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Robotics Applications in Manufacturing

Industrial robots are used in manufacturing for tasks that are hazardous, repetitive, require heavy lifting, or need to be done continuously over multiple shifts. Some key applications of robots include material handling tasks like pick and place operations, machine loading and unloading, spot and arc welding, spray coating, assembly, and inspection. The advantages of using industrial robots are improved quality and consistency, increased productivity and throughput since robots can operate continuously without breaks, greater workplace safety by removing humans from hazardous tasks, and reduced labor costs over time.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
408 views20 pages

Robotics Applications in Manufacturing

Industrial robots are used in manufacturing for tasks that are hazardous, repetitive, require heavy lifting, or need to be done continuously over multiple shifts. Some key applications of robots include material handling tasks like pick and place operations, machine loading and unloading, spot and arc welding, spray coating, assembly, and inspection. The advantages of using industrial robots are improved quality and consistency, increased productivity and throughput since robots can operate continuously without breaks, greater workplace safety by removing humans from hazardous tasks, and reduced labor costs over time.

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Manufacturing Automation

Robotics in Manufacturing

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Robotics in Manufacturing
An industrial robot is defined as “an automatically controlled, reprogrammable,
multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes, which may be either fixed in
place or mobile for use in industrial automation applications.”

MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS/ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION TO USE ROBOTS


IN INDUSTRIES
Hazardous work for humans
When the work and the environment in which it is performed are hazardous, unsafe,
unhealthful, uncomfortable, or otherwise unpleasant for humans, an industrial robot should be
considered for the task. In addition to die casting, there are many other work situations that are
hazardous or unpleasant for humans, including spray painting, arc welding, and spot welding.
Industrial robots are applied in all of these processes.

Repetitive work cycle


A second characteristic that tends to promote the use of robotics is a repetitive work cycle. If
the sequence of motion elements in the work cycle is the same, or nearly the same, a robot is
usually capable of performing the cycle with greater consistency and repeatability than a human
worker.

Difficult handling for humans


If the task involves the handling of parts or tools that are heavy or otherwise difficult to
manipulate, an industrial robot may be available that can perform the operation.

Multi-shift operation
In manual operations requiring second and third shifts, substitution of a robot provides a much
faster financial payback than a single shift operation. Instead of replacing one worker, the robot
replaces two or three workers.

Infrequent changeovers
Most batch or job shop operations require a changeover of the physical workplace between one
job and the next. The time required to make the changeover is non-productive time because
parts are not being made. Consequently, robots have traditionally been easier to justify for
relatively long production runs where changeovers are infrequent.

APPLICATION OF ROBOTS IN INDUSTRIES


Material Transfer
These applications are ones in which the primary purpose of the robot is to move parts from
one location to another. The basic application in this category is called a pick-and-place
operation, in which the robot picks up a part and deposits it at a new location. Transferring

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parts from one conveyor to another is an example. Only two or three joints are required for
many of the applications, and pneumatically powered robots are often used.
A more complex example of material transfer is palletizing, in which the robot retrieves parts,
cartons, or other objects from one location and deposits them onto a pallet or other container
at multiple positions on the pallet.
Other applications similar to palletizing include depalletizing, which consists of removing parts
from an ordered arrangement in a pallet and placing them at another location (e.g., onto a
moving conveyor); stacking operations, which involve placing flat parts on top of each other;
and insertion operations, in which the robot inserts parts into the compartments of a divided
carton.

Machine Loading and/or Unloading


In machine loading and/or unloading applications, the robot transfers parts into and/or from a
production machine.
The three possible cases are
• machine loading, in which the robot loads parts into the production machine, but the
parts are unloaded from the machine by some other means;
• machine unloading, in which the raw materials are fed into the machine without using
the robot, and the robot unloads the finished parts; and
• machine loading and unloading, which involves both loading of the raw work part and
unloading of the finished part by the robot.
Industrial robot applications of machine loading and/or unloading include the following
processes:
• Die casting. The robot unloads parts from the die casting machine. Peripheral
operations sometimes performed by the robot include dipping the parts into a water bath
for cooling.
• Plastic molding. Plastic molding is similar to die casting. The robot unloads moulded
parts from the injection molding machine.
• Metal machining operations. The robot loads raw blanks into the machine tool and
unloads finished parts from the machine.
• Forging. The robot typically loads the raw hot billet into the die. holds it during the
forging strikes, and removes it from the forge hammer.
• Press working. Human operators work at considerable risk in sheet metal press
working operations because of the action of the press. Robots are used to substitute for
the workers to reduce the danger. In the simplest applications, the robot loads the blank
into the press, then the stamping operation is performed, and the part falls out of the
machine into a container.
• Heat-treating. These are often simple operations in which the robot loads and/or
unloads parts from a furnace.

