ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

5
MODULE

Applications of Robotics
Classification of Robot Applications

1. Material transfer

Pick-and-Place operations
Palletizing and related operations.

2. Machine loading and unloading

Die casting
Plastic moulding
Forging and related operations.
Machining operations.
Stamping press operations.

3. Processing operations

Spot-welding.
Continuous arc welding.
Spray coating
Other processing operations.

Drilling
Grinding, polishing, debarring, wise brushing
Riveting
Water jet cutting
Laser drilling and cutting.

4. Assembly

Parts mating
Parts joining task

5. Inspection

Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

Material Transfer applications.

♦ Operations in which the primary objective is to move a part from one location to
another location.
♦ Require relatively unsophisticated robot, and the interlocking requirements with
other equipment are typically uncomplicated.

Pick-and-Place operations

♦ Operations involve tasks in which the robot picks up the part at one location and
moves it to another location.

♦ In simplest case, the part is presented to the robot by some mechanical feeding device
or conveyor in a known location or orientation.

♦ An input interlock would be designed to indicate that the part is in position and ready
for pickup.

♦ The robot would grasp the part, pick it up, move it, and position it at a desired
location.

♦ The orientation of the part remains unchanged during the move.

Fig. 8.1 Simple pick-and-place operation.

♦ Pick-and –place operation becomes relatively complicated when robot is required to

track a moving pickup point.

Example: Tracking arises when parts are carried along a continuously moving
conveyor. The opposite case arises when robot must put parts onto the moving
Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

conveyor. In such case sensor-interlock system is required to determine the presence

and location of the parts.

♦ Material transfer becomes more complicated when different objects are being handled
by the same robot.

Example: When a single conveyor is used to move more than one type of part, the
robot must be interfaced to some type of sensor system capable of distinguishing
between the different parts so that the robot can execute the right programme
subroutine for the particular part.

Palletizing and Related operations.

♦ In industry instead of handling individual cartons or other containers , a large number

of these containers are placed on a pallet, and the pallet is then handled.

♦ Palletizing is the process of placing cartons or product onto the pallet.

♦ Depalletizing is the process of removing the product or cartons from the pallet.

Fig. 8.2 A typical pallet configuration

♦ Palletizing and depalletizing are repetitive and heavy work which are done by
robots. The robot may be called on to load different pallets differently and reasons
for these differences include the following: The pallets may vary is size; different
products may be loaded onto the pallets; and there may be differences in the
numbers and combinations of cartons going to different customers and to deal
with these variations, methods of identifying the cartons and / or pallets and the
way in which they are to be loaded or unloaded must be devised. Like bar code
and other optical schemes.

Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

Machine Loading and Unloading

♦ These applications are material: handling operations in which the robot is used to
service a production machine by transferring parts to and/or from the machine.
♦ Machine load/ unload: The robot loads a raw work part into the process and unloads a
finished part.
♦ Machine loading: The robot must load the raw work part or materials into the machine
but the part is ejected from the machine by some other means.

Example: In a press working operation, the robot may be programmed to load sheet
metal blanks into the press, but the finished parts are allowed to drop out of the press
by gravity.

♦ Machine unloading- The machine produces finished parts form the raw materials that
are loaded directly into the machine without robot assistance. The robot unloads the
part from the machine.

Example: Die-casting and plastic molding.

Die casting.

♦ It is manufacturing process in which molten metal is forced into the cavity of a model
under high pressure. The mold is called a die (hence the name, die casting).

♦ The process is used to cast metal parts with sufficient accuracy so that subsequent
finishing operations are usually not required. Common metal used for die-casted parts
include alloys of zinc, tin, lead, aluminum, magnesium, and copper.

♦ The die consists of two halves that are opened and closed by a die casting machine.
During operations the die is closed and molten metal is injected into the cavity by
pump. To ensure that the cavity is filled, enough molten metal is forced into the die
that it overflows the cavity and creates “flash” in the space between the die halves.
♦ When the metal is solidified, the die is opened and the cost part is ejected, usually by
pins, which push the part away from the mold cavity. When the part is removed from
the machine, it is often quenched in a water bath. The flash that is created during the
casting process must be removed subsequently by a trimming operation, which cuts
around the pereriplley of the part.

