Robot Applications

At global robots we have many years of robot experience. We have seen many different uses for robots
in a vast range of industries. They are in principle a simple piece of equipment and therefore highly
adaptable. The 6-axis industrial robot is certainly the most flexible type and can be used in many
different ways. In addition there are more specialist robots such as the A I! "#$ pic% and place robot
that are used in quite specific applications. &ome applications are very simple and have been done
thousands of times before' but we are finding more and more industries that are turning to automation
and more specifically robots' to increase production and quality while lowering costs and waste. With the
prices of used robots so low and the pressures on manufacturing companies so great robots are no
longer the preserve of the motor industry. (or every application listed below there are hundreds of
derivative and related possibilities. With hundreds of thousands of robots installed worldwide in industries
as diverse as sawmills to pharmaceuticals robots have time and again provide huge gains in productivity'
safety' economy and quality.
Assembly:
)ne of the most varied
applications for robots and
we are finding new
customers with new
applications in new
industries every day. )ur
customers use robots for
assembling various
products' from mobile
phones to wooden pallets
to gas meters. )bviously
accuracy is %ey in
many assembly
applications and most
robots are accurate
to $.*mm which is as good
if not better than a human.
+exterity is also important'
here clever gripper design
is important.
,ood examples of where
robots can offer a great
advantages are those
where the tool is heavy'
noisy or dangerous. -ail
guns' rivet guns' large drills
or grinders can all be over
.$%g' be unwieldy and
dangerous' yet a *.$%g
payload robot will handle
them with ease.

This is a video of an
assembly application where
a robot is ma%ing wooden
pallets using a nail gun.
Cutting Applications:
!obots are the perfect tool
for many cutting /obs.
0aser' plasma and water /et
cutters are often used with
robots. +ue to the
dangerous nature of these
technologies robots are the
obvious choice. 1sually the
cutting tool is placed on the
robot and the part is
presented to the robot by
conveyor' turntable or
manipulator. A second
option is to have the robot
hold the part and move it
while the cutting tool is
fixed. A robot can have
hundreds of cutting paths
programmed into it and on
later models cad data can
be fed directly to the
controller. The excellent
accuracy and path following
capabilities give precise
results time after time' in
three dimensions and with
greater flexibility than
many dedicated cutting
machines. As with many
applications the ability of
the robot to communicate
with the tools with which it
is interfacing is all
important- the use of I2)
or bus communications
allow the robot' for
example' to control the
power of the cutter or
change its own speed as
required. Typical robots for
cutting applications have
payloads of between 3 to
#$ %g' or sometimes more
if the part is being moved
by the robot. In general
terms we would advise the
use of newer - *44# and
later - robots as this is
when accurate path
following became the norm.
!obots can be mounted
over the wor%piece on a
gantry if needed to increase
the effective wor%ing area.

In this picture three
A I! *#$$5s are
simultaneously arc welding
and plasma cutting a part.
oth processes will use
similar types of robots as
they must be fast' accurate
and controllable. That is the
speed of the robot will need
to be varied depending on
the cutting variables.

De-burring, Grinding,
Polishing, Linishing
and Finishing:
y using the flexibility of 6-
axis robots it is possible to
grind' trim' fettle' polish
and even clean almost any
part' in any material
and achieve an consistent
excellent finish. !obot
technology allows a large
number of different
programs and hence parts
to be adapted to by one
installation. As with 6utting
there are two main
approaches' either the
robot holds the part or the
robot holds the tool. Also it
is possible to have two
robots wor%ing together for
ultimate flexibility7 one
holding the part' one
holding the tool. The
starting point of designing
a cell of this type is often
the manual process it is to
replace' although often
using a robot will allow the
use of new or different
technologies. It is easy to
use a multi-purpose tool to
the end of the robot' for
example in a mobile phone
case finishing application
an A I! .#$$ was fitted
with an end effector with
two sorts of router' a
circular sander and a
rotating wire brush' all air
powered. If the part is
pic%ed up by the robot
precise "+ positioning
allows the part to be
presented to a grinding
wheel for example'
with repeatability that
ensures that the product is
identical time after time.
With the heath and safety
regulations governing the
use of finishing equipment
ever tightening and claims
for !&I a constant concern
a robotic cell can offer a
fast !)I 8!eturn )n
Investment9 while
guaranteeing
a consistent quality finish.

The picture shows a casting
being held by an A I!
6#$$ robot 8..:m reach
version9. -ote the reaming
tool in the foreground' this
is fixed and the robot is
moving the part to it.

