Classification of Robots

Chapter 4
 Overview
• WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
– How to classify robots by their power source
– How to classify robots by their work envelope and the kind
of reach they have
– How to classify robots by their drive system
– How the International Standards Organization (ISO) classifies
robots
 How are Robots Classified?
• First we must define a unifying characteristic such as:
– Power source
– Shape of the work envelope
– Programming method
– By the type of jobs it is optimized for
– Type of drive system used to move the robot
– Or any other method useful for comparison
• Often we refine a broad classification with other
refining qualifications when determining the best
robot for the job
 Power Source
• One of the common first sorting methods is power
source
– Often this is matched up with what is readily available or
required by the task

• The three common industrial power sources are:

– Electrical
– Hydraulic
– Pneumatic
 Electric
• DC systems often provide greater torque, but may
require more maintenance for the motors
– Brushed motors generate sparks and dust, both creating
hazards to the process
• AC is a common choice for industry and drives both
stepper and servomotors
– Stepper motors move a set portion of the rotation with
each application of power
– Servomotors are a continuous rotation type motor with
built in feedback devices called encoders, which provide
feedback about the motor’s rotational position
Figure 4-1 Figure 4-2

To the left you can see a FANUC robot run

by servo motors (the black parts with red
tops)

Above is an encoder used to provide

positional information to the robot
 Hydraulic

• Hydraulic power is known for generating large

amounts of force and is still used in robotics for heavy
loads
– With the improvements in servo motors, the hydraulic robot
is losing ground to comparative electric models
– On a side note, this system uses some other form of energy
to generate the hydraulic pressure such as an electric motor
and pump, but the robot will move via hydraulic means
 Hydraulic cont.

• There are some down sides to hydraulic robots:

– Hydraulic leaks
– Cost of oil
– Fire hazard (mostly as a mist)
– Increased maintenance
– Increased noise
 Pneumatic
• The largest problem with pneumatic robots is the
difficulty maintaining position
– Because gas is compressible, stopping mid-stroke or mid
motion leads to drifting
– The only sure way to hold position is to use some kind of
hard stop and constant pressure
– Noise and leaks are another problem to contend with
– On the plus side, these systems are very fast and most
industries have a ready supply of cheap pneumatic pressure
– Pneumatics are commonly used to power robot tooling
Figure 4-3

The blue hoses in

this picture power
the gripper action
of the tooling
attached to this
FANUC Delta style
robot
 Geometry of the Work Envelope
• Another common way of grouping robots is by the
area they can reach or the work envelope
– Cartesian
– Cylindrical
– Spherical
– Articulated
– SCARA
– Horizontally Base-Jointed Arm
– Delta
 Cartesian Geometry
• These systems have a cubic or rectangular work
envelope
– Many gantry-type robots fall into this group
• These robots often have two or three major axes to
move in:
– X is front to back
– Y is side to side
– Z is up or down
– When there are only two major axes, X is often the one
omitted
Figures 4-5a and b

Here you can see a

gantry robot
showing off the
impressive coverage
of the system.
Below is a diagram
of Cartesian motion
 Cylindrical Geometry

• The work envelope of these robots resembles a

cylinder
– These robots commonly have a rotary axis on the base to
spin the robot, two linear axes to move the tooling into the
general work area, and then two or three minor axes for
tooling orientation
– These systems are good for reaching deep into machines,
save on floor space, and tend to have the rigid structure
needed for large payloads
Figures 4-6a and b

Here you can see

the basic layout of a
cylindrical robot and
to the right is the
work envelope for
said robot
 Spherical Geometry

• This robot’s work envelop is a ball, cut off by where

the robot mounts
• Spherical, or polar, geometry gives the user a wide
range of options for robot positioning
• The primary difference between cylindrical and
spherical robots is that the spherical units have a long
reach with a smaller size
Figures 4-7a and b