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Spot welding
Robots used for spot welding are usually large, with sufficient payload capacity to wield the
heavy welding gun. Five or six axes are generally required to achieve the position and
orientation of the welding gun. Playback robots with point-to-point control are used. Jointed-
arm robots are common in automobile spot-welding lines, which may consist of several dozen
robots.

Arc welding
Industrial robots can also be used to automate the arc welding process. The cell consists of the
robot, the welding apparatus (power unit, controller, welding tool, and wire feed mechanism),
and a fixture that positions the components for the robot. The fixture might be mechanized with
one or two axes so that it can present different portions of the work to the robot for welding
(the term positioner is used for this type of fixture). The robot used in arc welding must be
capable of continuous path control. Jointed arm robots consisting of six joints are frequently
used.

Spray coating
Robot applications include spray coating of automobile car bodies, appliances, engines, and
other parts; spray staining of wood products; and spraying of porcelain coatings on bathroom
fixtures. The robot must be capable of continuous path control to accomplish the smooth
motion sequences required in spray coating.

Other processing operations where robots are used


• Drilling, routing, and other machining processes
• Grinding, wire brushing, and similar operations
• Waterjet cutting
• Laser cutting

Assembly
Assembly involves the combining of two or more parts to form a new entity, called a
subassembly or assembly. The most appealing application of industrial robots for assembly
involves situations in which a mix of similar models are produced in the same work cell or
assembly line. Examples of these kinds of products include electric motors, small appliances,
and various other small mechanical and electrical products.

Inspection
Inspections accomplish the following functions:
• making sure that a given process has been completed,
• ensuring that parts have been assembled as specified, and
• identifying flaws in raw materials and finished parts.
Inspection tasks performed by robots can be divided into the following two cases:

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• The robot performs loading and unloading to support an inspection or testing machine.
• The robot manipulates an inspection device, such as a mechanical probe or vision
sensor, to inspect the product.

Collaborative Robots
These applications involve robots and humans working together to perform a task. They
collaborate, synergistically leveraging the strengths of the robot (accuracy, repeatability, speed,
lifting capability, and tirelessness) with the strengths of the human worker (intelligence,
adaptability, and problem solving ability).

ADVANTAGES OF INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS


Better quality and consistency
Industrial robots are able to provide better production quality and more precise and reliable
processes. Added benefits also include reduced cycle times and real-time monitoring to
improve preventive maintenance practices.

Maximum productivity and throughput


An industrial robot increases speed for manufacturing processes, in part by operating 24/7.
Robots don’t need breaks or shift changes. The speed and dependability of robots ultimately
reduces cycle time and maximizes throughput.

Greater safety
Using robots for repetitive tasks means fewer risks of injury for workers, especially when
manufacturing has to take place under hostile conditions. In addition, supervisors can oversee
the process online or from a remote location.

Reduced direct labour costs


The cost of having a person handle many manufacturing operations is often more expensive
than robot. This can also free up workers so their skills and expertise can be used in other
business areas, such as engineering, programming and maintenance.

Prestige
You set yourself at the cutting edge of your industry and wow your customers when they come
to see you. As a marketing tool robots are fantastic, boost your brand image, and have often
been used simply for the PR even if they don’t offer many benefits over a bespoke non-robotic
system.

DISADVANTAGES OF INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS


• The use of robots can create economic problems if they replace human jobs
• Robots can only do what they are told to do – they can’t improvise This means that
safety procedures are needed to protect humans and other robots

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• Although robots can be superior to humans in some ways, they are less dextrous than
humans, they don’t have such powerful brains, and cannot compete with a human’s
ability to understand what they can see.
• Often robots are very costly – in terms of the initial cost, maintenance, the need for
extra components and the need to be programmed to do the task.