♦ The typical die-casting production cycle consists of casting, removing the part from
the machine, quenching and trimming. Production rate of die casting range from 100
up to 700 openings of the die part per hours.

♦ The die-casting process represents a relatively straightforward application for

industrial robots. The alterations required of the die-casting machine are minimal, and
the interlocking of the robot cycle with the machine cycle can be accomplished by
simple limit switches.
Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

Plastic Moulding

♦ It is batch-volume or high-volume manufacturing process used to make plastic parts to

final shape and size.

♦ Plastic molding covers a number of processes including compression molding,

injection molding, thermoforming, blow molding, and extrusion.

♦ Injection molding is the most important commercially, and is the process in this group
for which robots are most often used.

♦ A thermoplastic material is introduced into the process in the form of small pallets or
granules from a storage hopper. It is heated in a heating chamber to 200 to 3000c to
transform it into semifuid (plastic) state and injected into the mold cavity under high
pressure. The plastic travels from the heating chamber into the part cavity through a
sprue-and-runner network that is designed into the mold.

♦ If too much plastic is injected into the mold, flash is created where the two halves of
the mold come together. If too little material is injected into the cavity, sinkholes and
other defects are created in the part, rendering it unacceptable.

♦ Industrial robots are sometimes employed to unload injection- molding machines when
other less expensive automatic methods are demmed to be sufficiently reliable.

♦ One of the robot application problems in injection molding is that the production times
are considerably longer than in die casting, hence causing the robot to be idle for a
significant portion of the cycle.

Forgoing and Related Operations.

♦ Forging is a metalworking process in which metal is pressed or hammered into the

desired shape. It includes a variety of metalworking operations, some of which are
candidates for automation using robots.

♦ The design of a gripper for forging is a significant engineering problem for several
reasons. First, the parts are hot, perhaps 20000 F, and the gripper must be protected
against these temperatures. Second, the gripper must be designed, to withstand the
shock from the hammer blows because the parts must typically be held in position by
the robot during the process. Third, the gripper must be designed to accommodate
substantial changes in the shape of the parts during successive hits in the forging cycle.

♦ In forging parts occasionally sticks in the dies. The robot application should take care
of this problem

Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

Machining Operations

♦ Machining is a metalworking process in which the shape of the part is changed by

removing excess material with a cutting tool.

♦ Robots have been successfully utilized perform the loading and unloading functions in
machining operations. The robot is typically used to load a raw work part into the
machine tool and to unload the finished part at the completion of the machining cycle.

♦ The following robot features generally contribute to the success of the machine tool
load/ unload applications.

- Dual Gripper: The use of a dual gripper permits the robot to handle the raw work
part and the finished part at the same time.

- Up to six joint motions: A large number of degrees of function of the arm and wrist
are required to manipulate and position the part in the machine tool.

- Good repeatability: A relatively high level of precision is required to properly

position the part into the chuck or other work holding fixture in the machine tool.

- Programming features: There are several desirable programming features that

facilitate the use of robots in machining applications. In machine cells used in
machining applications. In machine cells used for batch production of different parts,
there is the need to perform some sort of changeover of the setup between batches.

Stamping Press operations.

♦ Stamping press operations are used to cut and form sheet metal parts. The process is
performed by means of a die set held in a machine tool called a press (or stamping
press).

♦ Robots are being used for handling parts in press working operations, largely as a
result of the safety issue. The typical task performed by the robot is to load the flat
blanks into the press for stamping operation.

♦ The robot can be used to hold the blank during the cycle so that the formed part is
readily removed from the process.

♦ In many cutting operations, the robot loads the blanks into the press, and the parts fall
through the die during the press cycle.

Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

Processing operations.

Spot-Welding

♦ Spot welding is a process in which two sheet metal parts are fused together all
localized points by processing a large electric current through the parts where the weld
is to be made.

♦ The function is accomplished at relatively low voltage levels using two copper
electrodes to squeeze the parts together at the contact points and supply the current to
the weld area.

