Industrial Robotics: Prashanth BN Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering Amrita School of Engineering
Industrial Robotics: Prashanth BN Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering Amrita School of Engineering
Industrial Robotics: Prashanth BN Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering Amrita School of Engineering
PRASHANTH BN
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Amrita School of Engineering
Contents
History of Robotics
Robotics Application
Social and Economic Issues
Robot anatomy and Work Volume
Robot Configuration and work Space
End-effectors: Grippers and Tools
Robot Actuators and Drive Systems
Safety Consideration
Who introduced the word robot?
o The term robot was first introduced by a Czech
dramatist, Karel Capek in his 1921 play
"Rossum's Universal Robots". He was referring
to a perfect and tireless worker performing
manual labour jobs for human beings.
o Isaac Asimov, coined the word robotics as the
science of the study of robots, in his science
fiction stories about robots in 1940s.
Definition
Robot term from Webster’s dictionary:- An
automatic device that performs function
ordinarily ascribed to human being
'Automation' refers to a mode of operation
in which any machine or piece of
equipment is capable of working without
human intervention.
Automation is generally regarded as being
able to be divided into 2 types:
1. Fixed automation
2. Flexible automation
Fixed automation
Used when the volume of production is very high
and it is, therefore, appropriate to design
specialized equipment to process products at
high rates and low cost
Eg: automobile industry, where highly integrated
transfer line are used to perform machine
operation on engine and transmission
components
Flexible automation
Most suitable for the mid-volume production
range. Typically consists of a series of
workstation that are interconnected by material-
handling and storage equipment to process
different product configuration at the same time
to control manufacturing system
Eg: Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS),
Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM)
History of Robotics
Date Development
In the social area, what are the main issues related to robotics? How
will the labour and manpower market be affected by robotics? How
many workers are likely to be displaced?
What are the impacts on the professional and semiprofessional work
force who are employed in manufacturing? Also, will robotics affect
productivity and international economic competition?
What kind of retraining and education is needed to upgrade the
present work force?
Will foreign investors still choose Malaysia (as cheap labour will not
be needed when factories are run by robots)?
Some 90 percent of Malaysian industry is in the SMI (Small and
Medium Industry) category. Can SMIs afford installation of robotics
in the near future? Or will robotics benefit only MNCs (Multinational
Corporations)?
Robot anatomy and Work Volume
Material handling
Pick-and-place
Loading and unloading
Painting and welding
6 to 9 axes
Robot Classification Based On
Kinematic Structure
Normally, robot manipulators are classified
according to their arm geometry or kinematic
structure. The majority of these manipulators fall
into one of these five configuration:
Advantages:
- 3 linear axes
- Easy to visualize
- Rigid structure
- Easy to program off-line
- Linear axes make for easy mechanical stops
Disadvantage:
- Can only reach in front of itself
- Requires large floor space for size of work envelop
- Axes hard to seal
Cylindrical Type Configuration
(RPP)
Cylindrical Type Configuration
(RPP)
For cylindrical type manipulator, its first joint is revolute which produces a
rotation about the based, while its second and third joints are prismatic.
Advantages:
- 2 linear axes, 1 rotating axis
- Can reach all around itself
- Reach and height axes rigid
- Rotational axis easy to seal.
Disadvantages:
- Cannot reach above itself
- Base rotation axis is less rigid than a linear axis
- Linear axes hard to seal
- Will not reach around obstacles
- Horizontal motion is circular
Spherical Type Configuration
(RRP)
Spherical Type Configuration
(RRP)
The first two joints of this type of manipulators
are revolute, while its third Joint is prismatic.
Advantages:
- 1 linear axis, 2 rotating axes
- Long horizontal reach
Disadvantages:
- Cannot reach around obstacles
- Generally has short vertical reach
SCARA Type Configuration (RRP
or PRR)
SCARA Type Configuration (RRP
or PRR)
The word SCARA stands for Selective Compliant Articulated Robot for
Assembly. There are two type of SCARA robot configuration: either the first
two joints are revolute with the third joint as prismatic, or the first joint is
revolute with the second and third Joints as prismatic.
Advantages:
- 1 linear axis, 2 rotating axes
- Height axis is rigid
- Large work area floor space
- Can reach around obstacles
- Two ways to reach a point
Disadvantages:
- Difficult to program off-line
- Highly complex arm
Revolute Type Configuration (RRR)
Revolute Type Configuration (RRR)
What is actuator?
The commonly used actuators are:
1. Stepper motors
2. DC servomotors
3. AC servomotors
4. Hydraulic pistons
5. Pneumatic pistons
Electric Drive
Small and medium size robots are usually
powered by electric drives via gear trains using
servomotors and stepper motors.
Advantages
- Better accuracy & repeatability
- Require less floor space
- More towards precise work such as assembly applications
Disadvantages
- Generally not as speedy and powerful as hydraulic robots
- Expensive for large and powerful robots, can become fire hazard
Hydraulic Drive
Larger robots make use of hydraulic
drives.
Advantages:
- more strength-to-weight ratio
- can also actuate at a higher speed
Disadvantages:
- Requires more floor space
- Tendency to oil leakage.
Pneumatic Drive
For smaller robots that possess fewer
degrees of freedom (two- to fourjoint
motions).
They are limited to pick-and-place tasks with
fast cycles.
Direct Drive Robots
In1981 a "direct- drive robot" was developed at
Carnegle-Mellon University, USA. Is used electric
motors located at the manipulator joints without the
usual mechanical transmission linkages used on most
robots.
The drive motor is located contiguous to the joint.
Benefits:
Eliminate backlash and mechanical defiencies
Eliminate the need of a power transmission (thus more
efficient)
Joint backdrivable (allowing for joint-space force sensing)
End-effectors: Grippers and Tools