Remember with
the spherical robot
you will not have
the full ball, part of
it will be cut off by
what the robot
mounts to and the
surfaces around
that
 Articulated Geometry
• Articulated robots have a spherical-type envelope
that is constrained by the construction of the robot
– The articulated robot leaves linear motion behind for
rotational motion at the various axes
– This robot is also known as jointed arm, revolute, and even
anthropomorphic, because in many cases, its motions look
very organic and lifelike
– It has a chunked-up portion of the spherical envelope due to
the robot design and limitations of the system
Figures 4-8a and b

Above is an articulated
geometry robot, a
favorite of industry;
below is an illustration
showing the work
envelope of this type
of robot
Figure 4-9

The YuMi® robot from

ABB is a great
representation of the
newer style of
articulated robots
hitting industry. The
dual articulated arm on
a rotary torso gives the
robot very human like
motion. This is also a
collaborative robot,
which can work cage
free.
 SCARA
• Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm (SCARA) is
unique in that it combines Cartesian linear motion with
the rotation of an articulated system, creating a new
motion type
– SCARA has a cylindrical geometry with axes 1 and 2 moving in a
rotational manner and axis 3 moving in a linear vertical way to
manipulate the tooling into position while applying force
– The orientation of axes 1 and 2 provide horizontal rotation versus
the vertical rotation of the other systems
– Another difference is that the wrist (or minor axes) usually only
have one rotational axis
– SCARA robots are popular in the electronics field, where their
motion and strengths seem to be a good fit for the tasks required
Figures 4-10a and b

Above is a SCARA
robot and below is a
diagram showing
the motions of the
different axes
 Horizontally Base-Jointed Arm
• This is an adaptation of the SCARA system, with axis 2
as the linear axis instead of 3
–Instead of the tooling rising up and down, as with
the SCARA, this system moves the whole arm up
and down
–These robots also tend to have normal minor axes
complement of two or three versus the single
rotational of the traditional SCARA types
 Figure 4-11
This configuration
provides the
power of the
SCARA robot in the
vertical direction
with flexibility in
tooling orientation
that rivals any of
the other systems
we have looked at
 Delta
• Delta robots have become popular in industry and 3D
printing over the past few years due to their speed and
unique design
• The system is made up of three vertical arms coming to a
pyramid-type point at the tooling below
• The result of this arrangement, due to the sweeping
motion of the three major axes, is a cone similar to an
acorn or the nose cone of a rocket
• The majority of the work envelope is closer to the base of
the robot; the envelope narrows as the tooling is moved
farther away from the overhead unit
Figure 4-12c Figure 4-12b

On the left is
an example
of a Delta
style robot
and to the
right of it you
can see the
work
envelope for
this type of
robot
Figure 4-4 Figure 4-12a

On the left you can see a couple of Delta

style robots working with an articulated
arm style; above we have two Delta style
robots working together
Drive Systems: Classification and Operation
• Another way we classify robots is how the motors
connect to the robot to move it
• There are two broad categories in this field:
– Direct drive
– Indirect drive
• Direct-drive systems have the rotating shaft of the
motor connected directly to the part of the robot
they move
– The torque (rotational force) of this system is the same as
the motor as there is nothing to modify the system between
the motor and robot
 Reduction-Drive
• Reduction-drive systems alter the output of the
motor shaft via mechanical means
– As a rule, these systems slow the speed of the rotational
shaft in order to increase the torque or force of the system
– They can also change the direction of rotation or turn
rotational motion into linear motion
– These systems often require more maintenance, as they
have additional moving parts
 Belt-Drive
• Belt drives utilize a flexible continuous loop known as
a belt to transfer power from the motor to the output
of the system
• By changing the size ration between the drive pulley
which is connected to the motor or force and the
driven pulley which is connected to the output of the
system we can alter the torque produced
• Because of the precision required of most industrial
robots, the belt of choice is the synchronous belt that
has teeth at set intervals along its length
Figure 4-13