♦ Robots have been used in spot welding. A welding gun is attached as the end-effectors
to each robot’s wrist, and the robot is programmed to perform a sequence of welds on
the products as it arrives at the workstation.

♦ The robots used in spot welding must posses certain capabilities and features to
perform the process. First, the robot must be relatively large. If must have sufficient
payload capacity to readily manipulate the welding gun for the application. The work
volume must be adequate for the size of the product. The robot must be able to
position and orient the welding gun in places on the product that might be difficult to
access. This might result in the need for an increased number of degrees of freedoms.
The controller memory must have enough capacity to accomplish the may positioning
steps required for the spot- welding cycle.

♦ Automation of spot-welding process by means of robot are improved product quantity,

operator safety, and better control over the production operations.

Continuous Arc Welding

♦ Continuous arc welding is used to make long welded joints in which an airtight seal is
often required between the two pieces of metal being joined. The process uses an
electrode in the form of a rod or wire of metal to supply the high electric current
needed for establishing the arc. Currents are typically 100 to 300 A at voltages of 10
to 30V. The arc between the welding rod and the metal parts to be joined produces
temperatures that are sufficiently high to form a pool of molten metal to fuse the two
pieces together.

Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

Fig. 8.3 Robot arc welding cell

♦ The working conditions of the welder are typically unpleasant and hazardous. The arc
from the welding process emits ultraviolet radiation which is injurious to human
vision. Because of the hazards for human workers in continuous arc welding, it is
logical to consider industrial robots for the process.

♦ One of the most difficult technical problems for welding robots is the presence of
variations in the components that are to be welded. These variations are manifested in
two forms. One is the variation in the dimensions of the parts in a batch production
job. This type of dimensional variation means that the arc-welding path to be followed
will change slightly from part to part. The second variation is in the edges and surfaces
to be welded together. Instead of being straight and regular, the edges are typically
irregular. This causes variations in the gap between the parts and other problems in the
way the pieces mate together prior to the welding process. Human welders are able to
compensate for both of these variations by changing certain parameters in the welding
process. Industrial robots do not possess the sensing capabilities skills, and judgment
of human welders to make these compensations.

Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

♦ There are two approaches to components for these variations and irregularities in robot
welding applications.

- Correct the upstream production operations so that the variations are reduced to the
point where they do not create a problem in the robot welding process.

- Provide the robot with sensors to monitor the variations in the welding process and
the control logic to compensate for part variations and weld gap irregularities.

♦ Features of the welding robot as follows.

- Work volume and degrees of freedom: The robot’s work volume must be large
enough for the size of the parts to be welded. Five or six degrees of freedom are
generally required for arc-welding robots.

- Motion Control System: The robot must be capable of a smooth continuous motion
in order to maintain uniformity of the welding seam. The welding cycle requires a
dwell at beginning of the movement in order to establish the welding puddle, and a
dwell at the end of the movement to terminate the weld.

- Precision of motion: The accuracy and repeatability of the robot determines to a

large extent the quality of the welding job.

- Interface with other systems: The robot must be provided with sufficient input/
output and control capabilities to work with the other equipment in the cell.

- Programming: To facilitate the input of the program for welding paths with irregular
shapes, it is convenient to use the work through method in which the robot wrist is
physically moved through its motion path.

♦ Arc-Welding sensor systems considered to track the welding seam and provide
information to the robot controller to help guide the welding path. Contact arc-welding
sensors make use of a mechanical tactile probe to touch the sides of the groove ahead
of the welding torch and to feedback position data so that coarse corrections can be
made by the robot controller.
Non contact arc-welding sensors used to track the welding seam uses no tactile
measurements.

Spray Coating

♦ Most products manufactured from metallic materials require some from of painted
finish before delivery to the customer. The common industrial coating methods are of
two types.

Immersion and flow-coating methods.

Spray-coating methods

Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

♦ Spray –coating method is industrial painting method. The common hazards with
spary- coating are fumes and most in the air, noise from the nozzle, fine hazards,
potential cancer hazards.

♦ Because of hazards industrial robots are used as an alternative means of performing

spray-coating operations.

