Industrial Robots Types

Feb 12
18:31

2021

David Meyeres

David Meyeres

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This article is about the industrial applications of robotics. The use of robots in industry began, by historical standards, not so long ago - a little more than half a century ago, but now there is very little production that can be imagined without automatic lines, without steel manipulators and vigilant glass pupils of robots - these iron guys have firmly entered the majority production processes and are not going to leave.

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Despite such an extensive,Industrial Robots Types Articles almost ubiquitous distribution of industrial robots, only specialists fully understand the full range of their capabilities. In this article, we will open the door to the world of industrial robotics for a wide range of readers: we will describe some types of production robots and their areas of application. It is impossible to grasp the immensity in one article, but if the readers are interested, we will definitely continue.

So what are they - robots?

There are several classifications of industrial robots: by the type of control, by the degree of mobility, by the field of application and the specifics of the operations performed.

By type of control:

  • Guided industrial robots: Requires an operator to control their every movement. Due to the narrowness of the fields of application, they are few And not exactly robots.
  • Automata and semi-autonomous industrial robots: they act strictly according to a given program, often do not have sensors and are unable to correct their actions, and cannot do without the participation of a worker.
  • Autonomous: they can perform a programmed cycle of actions without human intervention, according to predetermined algorithms and adjusting their actions as needed. Such industrial robots are able to completely cover the field of activity on their section of the conveyor, without the involvement of a living labor force.

By function and scope:

Robots are divided according to purpose and functions performed, here are just a few of them: industrial robots can be universal, welding, machine-building, cutting, picking, assembly, packaging, warehouse, painting.

This is not a complete list: the number of all kinds of options is constantly growing and it is impossible to list everything within the framework of one article. We can only say with certainty that there is hardly a field of human activity where robots could not make human labor more creative, taking all the monotonous and dangerous part of the work on themselves.

Other classification methods

Each encyclopedia, each reference book and each manufacturer has its own classification and typology of industrial robots. Which is not surprising - it is often determined by purely specific needs and the particular approach of the person who composes it.

Will this prevent us from examining some of the samples and understanding what they can do? Of course not. Go.

Consider samples

Among industrial robots, the products of such well-known companies as Kuka, Fanuc, Universal Robots stand out, some of which we will consider below.

KUKA KR QUANTEC PA Arctic - its modification, the robot operates at extremely low temperatures. It is designed to work primarily in freezers down to -30 ° C. Electronic and mechanical parts of the device do not need protection from frost, snow, frost, and also do not emit excessive heat. The operating range of the manipulator of the Arctic modification, like the standard KUKA KR QUANTEC PA, is 3195 mm, and the payload is up to 240 kg. The device is ideal for use in the food industry and in the Far North. In addition to stacking pallets, the robot can perform other manipulations, because the accuracy of its movements, or rather, the stability of positioning repeatability, is 0.06 mm.

FANUC M-2000iA / 1200 is a five-axis lifting robot that lifts up to 1200 kg and moves this load at a distance of 3.7 m - ideal as a loader, as it works without human intervention, which practically reduces the risk of injury to zero. Operates at temperatures 0 ° C - +45 ° C. Repeatability stability - 0.03 mm.

The UR10 is the largest of Universal Robots' manipulators and it is a collaborative robot, in other words, it is designed to work with other equipment and help humans work.

The manipulator model UR10 has a reach of 1.3 m and can lift up to 10 kg. It can be used with agricultural, pharmaceutical, processing and many other equipment. It is compactly placed in the workplace of a person to become his “third hand”, easily programmed and quickly configured. UR10 can screw, glue, weld and solder, perform injection molding and assembly work.

Also, Universal Robots robots are used in the Voodoo Manufacturing project: Project Skywalker by Medium Corporation is a 3D printing factory, many of which are performed by robotic manipulators. Activities such as changing platforms for printing, collecting and storing finished products no longer require tireless staff attention.