Handling:
+ue to the huge array of
technologies available and
through years of
experience' we are able to
offer solutions to most
handling applications. y
using both proved systems
from specialist
manufacturers and bespo%e
products we can meet your
requirements. !obots have
not only power and speed
but also accuracy dexterity
and sensitivity. They are
regularly used in a variety
of industries for the
manipulation of a plethora
of of items from car doors
to eggs' from springs to
champagne. A typical large
robot will be able to handle
a load of *.$%g at speeds
of .;$$ mm2s. &ensor
systems including vision
systems can allow for
variables in part position
and type. ,rippers are
available in a huge array of
types' payloads and many
applications will require the
fabrication of a bespo%e
gripper. The actuator units
themselves - usually
pneumatic but also
electromechanical - are
available from many
manufacturers as are
suction cups. There are also
other gripping devices such
as electromagnetic
grippers.

<andling covers a very
large range of applications'
dedicated pic% and place
such as the A I! "#$
are designed specifically for
very fast and accurate wor%
often coupled to a vision
system. They are often
used in the food industry
for /obs such as pic%ing
chocolates from a moving
conveyor and placing them
into boxes in given
positions at speeds of over
*;$ pic%s per minute.
<andling can also include
machine tending. !obots
are excellent for wor%ing
with in/ection moulding
machines' blow
moulders' 6-6 mills and
lathes' spar% eroders'
presses etc. y automating
with robots machines can
be wor%ed much more
efficiently and even through
the night and wee%ends to
give the best return on
what is invariably very
expensive hardware.

This is an A I! "#$
=flexpic%er=' as described it
is a very fast machine for
pic%ing small parts. Almost
any robot is capable of pic%
and place wor% - 6 axis
machines being the most
flexible and widely used.
6lic% here for a video of
some I! "#$ robots in a
pic% and place handling
application.

Palletising:
>alletising is a type of
handling application but
owing to the huge number
of installations that directly
involve the use of pallets
this has become a subset of
its own. A and other
manufacturers have even
designed
specialist palletising
software pac%ages and
even palletising robot arms
although in practise these
are not often needed. The
principle is simple' the
robot pic%s part or parts
from one or more positions
and the places them in
sequence. This is usually on
a pallet' stac%ing for
example bags of cement' in
such a way that will stop
the stac% from easily falling
over. This could also mean
placing parts into a stillage
or other rac% but the most
important part is that the
robot %eeps count of the
position to which it has
gone and must go to next.
6ount functions were one
of the first logic functions
included in robot controllers
and are probably one of the
most used.

In a palletising /ob the
robot will often pic% the
part' box or bag from a
conveyor either using
conveyor trac%ing or more
simply at a fixed point and
then put the parts in order
until the pallet is full. The
pallet can either be
changed by hand 8with the
robot stopped or wor%ing in
another area9 or the full
pallet can be carried away
on a second conveyor for
wrapping etc. If needed the
robot itself can pic% an
empty pallet from a stac%
and start palletising again
saving operator time and
effort.

+edicated palletising robots
such as A5s
=(lexpalleti?er=
and (anuc @#.$iA are
usually simpler than a full 6
axis robot' often only
having # or ; axis and are
designed to be simpler and
cheaper. <owever because
6 axis machines are made
and installed in such large
numbers 8largely in the car
industry9 they are actually
often cheaper than a
dedicated palletiser. In
addition parts are not
as widespread and
therefore we would often
suggest the use of a
standard 6 axis robot such
as the A I! 6#$$. We
have sold robots for a
multitude of palletising
wor%' including palletising
potatoes' fro?en fish'
furniture' pipes' masonry'
even live worms for
the long-line fishing
industry.

This is a picture of the A
I! 6#$ - a dedicated
handling robot. It has less
flexibility than a full 6 axis
machine but is very robust
and simpler and cheaper
new than an I! 6#$$ for
example. <owever due to
the availability of 6#$$5s
they are usually cheaper on
the used mar%et than
robots li%e the 6#$. 6lic%
here for a video of an &"
A I! 6$$$ palletising.

Sealing and Gluing:
(rom an installation point
of view sealing applications
are very closely related to
arc welding. The most
important ability for the
robot is to follow a path
accurately with good
control over speed.
Automated sealing has
been very difficult to get
right in the past' a process
that wor%s very well at one
speed may run into
problems if it is
accelerated. )ver many
years the problems have
been ironed out and now
sealing systems are not
only very advanced but
also have a great deal of
connectivity with the robot
so a good even bead of
sealant will be applied.
!obots are frequently used
for sealing applications in
the car industry using !TA
to seal in windows' %eep
out water etc. There are
two basic setups' either the
sealant head is fixed and
the robot moves the part or
the part is fixed and the
robot moves the sealant
head. There are a few
robots that are designed
more or less specifically for
sealing li%e
the A I! "#$$0 which
has a very low payload but
a very long reach and a
slender arm that could
access a complete car
body. <owever any
standard robot can be used
for sealing it is /ust a
matter of selecting the
right reach and payload for
the /ob.