JOINTS AND LINKS


• A robot’s joint, or axis as it is also called in robotics, is similar to a joint in the human
body: It provides relative motion between two parts of the body.
• Robots are often classified according to the total number of axes they possess.
• Connected to each joint are two links, an input link and an output link. Links are the
rigid components of the robot manipulator.
• The purpose of the joint is to provide controlled movement of the output link relative
to the input link.
Most robots are mounted on a stationary base on the floor. Let this base and its connection to
the first joint be referred to as link 0. It is the input link to joint 1, the first in the series of joints
used in the construction of the robot. The output link of joint 1 is link 1. Link 1 is the input link
to joint 2, whose output link is link 2, and so forth. This joint-link numbering scheme is
illustrated in following figure.

Types of joints
• Linear joint (type L joint). The relative movement between the input link and the
output link is a translational telescoping motion, with the axes of the two links being
parallel.

• Orthogonal joint (type O joint). This is also a translational sliding motion, but the
input and output links are perpendicular to each other.
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• Rotational joint (type R joint). This type provides rotational relative motion, with the
axis of rotation perpendicular to the axes of the input and output links.

• Twisting joint (type T joint). This joint also involves rotary motion, but the axis of
rotation is parallel to the axes of the two links.

• Revolving joint (type V joint, V from the “v” in revolving). In this joint type, the axis
of the input link is parallel to the axis of rotation of the joint, and the axis of the output
link is perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

BODY-AND-ARM CONFIGURATIONS
Given the five types of joints defined earlier, there are 5 x 5 x 5 = 125 possible combinations
of joints that could be used to design the body-and-arm assembly for a three-axis manipulator.
In addition, there are design variations within the individual joint types (e.g., physical size of
the joint and range of motion).
Configurations are given below.

Articulated robot
Also known as a jointed-arm robot (see figure), it has the general configuration of a human
shoulder and arm.

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It consists of an upright body that swivels about the base using a T joint. At the top of the body
is a shoulder joint (shown as an R joint in the figure), whose output link connects to an elbow
joint (another R joint).

Polar configuration
This configuration consists of a sliding arm (L joint) actuated relative to the body, which can
rotate about both a vertical axis (T joint) and a horizontal axis (R joint).

SCARA
SCARA is an acronym for Selectively Compliant Arm for Robotic Assembly. This
configuration is similar to the jointed-arm robot except that the shoulder and elbow rotational
axes are vertical, which means that the arm is very rigid in the vertical direction but compliant
in the horizontal direction. This permits the robot to perform insertion tasks (for assembly) in
a vertical direction, where some side-to-side alignment may be needed to mate the two parts
properly.

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the SCARA configuration typically does not have a separate wrist assembly. As indicated in
the description, it is used for insertion-type assembly operations in which the insertion is made
from above. Accordingly, orientation requirements are minimal, and the wrist is not needed

Cartesian coordinate robot


Other names for this configuration include gantry robot, rectilinear robot, and x–y–z robot. As
shown in following figure, it consists of three orthogonal joints (type O) to achieve linear
motions in a three-dimensional rectangular work space. It is commonly used for overhead
access to load and unload production machines.

The usual Cartesian coordinate robot is suspended from a gantry structure. The first and second
axes permit x–y movement over a rectangular area above the floor. The third axis permits
movement in the z direction to reach downward. Depending on the application requirements, a
wrist assembly can be attached to the end of the arm.
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Delta robot
This unusual design, depicted in following figure, consists of three arms attached to an
overhead base. Each arm is articulated and consists of two rotational joints (type R), the first
of which is powered and the second is unpowered. All three arms are connected to a small
platform below, to which the end effector is attached. The platform and end effector can be
manipulated in three dimensions. The delta robot is used for high-speed movement of small
objects, as in product packaging.

The delta robot is also suspended from an overhead base rather than floor mounted. Its most
unique feature is its three articulated arms that are all connected to the platform below. Each
arm has one powered joint and one follower joint.

