLLED-PATH IS A CALCULATED METHOD AND IS DESIRED WHEN THE
MANIPULATOR MUST MOVE IN THE PERFECT PATH MOTION.
 CONTINUOUS PATH: IS AN EXTENSION OF THE POINT-TO-POINT
METHOD. THIS INVOLVES THE UTILIZATION OF MORE POINTS
AND ITS PATH CAN BE ARC, A CIRCLE, OR A STRAIGHT LINE.

 BECAUSE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF POINTS, THE ROBOT IS CAPABLE

OF PRODUCING SMOOTH MOVEMENTS THAT GIVE THE APPEARANCE
OF CONTINUOUS OR CONTOUR MOVEMENT.
INTELLIGENCE LEVEL
THE INTELLIGENT CONTROL ROBOT IS CAPABLE OF PERFOMING SOME OF THE
FUNCTIONS AND TASKS CARRIED OUT BY HUMAN BEINGS.

IT CAN DETECT CHANGES IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT BY MEANS OF SENSORY

PERCEPTION.

INTELLIGENT ROBOT IS EQUIPPED WITH A VARIETY OF SENSORS AND SENSOR

APPARATUS PROVIDING VISUAL (COMPUTER VISION) AND TACTILE (TOUCHING)
CAPABILITIES TO RESPOND INSTANTLY TO VARIABLE SITUATIONS.

MUCH LIKE HUMANS, THE ROBOT OBSERVES AND EVALUATES THE IMMEDIATE
ENVIRONMENT BY PERCEPTION AND PATTERN RECOGNITION.

BECAUSE ITS OPERATION IS SO COMPLEX, POWERFUL COMPUTERS ARE REQUIRED

TO CONTROL ITS MOVEMENTS AND MORE- SOPHISTICATED SENSING DEVICES TO
RESPOND TO ITS ACTIONS.

EXTENSIVE RESEARCH HAS BEEN AND STILL CONCERNED WITH HOW TO EQUIP
ROBOTS WITH SEEING “EYES” AND TACTILE “FINGERS”.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) THAT WILL ENABLE THE ROBOTS TO RESPOND,

ADAPT, REASON, AND MAKE DECISIONS TO REACT TO CHANGE IS ALSO AN
INHERENT CAPABILITY OF THE INTELLIGENT ROBOT.
SUMMARY
INTRODUCES THE GENERAL CONCEPTS OF ROBOT CLASSIFICATION.

PROVIDED OVERVIEW OF ALL TYPES OF ROBOT ARM GEOMETRY AND

STYLES, CONSIDERING DEGREES OF FREEDOM, POWER SOURCES,
CONTROL SYSTEMS, AND PATH CONTROL.

THE ARM GEOMETRY IS AVAILABLE IN FIVE BASIC CONFIGURATIONS:

RECTANGULAR, CYLINDRICAL, SPHERICAL, JOINTED-ARM, AND SCARA.

THE THREE DEGRESS OF FREEDOM LOCATED IN THE ARM OF ROBOT

SYSTEM ARE THE ROTATIONAL TRAVERSE, THE RADIAL TRAVERSE, AND
THE VERTICAL TRAVERSE.

THE THREE DEGREES OF FREEDOM LOCATED IN THE WRIST ARE PITCH,

YAW, AND ROLL.

THE FOUR POWER SOURCES USED IN THE CURRENT ROBOTS ARE

ELECTRIC, HYDRAULIC, PNEUMATIC, AND ELECTROMECHANICAL.
SUMMARY (CONTINUED)

THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF MOTION THAT A ROBOT MANIPULATOR

CAN MAKE IN TRAVELING FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER IN THE
WORKPLACE: SLEW, JOINT-INTEROLATED, STRAIGHT LINE
INTERPOLATION, CIRCULAR.

THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF PATH CONTROLS OF ROBOTS: LIMITED-

SEQUENCE, POINT-TO-POINT, CONTROLLED-PATH, AND CONTINUOUS
PATH.

ROBOT SYSTEMS ARE USUALLY CLASSIFIED AS HIGH-TECHNOLOGY

AND LOW-TECHNOLOGY GROUP.
Industrial Applications
Objectives
 Be acquainted with automation in manufacturing.

 Understand Robot applications.

 Recognize material-handling applications

 Be familiar with processing operations

 Be informed of assembly and inspection operations

 Apprehend how to evaluate the potential of a robot

application
 Be aware of future applications

 Perceive the challenge for the future

 Be informed of innovations

 Be acquainted with case studies.

Automation in Manufacturing
Goal: To integrate various operations to :
 Improve Productivity
 Increase product quality and Uniformity
 Minimize cycle times and effort
 Reduce labor cost
Computers allows us to integrate virtually all phases of
manufacturing operations.
Computer-integrated manufacturing(CIM): Is the computerized
integration of all aspects of design, planning, manufacturing,
distribution, and management.
Automation Technologies:
 Numerical Control(NC): capability of flexibility of operations, low
cost, and ease of making different parts with lower operator skill.
 Adaptive Control(AC): Continuously monitor the operation and
make necessary adjustments in process parameters.
Automation in Manufacturing
Flexible Manufacturing System(FMS): Integrate manufacturing
cells into a large unit, containing industrial robots servicing
several machines, all interfaced with a central host computer.
Artificial Intelligence(AI): Involves the use do machines,
computers and industrial robots to replace human intelligence.
Expert Systems(ES):Intelligent programs to perform tasks and
solve difficult real life problems.

Hence the applications of Robots in manufacturing are much

broader than most people realize.
Robot Applications
Need to replace human labor by robots:

 Work environment hazardous for human beings

 Repetitive tasks
 Boring and unpleasant tasks
 Multishift operations
 Infrequent changeovers
 Performing at a steady pace
 Operating for long hours without rest
 Responding in automated operations
 Minimizing variation
Industrial Applications(contd.)
Industrial Robot Applications can be divided into:
 Material-handling applications:
 Involve the movement of material or parts from one location to
another.
 It include part placement, palletizing and/or depalletizing, machine
loading and unloading.
 Processing Operations:
 Requires the robot to manipulate a special process tool as the end
effector.
 The application include spot welding, arc welding, riveting, spray
painting, machining, metal cutting, deburring, polishing.
 Assembly Applications:
 Involve part-handling manipulations of a special tools and other
automatic tasks and operations.
 Inspection Operations:
 Require the robot to position a workpart to an inspection device.
 Involve the robot to manipulate a device or sensor to perform the
inspection.
Material Handling Applications
This category includes the following:
 Part Placement
 Palletizing and/or depalletizing
 Machine loading and/or unloading
 Stacking and insertion operations
The robot must have following features to facilitate material
handling:
 The manipulator must be able to lift the parts safely.
 The robot must have the reach needed.
 The robot must have cylindrical coordinate type.
 The robot’s controller must have a large enough memory to store
all the programmed points so that the robot can move from one
location to another.
 The robot must have the speed necessary for meeting the transfer
cycle of the operation.
Material-handling(contd.)
Part Placement:
 The basic operation in this category is the relatively simple pick-
and-place operation.
 This application needs a low-technology robot of the cylindrical
coordinate type.
 Only two, three, or four joints are required for most of the
applications.
 Pneumatically powered robots are often utilized.

Palletizing and/or Depalletizing

 The applications require robot to stack parts one on top of the
other, that is to palletize them, or to unstack parts by removing
from the top one by one, that is depalletize them.
 Example: process of taking parts from the assembly line and
stacking them on a pallet or vice versa.
Machine loading and/or unloading:
 Robot transfers parts into and/or from a production machine.
 There are three possible cases:
 Machine loading in which the robot loads parts into a production
machine, but the parts are unloaded by some other means.
 Example: a pressworking operation, where the robot feeds sheet blanks
into the press, but the finished parts drop out of the press by gravity.
 Machine loading in which the raw materials are fed into the machine
without robot assistance. The robot unloads the part from the machine
assisted by vision or no vision.
 Example: bin picking, die casting, and plastic moulding.
 Machine loading and unloading that involves both loading and
unloading of the workparts by the robot. The robot loads a raw work
part into the process ad unloads a finished part.
 Example: Machine operation
Difficulties
 Difference in cycle time between the robot and the production
machine. The cycle time of the machine may be relatively long
compared to the robot’s cycle time.
Stacking and insertion operation:

 In the stacking process the robot places flat parts on top of each
other, where the vertical location of the drop-off position is
continuously changing with cycle time.

 In the insertion process robot inserts parts into the compartments

of a divided carton.
Processing Operations
Processing Operations:
 Robot performs a processing procedure on the part.
 The robot is equipped with some type of process tooling as its end
effector.
 Manipulates the tooling relative to the working part during the
cycle.
 Industrial robot applications in the processing operations include:
 Spot welding
 Continuous arc welding
 Spray painting
 Metal cutting and deburring operations
 Various machining operations like drilling, grinding, laser and waterjet
cutting, and riveting.
 Rotating and spindle operations
 Adhesives and sealant dispensing
Assembly Operations
Assembly Operations:
 The applications involve both material-handling and the
manipulation of a tool.
 They typically include components to build the product and to
perform material handling operations.
 Are traditionally labor-intensive activities in industry and are highly
repetitive and boring. Hence are logical candidates for robotic
applications.
 These are classified as:
 Batch assembly: As many as one million products might be assembled.
The assembly operation has long production runs.
 Low-volume: In this a sample run of ten thousand or less products
might be made.
 The assembly robot cell should be a modular cell.
 One of the well suited area for robotics assembly is the insertion of
odd electronic components.
 Figure illustrates a typical overall electronic assembly operation.
Inspection Operations
Inspection Operation:
 Some inspection operation require parts to be manipulated, and
other applications require that an inspection tool be manipulated.
 Inspection work requires high precision and patience, and human
judgment is often needed to determine whether a product is within
quality specifications or not.
 Inspection tasks that are performed by industrial robots can usually
be divided into the following three techniques:

 By using a feeler gauge or a linear displacement transducer known as a

linear variable differential transformer(LVDT), the part being measured
will come in physical contact with the instrument or by means of air
pressure, which will cause it to ride above the surface being measured.
 By utilizing robotic vision, matrix video cameras are used to obtain an
image of the area of interest, which is digitized and compared to a
similar image with specified tolerance.
 By involving the use of optics and light, usually a laser or infrared
source is used to illustrate the area of interest.
Inspection Operations(contd.)

 The robot may be in active or passive role.

 In active role robot is responsible for determining whether the part is
good or bad.
 In the passive role the robot feeds a gauging station with the part.
While the gauging station is determining whether the part meets the
specification, the robot waits for the process to finish.
Evaluating the potential of a Robot
Applications
Evaluation of the potential of the robot depends on:
 Analysis of the application
 Long- and short-term objectives
 Manufacturing and processes involved
 Space availability
 Budget
 System objectives
 Feasibility Study
 How a more automated system will affect related operations in the plant
 Material-handling methods
 Commercial equipment available
 CAD cell simulation
 System Proposal
 Functional specifications
 System operation
 Robot type
 Tooling
 Peripheral equipment
 System Design
 Microprocessor control
 Software
 Multiple levels of control

 Construction Phase
 It is a good procedure for the system to be set up and thoroughly
tested at the supplier’s facility.
 This will minimize the interruption of current production procedures.

 Installation Phase
 It is a good practice for the supplier to supervise the step-by-step
installation of the system.

 Training and Documentation

 Hands on robot training should be provided by the supplier for all the
persons who will interface with the new automated system.
 The supplier should provide the design drawings and documentation for
system control, operation, and maintenance.
Future Applications
The keys areas to be explored for robot applications in future
are:

 The medical applications of the robot:

 Routine examinations
 Surgical procedures
 Underwater applications
 Involve prospecting for minerals on the floor of the ocean.
 Salvaging of sunken vessels, repair the ship either at sea or in dry
dock.
 Mobile firefighters to be used by Air force and Navy.
 Surveillance and Guard duty
 In military
 Power generating plants, oil refineries and other civilian facilities that
are potential targets of terrorist groups.
In summary, some future foreseen applications are listed as
follows:
 Aerospace
 Agriculture
 Construction
 Health
 Nuclear
 Textile
 Lab automation
 Underwater surveying
 Surveillance and guard duty
 Navigation systems
 Firefighting
 Household robot
Note: All these applications will need to be more intelligent in
order to make rapid decisions based on current sensory
information.