>ictured is an A I! *#$
robot. Affectionately %nown
as the mon%ey robot due to
its high speed' great range
of movement and the fact it
can be mounted on a wall
or overhead. The *#$ is the
the perfect robot for sealing
or gluing when only a small
reach is needed as it has
excellent path following and
its controller allows
fantastic control over
analogue signals.

Spraying, Painting,
Coating:
>aint spraying was one of
the first uses for industrial
robots. The volatile and
ha?ardous nature of solvent
based paint means that it is
best to minimise human
contact and robots give an
excellent and consistent
finish. >ainting robots have
been developed that are
impervious to paint shop
conditions and present no
ha?ard when in proximity
to flammable compounds or
explosive atmospheres.
There are two types of
painting robots explosion
proof and non-explosion
proof. The former are
sealed units and the arm is
pressurised with air to
prevent the ingress of
explosive solvents.
>ressure sensor are used to
monitor integrity. -on
explosion proof robots do
not have the pressurised
system but the do have the
other features specifically
for painting. >aint robots
typically have quite thin
arms as they do not have
to carry much weight and
access is important. They
are also capable of very
fluid movements as they
have to mimic a s%illed
human painter.

>ainting robots often have
a controller that has been
designed specifically for the
/ob. -ot only are paint
related controls needed but
also the way in which the
robot moves may be
different from a standard
type robot. &ome painting
robots can even be
programmed by actually
moving the arm directly' by
hand' rather than using a
/oystic% or buttons. In this
way the robot can be
taught very =organic=
movements that may
otherwise be difficult to
achieve.

>ictured is A5s latest
painting robot the I! ;:$
which is usually supplied as
a sealed BC type and has a
specialist painting control
cabinet.

elding:
Welding can be split into
two areasD seam welding
8including @I,' TI,' arc
and laser9 and spot
welding. oth applications
have been robotised for
many years and the
interface between the robot
and welding units are
highly evolved. Welding
robots can be very highly
specialised7 (or example
=po%e welding= robots are
spot welding robots that
use the arm itself to
generate the mechanical
force needed. 6). laser
welding robots are
fittedwith a complex
system of mirrors to ta%e
the laser to the end of the
arm. <aving said this @I,'
EA,' TI,' A!6 and normal
spot welding use
standardised machines that
are widely available.

&eam welding will require a
robot with excellent path
following and precision.
@I, and TI, systems are
very frequently fitted to
small robots of around ;
to *$%g payload and with a
reach of less that *.:m
although it is possible to
use bigger robots such as
the ..#m reach A I!
6#$$. !obots often have
weave functions to give a
fantastic quality of weld -
probably better than that of
a s%illed human welder.
They can also control many
of the welding parameters
such as power' wire feed'
gas flow etc. y using
=service stations= that
combine torch cleaners and
=bullseye= or a centring
device it is possible to
maintain production .#-3
without the need for
intervention. As arc welding
is ha?ardous with fumes as
well as the blinding light
from the arc itself a robot is
a sensible choice from a
heath and safety
standpoint. Arc welding
cells obviously have
screens around the wor%
area and manipulators are
often used to present parts
to the robot to prevent
anyone getting too close
and to %eep production
rates high.
>ictured are four A I!
*#$$ robots equiped with
B&A @I, welding gear.
The wire feed units are the
blac% boxes mounted on
the top of the arms. In this
case the robots are welding
a car chassis. The robots
will be connected so that
they are aware of each
others location to prevent
collisions. The orange E
shaped stands between the
robots are the bullseyes
used to calibrate the
robots.
&pot welding robots will
generally carry a complete
spot weld gun and power
pac% on the end of the arm.
As these frequently weigh
in excess of *$$%g it is not
surprising that this a tas%
to which robots have been
applied since the early
days. In fact Fu%a were
spot welding specialists for
many years before they
started ma%ing robots.
1sing spot welders by hand
is a very difficult /ob indeed
and trying to manoeuvre
such a heavy-weight piece
of %it accurately is near
impossible. A spot welding
robot will on the other hand
position a spot gun with
remar%able dexterity and
speed. G -guns' , - guns
and some truly monstrous
scissor guns are often
equipped to robots. The
robot will also require a
substantial loom to carry
services to the welder 8air'
water and power as well as
sensor information9 so the
robot is designed to bear a
substantial supplementary
load to do this. The weld
timer is closely lin%ed to
the robot and this allows a
robot to respot a point if
the welding process has not
occured as it should. Tip
dressing stations are
usually fitted in a spot
welding cell so that quality
of weld can be consistent.
The A I! 66$$ pictured
is a very heavy weight spot
welder and it is carrying a
scissor gun which could
easly reach most of the
way across a car body.
)ther robots frequently
used for spot welding
include the A I! 6$$$
and 6#$$ models' (anuc
#.$' #"$ and !.$$$
models and Fu%a F!*.;'
and F!*;$5s. @ost ma/or
robot manufacturers have
at least one robot designed
for spot welding.