WRIST CONFIGURATIONS
• The robot’s wrist is used to establish the orientation of the end effector.
• Robot wrists usually consist of two or three joints that almost always consist of R and
T type rotary joints.
• Following figure illustrates one possible configuration for a three-axis wrist assembly.

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The three joints are defined as follows:
• roll, using a T joint to accomplish rotation about the robot’s arm axis;
• pitch, which involves up-and-down rotation, typically using an R joint; and
• yaw. which involves right-and-left rotation, also accomplished by means of an R-joint.
A two-axis wrist typically includes only roll and pitch joints (T and R joints).

SENSORS IN ROBOTICS
A wide variety of sensors is available for collecting data from the manufacturing process for
use in feedback control. A sensor is a transducer, which is a device that converts a physical
variable of one form into another form that is more useful for the given application. In
particular, a sensor is a device that converts a physical stimulus or variable of interest (such as
temperature, force, pressure, or displacement) into a more convenient form (usually an
electrical quantity such as voltage) for the purpose of measuring the stimulus.
Sensors used in industrial robotics can be classified into two categories:
• internal and
• external.

Internal sensors
Internal sensors are components of the robot and are used to control the positions and velocities
of the robot joints. These sensors form a feedback control loop with the robot controller.
Typical sensors used to control the position of the robot arm include potentiometers and optical
encoders. Tachometers of various types are used to control the speed of the robot arm.

External sensors
External sensors are external to the robot and are used to coordinate the operation of the robot
with other equipment in the cell. They act as interlocks. In many cases, these external sensors
are relatively simple devices, such as limit switches that determine whether a part has been
positioned properly in a fixture or that a part is ready to be picked up at a conveyor.

ADVANCED SENSOR TECHNOLOGIES


Tactile sensors
These are used to determine whether contact is made between the sensor and another object.
Tactile sensors can be divided into two types in robot applications: (1) touch sensors and (2)
force sensors. Touch sensors indicate simply that contact has been made with the object. Force
sensors indicate the magnitude of the force with the object. This might be useful in a gripper
to measure and control the force being applied to grasp a delicate object.

Proximity sensors
These indicate when an object is close to the sensor. When this type of sensor is used to indicate
the actual distance of the object, it is called a range sensor.

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Optical sensors
Photocells and other photometric devices can be utilized to detect the presence or absence of
objects and are often used for proximity detection.

Machine vision
Machine vision is used in robotics for inspection, parts identification. guidance, and other uses.
Improvements in programming of vision-guided robot (VGR) systems have made
implementations of this technology easier and faster, and machine vision is being implemented
as an integral feature in more and more robot installations, especially in the automotive
industry.

GRIPPERS
Grippers are end effectors (An end effector is usually attached to the robot’s wrist) used to
grasp and manipulate objects during the work cycle. The objects are usually work parts that are
moved from one location to another in the cell. Machine loading and unloading applications
fall into this category.

Types of grippers
• Mechanical grippers, consisting of two or more fingers that can be actuated by the
robot controller to open and close on the work part (Figure 8.10 shows a two-finger
gripper)
• Vacuum grippers, in which suction cups are used to hold flat objects
• Magnetized devices, for holding ferrous parts
• Adhesive devices, which use an adhesive substance to hold a flexible material such as
a fabric
• Simple mechanical devices, such as hooks and scoops.

Mechanical grippers
Mechanical grippers are the most common gripper type.
Some of the innovations and advances in mechanical gripper technology include:
• Dual grippers, consisting of two gripper devices in one end effector for machine
loading and unloading. With a single gripper, the robot must reach into the production
machine twice, once to unload the finished part and position it in a location external to
the machine and the second time to pick up the next part and load it into the machine.
With a dual gripper, the robot picks up the next work part while the machine is still
processing the previous part. When the machine cycle is finished, the robot reaches into
the machine only once: to remove the finished part and load the next part. This reduces
the cycle time per part.

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Robot mechanical gripper


• Interchangeable fingers that can be used on one gripper mechanism. To accommodate
different parts, different fingers are attached to the gripper.
• Sensory feedback in the fingers that provide the gripper with capabilities such as (1)
sensing the presence of the part or (2) applying a specified limited force to the part
during gripping (for fragile work parts).
• Multiple-fingered grippers that possess the general anatomy of a human hand.
• Standard gripper products that are commercially available, thus reducing the need to
custom-design a gripper for each separate robot application.

ROBOT ACCURACY AND REPEATABILITY


Accuracy
Accuracy is the robot’s ability to position the end of its wrist at a desired location in the work
volume. For a single axis, using the same reasoning as in NC,
CR
=
Ac + 3σ
2
where CR = control resolution.

Repeatability
Repeatability is a measure of the robot’s ability to position its end-of-wrist at a previously
taught point in the work volume. Each time the robot attempts to return to the programmed
point it will return to a slightly different position. Repeatability variations have as their
principal source the mechanical errors previously mentioned. Therefore, as in NC, for a single
joint-link mechanism,
Re = ±3σ
where σ = standard deviation of the error distribution.

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Example (Winter 2019, 4 marks)

One of the joints of an industrial robot has a type R joint with a range of 90°. The bit storage
capacity of the robot controller is 10 bits for this joint. The mechanical errors form a normally
distributed random variable about a given taught point. The mean of the distribution is zero
and the standard deviation is 0.05°. (a) Determine the control resolution CR2, accuracy, and
repeatability for this robot joint. (b) Also, if the output link has a length of 0.75 m, determine
the linear distance corresponding to CR2, accuracy, and repeatability at the end of the link.

Solution

R 90
=
CR2 = = 0.0880
2 − 1 1024 − 1
B

0.088
Ac = + 3(0.05) =0.1940
2
=
Re 3=
x0.05 0.150

COMPUTER VISION AND MACHINE INTELLIGENCE


• Definition of Robot vision : Robot vision may be defined as the process of extracting,
characterizing and interpreting information from images of a three dimensional world.
• Here, robot vision is divided into three fundamental tasks : Image transformation,
image analysis and image understanding.
• Robot vision, also known as computer vision or machine vision is an important sensor
technology with potential applications in many industrial operations.
• Computer vision has become a very important part of an "intelligent" robotics system.
• Vision provides a robot with a sophisticated sensing mechanism that allows the
machine to respond to its environment in an intelligent and flexible manner. .
• The use of vision and other sensing schemes is motivated by the continuing need to
increase the flexibility and scope of applications of robotics systems.
• Although proximity, touch and force sensing play a significant role in the improvement
of robot performance, vision is recognized as the most powerful robot sensory
capability.

Image transformation
• Image transformation is the process of electronically digitizing light images using
image devices.
• An image device is the front end of a vision system, which acts as an image transducer
to convert light energy to electrical energy.
• Compare this with humans, where the image device is the eye.
• In a vision system, the image device is a camera, photodiode array, Charge-Coupled
Device (CCD) array or Charge-Injection Device (CID) array.
• The output of an image device is a continuous analog signal that is proportional to the
amount of light reflected from an image.
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• In order to analyse the image with a computer, the analog signals must be converted
and stored in digital form.
• To this end, a rectangular image array is divided into small regions called picture
elements or pixels.
• With photodiodes or CCD arrays, the number of pixels equals the number of
photodiodes or CCD devices.
• The pixel arrangement provides a sampling grid for an analog-to-digital (A/D)
converter.
• At each pixel, the analog signal is sampled and converted to a botic digital value.
• With an 8-bit A/D converter, the converted pixel value will range from 0 for white to
255 for black.
• Different shades of grey are represented by values between these two extremes.
• This is the reason why the term grey level is often used in conjunction with the
converted values.
• As the pixels are converted, the respective grey-level values are stored in a memory
matrix, which is called a picture matrix.

Image analysis
• A computer needs to locate the edges of an object in order to construct drawings of the
object within a scene.
• The line drawings provide a basis for image understanding, as they define the shapes
of objects that make up a scene.
• Thus, the basic reason for edge detection is that edges lead to line drawings, which lead
to shapes, which lead to image understanding.
• Edge detection
• The edges are usually represented by the points that exhibit the greatest difference in
grey-level values within a smoothed picture matrix.
• From calculus, it should be known that the slope of a step edge approaches infinity.
• Using this idea, all we have to do is to calculate the first derivative between adjacent
grey-scale values, which is usually called the gradient.
• The technique is called pixel differentiation.

Thresholding
• Lines might then be identified from the binary matrix that is thresholded.
• Some popular techniques for finding lines from an edge-point matrix are model
matching, tracking and template matching.
• Thresholding
• Lines might then be identified from the binary matrix that is thresholded.
• Some popular techniques for finding lines from an edge-point matrix are model
matching, tracking and template matching.

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Image understanding
• The final task of robot vision is to interpret the information obtained during the image-
analysis
• This is called image understanding or machine perception.
• Most of the image-understanding research is centered around the 'blocks world".
• The blocks world assumes that real-world images can be broken down and described
by 2-D rectangular and triangular solids.
• Several A} based image understanding programs, which can interpret real-world
images, have been successfully written under this blocks-world assumption.

Types of Vision systems


1D Robotic Vision (Low level vision)
1D vision systems involve the use of one-dimensional cameras to analyse the digital signal of
a single group of lines at a time and compare variations between previous and current line
groups. Robots with 1D cameras are typically used to inspect the surface of parts manufactured
in a continuous process. 1D vision systems are the least common type in robotics since many
manufacturers are looking to automate more complex processes.

2D Robotic Vision (Medium level vision)


2D vision systems are the most common type of robotic vision. 2D systems can provide views
of objects on both X and Y planes. There are two types of 2D vision systems, area scans and
line scans. Area scans provide a 2D snapshot of an object but are limited when it comes to
capturing rounded parts. Line scan vision builds a 2D image by capturing each line of a part
and piecing them together to form it as a whole, similar to how a document scanner works.
Line scans are often used in tight spaces, for cylindrical parts, and to capture continuously
moving objects in high resolution.

3D Robotic Vision (High level vision)


3D vision systems have been gaining popularity in the robot world in recent years. 3D systems
provide imagery feedback to robots on all six degrees of freedom of an object, similar to
viewing an object in real life. Robotic 3D vision has advanced the depth of robot applications.
With 3D vision systems robots have the autonomy to recognize and determine how to adjust to
variations in part types, locations, orientation, environment, and applications while operating.
These vision systems can be used for assembly, pick and place, part transfer, palletizing, and
even welding applications. Integrating 3D vision with the ABB IRB 2600 gives it the ability to
automate complex assemblies due to enhanced visual guidance.

Application of robot vision system


The use of machine vision in robotics application are divided into three categories as follows :
• Inspection
• Identification
• Navigation
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Inspection
• Inspection process is carried out by the vision system and the robot is used in a
secondary role to support the application.
• The objectives of vision inspection include for checking surface defects, verification of
presence of components in assembly, measuring for dimensional accuracy and checking
the presence hole and other features in part.

Identification
• Identification is concerned with applications in which the purpose is to recognize and
classify an object rather than to inspect it.
• Inspection implies that the part must be either accepted or rejected.

Navigation
• In navigation control, the purpose is to direct the actions of the robot and other devices
in the robot cell based on visual input.
• An example is to control the trajectory of the robots end effector. towards an object in
the workspace.

ROBOT PROGRAMMING
To accomplish useful work, a robot must be programmed to perform a motion cycle. A robot
program can be defined as a path in space to be followed by the manipulator, combined with
peripheral actions that support the work cycle. Examples of peripheral actions include opening
and closing a gripper, performing logical decision making, and communicating with other
pieces of equipment in the cell. A robot is programmed by entering the programming
commands into its controller memory. Different robots use different methods of entering the
commands.

Motion Programming
Motion programming with robot languages usually requires a combination of textual
statements and lead through techniques. Accordingly, this method of programming is
sometimes referred to as on-line/off-line programming. The textual statements are used to
describe the motion, and the leadthrough methods are used to define the position and
orientation of the robot during and/or at the end of the motion. To illustrate, the basic motion
statement is
MOVE Pl
which commands the robot to move from its current position to a position and orientation
defined by the variable name Pl.

Interlock and Sensor Commands


The two basic interlock commands (Section 5.3.2) used for industrial robots are WAIT and
SIGNAL. The WAIT command is used to implement an input interlock. For example,
WAIT 20. ON
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AMIE(I) STUDY CIRCLE(REGD.)
MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION
ROBOTICS IN MANUFACTURING A FOCUSSED APPROACH
would cause program execution to stop at this statement until the input signal coming into the
robot controller at port 20 was in an “on” condition. This might be used in a situation where
the robot needed to wait for the completion of an automatic machine cycle in a loading and
unloading application.
The SIGNAL statement is used to implement an output interlock. This is used to communicate
to some external piece of equipment. For example.
SIGNAL 21. ON
would switch on the signal at output port 21, perhaps to actuate the start of an automatic
machine cycle.

Computations and Program Logic


Many of today's robot applications require the use of branches and subroutines in the program.
Statements such as
GOTO 150
and
IF (logical expression) GOTO 150
cause the program to branch to some other statement in the program (e.g., to statement number
150 in the above illustrations).

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AMIE(I) STUDY CIRCLE(REGD.)
MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION
ROBOTICS IN MANUFACTURING A FOCUSSED APPROACH
ASSIGNMENT
ROBOTICS
Q.1. (AMIE S20, 7 marks): Define the term robotics, state the advantages and disadvantages of robots.
Q.2. (AMIE W17, 8 marks): Briefly explain the different types of robots.
Q.3. (AMIE W18, 5 marks): Discuss the different application of industrial robot.
Q.4. (AMIE S15, W16, 6 marks): Describe different parts of a robotic system with neat sketches.
Q.5. (AMIE W15, 17, 18, 19, 8 marks): Explain with a neat sketch, different physical configurations of industrial
robot. Under what conditions will you recommend a particular type of configuration.
Q.6. (AMIE S15, W16, 6 marks): Distinguish clearly with the help of an example between accuracy and
repeatability of a robot.
Q.7. (AMIE S20, 7 marks): List the motivating factors for the introduction of robotic system to the manufacturing
units.
Q.8. (AMIE W17, 8 marks): Discuss the various steps to be taken for implementing robots in industry. Write
the advantages of using robots in industry.
Q.9. (AMIE W15, 8 marks): Discuss the following robotic joints
(i) linear joint
(ii) rotational joint
(iii) twisting joint
(iv) revolving joint
Q.10. (AMIE S16, 17, 19, 10 marks): What is a robotic gripper? What are the types of grippers used in industrial
robots? Discuss in brief.
Q.11. (AMIE W15, 4 marks): Explain how robots with double gripper increase the utilization of machine tools.
Q.12. (AMIE S16, 10 marks): In context with robotic wrist configuration what is roll, pitch and yaw? Enumerate
industrial applications of robots?
Q.13. (AMIE S16, 5 marks): Explain the contact and non-contact type robot sensors.
Q.14. (AMIE S17, 19, 7 marks): With the help of a neat sketch explain the working principle of SCARA robot.
Q.15. (AMIE S17, 6 marks): With a neat sketch represent various reference frames of “pick and place” task by
a robot manipulator.
Q.16. (AMIE W17, 10 marks): What are the different degree of freedom associated with a robot? Show them
with help of a neat sketch. Explain five types of joints used in robots.
Q.17. (AMIE S19, 10 marks): Describe different types of joints used in robot configurations with neat sketch.
Discuss about the robot wrist configuration.
Q.18. (AMIE W18, 5 marks): Define prismatic joint and rotational joint with neat sketch.
Q.19. (AMIE W17, 10 marks): Discuss various types of body arm configuration of an industrial robot.
Q.20. (AMIE S20, 6 marks): What is a sensor? List the various sensor used in robotic system.
Q.21. (AMIE W19, 4 marks): Explain interlock and sensor commands in robot programming language in brief.
Q.22. (AMIE S20, 6 marks): Explain the applications of robotics in material handling systems.
Q.23. (AMIE S20, 7 marks): What do you understand by the term robot vision? Differentiate between low level,
medium level and high level vision systems.

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AMIE(I) STUDY CIRCLE(REGD.)
MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION
ROBOTICS IN MANUFACTURING A FOCUSSED APPROACH
Q.24. (AMIE W19, 10 marks): What is a machine vision? How is a machine vision system divided into different
functions? Explain.
Q.25. (AMIE S20, 7 marks): State the industrial applications of vision controlled robotic systems.

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