A synchronous belt
used to drive a
gripper system for a
robot. Notice the
teeth on the white
belt at the bottom of
the cutaway image.
This is similar to the
setup used for
robotic axis drives.
 Chain-Drive
• For the most part, chain-driven systems work in the
same way as belt-driven systems, with a few
exceptions:
– These systems use sprockets, which have teeth designed to
fit into the links of the chain instead of pulleys
– The a chain, usually made of metal, connects the drive
sprocket to the driven sprocket
– Like the synchronous belt, chains do not slip, but they do
wear out
Figure 4-14

While this system is

not from a robot, it
does show the
components of a
chain system as well
as the slack that
develops over time
 Gear Drive

• Gears come in many shapes, sizes, and varieties, but

they all have cogs, or teeth, which are projections
that match up or mesh with similar projections on
other gears to transmit force
• Drive Gear – the one supplying power
• Driven Gear – one tied to the output
• Gear train or transmission – two or more gears
connected together
 Gear Drive cont.
• Idler gears are extra gears added to a system to change
the direction of rotation on a dedicated shaft, not an
output shaft

• If there is an even number of total gears in a drive system,

the last gear will rotate opposite the input gear

• If there are an odd number of total gears in a system, the

last gear will turn in the same direction as the input gear
Figure 4-15

An even
number of
gears means
the output
will turn
opposite the
input
Figure 4-16

An odd number of
gears is required to
have the output, or
driven gear, turn in
the same direction
as the input, or drive
gear
 Gear Drive cont.

• Compound gears - two or more gears on the same

shaft, often made from one solid piece of material
– One of the gears in a compound gear will be a driven gear,
while the other(s) will be a drive gear
– This is because one or more of the gears in the compound
arrangement serves as the power source for a completely
new gear train
– Multiple gears on the same shaft must rotate in the same
direction
Figure 4-17

This is part of a gear

transmission system,
which includes
compound and spur
gears. Spur gears are
made by taking a
round or cylindrical
object and cutting
teeth into the edge.
 Harmonic Drive
• Harmonic drive - a specialized gear system that uses
an elliptical wave generator to mesh a flex spline with
a circular spline that has gear teeth fixed along the
interior
– The circular spline is typically the driven portion of the
system
– The flex spline only contacts the circular spine at two points
that are 180 degrees apart
– The wave generator is inside the flex spine, but is usually
separated from the flex spine by ball bearings
Figure 4-18

This system
can generate
torques up to
320:1 and has
no backlash
 Ball Screw
• Ball screws -a large shaft with a continuous tooth
carved along the outer edge and a nut or block that
moves up and down the length of the shaft
– The prime mover connects to the shaft either directly via a
coupler or through a belt, chain, or gear-drive system, with
all the options that creates
– The block or nut that moves along the ball screw usually
rides along the tooth via ball bearings and attaches to
whatever is being moved
Figure 4-19

Ball screws
come in a wide
variety of sizes
and lengths to
meet the
application
needs
 ISO
• International Standards Organization (ISO) - an
organization that develops, updates, and maintains sets
of standards for use by the industries of the world
– An ISO certification guarantees that a company is making its
products according to a defined set of specifications for quality,
safety, and reliability, giving customers peace of mind
• ISO defines an industrial robot as an “actuated
mechanism programmable in two or more axes with a
degree of autonomy, moving within its environment, to
perform intended tasks” (Harper, 2012).
 ISO Industrial Classification
• The ISO classifications for industrial robots are:
– Linear robots
– SCARA robots
– Articulated robots
– Parallel robots
– Cylindrical robots
– Others
• ISO 8373:2012 is where you will find the ISO
classifications for industrial robotics along with the
information needed to work safely with these
systems
 Review
• How are robots classified? This section discussed why we classify
robots and some of the broad categories one might use.
• Power source. This section was the first grouping for robots we
examined and it looked at some of the strengths and weaknesses of
each category.
• Geometry of work envelope. This section showed how we can
group robots by their work envelop as well as talking about their
axes of movement.
• Drive systems. This section covered the difference between direct
drive and various indirect drive systems used to move robots.
• ISO classification. Here we explored how ISO groups the robot and
discovered that industrial robots are classified by how they
mechanically work, giving us nearly the same groupings as we found
in the geometry section.