Ch # 4

Industrial Robots in FMS

March 2024
Industrial Robotics

Outline:

1. Robots - Defn

2. Robots - Anatomy

3. Robots - Control Systems

4. Robots - End Effectors

5. Robots - Applications
 1. Industrial Robots Defined

Industrial robot as defined by ISO 8373:2012:

 An automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator,

programmable in three or more axes, which can be either fixed in place or mobile for

use in industrial automation applications.

Acc. to RIA = Robotic Institute of America:

 An automatically controlled, re-programmable, multi-functional manipulator

designed to move materials, parts, tools, or specialized devices through variable

programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks, which also acquire
2. Why industrial robots are important?

# Robots can substitute for humans in hazardous work

environments.

# Consistency and accuracy not attainable by humans.

# Repetitive work cycle

# Multishift operations
 3. Robot Anatomy

 Manipulator consists of joints and links.

 Joints provide relative motion.

 Links are rigid members between joints.

 Various joint types: linear and rotary.

 Each joint provides a “degree-of-freedom”

 Most robots possess five or six degrees-of-freedom

 Robot manipulator consists of two sections:

 Body-and-arm – for positioning of objects in the robot's

work volume.
 4. Links & Joints
# The robotic base and its connection to the first joint are

termed as link-0.

# The first joint in the sequence is joint-1.

# Link-0 is the input link for joint-1, while the output

link from joint-1 is link-1 which leads to joint-2.

# Link 1 is the output link for joint-1 and the input link

for joint-2.

# This joint-link-numbering scheme is further followed

for all joints and links in the robotic systems.

 Cont’d…

Types of Joints:
1) Translational motion:

 Linear joint (type L)

 Orthogonal joint (type O)

2). Rotary motion:

 Rotational joint (type R)

 Twisting joint (type T)

 Revolving joint (type V)

 Joint Notation Scheme

 Uses the joint symbols (L, O, R, T, V) to designate joint types

used to construct robot manipulator.

 Separates body-and-arm assembly from wrist assembly using a

colon (:)

 Example: TLR : TR
 4. Common Robot Configurations

# Basically the robot manipulator has two parts viz.

1) A body-and-arm assembly with three degrees-of-freedom

and

2) A wrist assembly with two or three degrees-of-freedom.

# For body-and-arm configurations, different combinations of

joint types are possible for a three-degree-of-freedom robot

 Common Robot Body-and-Arm
Configuration

 Five common body-and-arm configurations: Polar, Cylindrical, Cartesian,

Jointed arm robot and SCARA robot.
 i. Polar Configuration
 Notation : TRL

> Consists of a sliding arm (L joint) actuated relative to the body, which can
rotate about both a vertical axis (T joint) and horizontal axis (R joint).
 ii. Cylindrical Configuration

Notation: TLO

Consists of a vertical

column, relative to

which an arm assembly

is moved up or down.

The arm can be moved

in or out relative to the

column.
 iii. Cartesian Configuration

> Notation: LOO

> Consists of three sliding joints, two of which are

orthogonal.

> Other names include rectilinear robot and x –y - z

robot.
 iv. Jointed-Arm Robot

> Notation : TRR

> It is similar to the configuration of a human arm.

> It consists of a vertical column that swivels about

the base using a T- joint.

> Shoulder joint (R-joint) is located at the top of

the column.

> The output link is an elbow joint (another R

joint).
 v. SCARA Robot

Notation: VRO

SCARA stands for Selectively Compliant

Assembly Robot Arm.

Similar to jointed-arm robot except that

vertical axes are used for shoulder and

elbow joints.
Examples of applications of SCARA
Robots

Assembly Packaging
 6. Wrist Configurations

 Wrist assembly is attached to end-of-arm.

 End effector is attached to wrist assembly.

 Function of wrist assembly is to orient end effector.

 Body-and-arm determines global position of end effector.