♦ The requirements of the robots for spray-coating applications are as following.

Continuous-path Control: In order to emulate the smooth measurements of a

human spray paint operator, the robot must possess many degrees of freedom.

Hydraulic Drive: Hydraulic drive is preferred over electric or pneumatic drive in

the spray-painting applications. In electric drive there is danger that a spark in
electric motor system may ignite the paint fumes in the spray booth environment.
The motion generated in pneumatic drive are generally too jerky for spray-
coating application.

Manual lead through programming: The most convenient methods of teaching

the robot involves lead through programming in which the robot arm is manually
pulled through the desired motion pattern by a human operator who is skilled in
the techniques of painting.

Multiple programme storage: The need for multiple programme storage arises
in paint production lines in which more than one part style are presented to the
robot for spraying. The capability to quickly access the programme for the
current part is a requirement for these lines

8.5 Assembly

♦ Assembly operations can be divided into two basic categories : parts mating and
parts joining. In parts mating, two (or more) parts are brought into contact with
each other. In parts joining, two (or more) parts are mated and then additional
steps are taken to ensure that the parts will maintain their relationship with each
other.

Parts Mating:

♦ The variety of parts mating operations include the following assembly situations.

i) Peg-in hole: This involves the insertion of one part into another –pat (the
hole).

ii) Hole-on-peg: This is a variation of the peg-in-hole task.

Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

iii) Multiple peg-in-hole: One part has multiple pegs and the other parts has
corresponding multiple holes.

Fig. 8.4 Multiple peg-in-hole assembly.

Parts-Joining Tasks:

The possible joining operations include the following.

♦ Fastening screws: A robot can perform the screw fastening operations in two ways:
it can drive the screw by advancing and simultaneously rotating its wrist, or it can
manipulate a special end effecter consisting of power screwdriver.

Fig. 8.5. Operations of a power screw drive

Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

♦ Press fit.: In most force –fit operations, the robot will not be able to provide the
necessary force to press the parts together, and therefore the application will be
designed so that the robot loads the parts into a power press which performs the
actual press-fitting operation.

♦ Adhesives: In most applications the adhesive disperser is attached to the robot’s

wrist, while in other cases the robot manipulates the part and presents it to the
dispenser.

Features of Assembly robots

♦ Fast arm acceleration is very important for assembly robots. In assembly the traveling
path are relatively short and therefore the joints either move at their maximum speed
for short periods only, or they do not reach the speed limit at all. As a consequence
most paths are completed during the accelerations and declaration period, and
increasing their permissible value shortens the assembly cycle time significantly.

♦ Assembly robots can be designed in any coordinate system, cartesian, cylindrical,

spherical or articulated. However, many tasks require only vertical assembly motions,
such as the assembly of printed circuit board

Inspection

♦ Inspection is a quality control operations that involves the checking of parts,

assembles, or products for conference to certain criteria generally specified by the
design engineering department.

♦ Robotics can be used to accomplish inspection or testing operations for mechanical

dimensions and other physical characteristics, and product function and performance.

Vision Inspection Systems

♦ Some of the robotic applications of vision systems include part location, parts
identification, and bin picking, machine vision system can also be used to implement a
robotic inspection system. Typical robotic vision systems are capable of analyzing
two-dimensional scenes by expecting certain features from the image.

Example: Inspection tasks are dimensional accuracy. Surface finish, and completeness
and correctness of an assembly or product.

Robot-Manipulated Inspection

♦ This method of robotics inspection involves the robot moving an inspection or testing
device around the past or product.
Example: A robot to manipulate an electronic inspection probe or a laser probe along
the surfaces of the object to be measured.
Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar
ME 42126: ROBOTICS AND ROBOT APPLICATIONS

Robot-Loaded Test Equipment

♦ One application area in robotic inspection is loading and unloaded inspection and
testing equipment. There are various types of inspection and testing equipment that
can be loaded by a robot.

Example: Mechanical, Electrical and Pneumatic gauges and functional testing devices.

Dr. Sushovan Basak, Assistant Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engg. 1
C V Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar