Robotics Arm
What are robotic arms?
Robotic arms are machines that are programmed to execute a specific task or job quickly, efficiently, and extremely accurately. Generally motor-driven, they’re most often used for the rapid, consistent performance of heavy and/or highly repetitive procedures over extended periods of time, and are especially valued in the industrial production, manufacturing, machining and assembly sectors.
A typical industrial robot arm includes a series of joints, articulations and manipulators that work together to closely resemble the motion and functionality of a human arm (at least from a purely mechanical perspective). A programmable robotic arm can be a complete machine in and of itself, or it can function as an individual robot part of a larger and more complex piece of equipment.
History of Robotic Arms in Manufacturing
It is widely understood that the first programmable robotic arm was designed by George Devol in 1954. Collaborating with Joseph Engelberger, Devol established the first robot company, Unimation in 1956, in the USA. Then in 1962 General Motors implemented the Unimate robotic arm in its assembly line for the production of cars. A few years later, a mechanical engineer at Stanford University, Victor Scheinman was developing a robotic arm that was one of the first to be completely controlled by a computer in 1969. This industrial robot, known as the Stanford Arm was the first six axes robotic arm and influenced a number of commercial robots that followed. A Japanese company, Nachi, developed their first hydraulic industrial robotic arm in 1969 and after this a German firm, Kuka, pioneered the first commercial six axes robotic arm, called Famulus, in 1973.
Predominantly, these robots were utilised for spot welding tasks in manufacturing plants but as technology developed, the range of tasks that robotic arms could perform also expanded. The advances in technology includes the increasing variety in end-of-arm tooling that has become available. This means that Robotic arms can perform a wide range of tasks beyond welding depending on the tools that are attached to the end of their arms. Current innovations in end of arm tools include; 3D Printing tool heads, heating devices to mould and bend materials, and suction devices to fold sheet metal. You can read more about advances in end of arm tooling in the article on designrobotics.net, Design Robotics in Architectural Fabrication.
The robots leave the factory
While the first robots were permanently installed and secured behind fences, they stubbornly performed their work, today they can also move freely as mobile robots. For this purpose, industrial robots are equipped with artificial intelligence, vision kits and other sensor systems. In the near future, they will act as mobile helpers to inform customers when shopping, deliver room service orders in hotels or support police tasks, for example by patrolling urban parks. Corresponding pilot projects can already be found around the world. There is also great demand for disinfection robots, logistics robots in factories and warehouses or robots for delivering goods to the front door.
At the same time, the integration of workplaces with human-robot collaboration is picking up speed. So-called cobots are increasingly working hand-in-hand with people, without any protective fences.
Service robots for personal and domestic use are produced for a mass market – the largest sales figures are domestic robots. These include vacuum cleaner and floor cleaning robots, lawn mowers and entertainment robots. In 2019 alone, more than 23 million service robots were sold worldwide for personal and domestic use, according to the IFR.
Criteria for selecting the right robot arm
1.- Define the task
2.- Choose the right range
3.- Calculate the load correctly
4.- Required speed
5.- Program or “teach in” the robot arm?
6.- Don’t forget accessories and peripherals
References:
1.- WebPage: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=ideas-and-advice/robotic-arms-guide
2.- Webpage: https://designrobotics.net/2018/03/14/robotic-arms-in-manufacturing/
3.- Webpage: https://www.reichelt.com/magazin/en/robotic-arms-for-every-purpose/