 Two or three degrees of freedom:

 Roll Joint

 Pitch Joint

 Yaw Joint
 Notation: RRT
 7. End Effectors

 The special tooling for a robot that enables it to perform a specific

task.

 Two types:

1. Grippers – to grasp and manipulate objects (e.g. parts) during

work cycle.

2. Tools – to perform a process, e.g., spot welding, spray painting.

 End effectors: Grippers

> Grippers grasp and manipulate

objects during the work cycle.

> Typically the objects grasped are work

parts that need to be loaded or

unloaded from one station to another.

> It may be custom-designed to suit the

physical specifications of the work

parts they have to grasp.

Cont’d…
 End effectors: Tools

» The robot end effecter may also use tools.

» Tools are used to perform processing operations on

the work part.

» Typically the robot uses the tool relative to a

stationary or slowly moving object. In this way the

process is carried out.

 Cont’d…

 Examples of the tools used as end effectors by roots to

perform processing applications include:

> Spot welding gun

> Arc welding tool

> Spray painting gun

> Rotating spindle for drilling, routing, grinding,

etc.

> Assembly tool (e.g. automatic screwdriver)

> Heating torch

> Water-jet cutting tool

 Example:

Sketch the following Manipulator Configurations.

a) TRT : R

b) TVR : TR

c) RR : T

d) VRO : RO

e) RTR : TO
 Solution:

R
R
T T R R T
R
R V

T T

(a) TRT:R (b) TVR:TR (c) RR:T

 8. Joint Drive Systems

 The three types of drive systems that are generally used for industrial robots are:
 Electric:

 Uses electric motors to actuate individual joints.

 Provide less speed & strength but accurate & repeatable..

 Preferred drive system in today's robots.

 Hydraulic:

 Uses linear pistons and rotary vane actuators

 Noted for their high power and lift capacity.

 Pneumatic:

 Typically limited to smaller robots and simple material transfer applications.

 9. Robot Control Systems

# Limited sequence control – pick-and-place operations using mechanical

stops to set positions.

# Playback with point-to-point control – records work cycle as a sequence

of points, then plays back the sequence during program execution.

# Playback with continuous path control – greater memory capacity

and/or interpolation capability to execute paths (in addition to points).

# Intelligent control – exhibits behavior that makes it seem intelligent, e.g.,

responds to sensor inputs, makes decisions, communicates with humans.

 Cont’d…

 Controller is
organized in a Cell
Cell
Supervisor Level 2
Supervisor
hierarchical
fashion, as Controller
Controller
&& Program
Program
Level 1
illustrated in
Figure.
Joint
Joint 11 Joint
Joint 22 Joint
Joint 33 Joint
Joint 44 Joint
Joint 55 Joint
Joint 66 Sensors
Sensors Level 0
 10. Working Envelope
 The work volume (the term work envelope is also used) of the manipulator is

defined as the envelope or space within which the robot can manipulate the end

of its wrist.

 Work volume is determined by the number and types of joints in the manipulator

(body-and-arm and wrist), the ranges of the various joints, and the physical sizes

of the links.

 The shape of the work volume depends largely on the robot's configuration.

 A polar configuration robot tends to have a partial sphere as its work volume, a

cylindrical robot has a cylindrical work envelope and a cartesian coordinate

Working Envelope
 11. Industrial Robot Applications

1. Material handling applications

 Material transfer – pick-and-place, palletizing

 Machine loading and/or unloading

2. Processing operations

 Welding

 Spray coating

 Cutting and grinding

3. Assembly and inspection

 Robotic Arc – Welding/Plasma Cutting

 Robot performs flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) operation at one workstation while

fitter changes parts at the other workstation.

Arc welding operation Plasma cutting

 Cont’d…

Spray painting
 Cont’d…

Packaging Handling of forged parts

 Cont’d…

Handling of cast parts Palletizing

12. Industrial robots in operation by
world area
Cont’d…
Industrial robots in industrial sectors
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