Industrial robots, they are not all the same!

Is the robot going to replace humans? No. Power, flexibility, sensitivity, precision, speed, good interaction with the environment. It's possible to have all these skills while working in a confined space. This is the robot.

Let's take a step back. According to the Robot Institute of America “a robot is a multifunctional and reprogrammable mechanical structure, designed to move materials, parts, tools or specialized devices according to variable movements programmed to perform a variety of different tasks“.

More specifically, according to ISO TR / 8373-2.3 an industrial robot is "automatically controlled, reprogrammable , multipurpose manipulator, programmable in three or more axes, which can be either fixed in place or mobile for use in industrial automation applications".

An increasing number of companies needs to simultaneously improve safety standards and facilitate workers by reducing the workload due to heavy and repetitive tasks

Robots communicate with control units, as well as with humans, thanks to ergonomic interfaces equipped with appropriate software and other tools. It may happen that a single integrated cell hosts the functionality of robots, controllers, peripherals, software and other mechanical components.

Robots have various load capacities, even of hundreds of kg. Their outreaches allow to effectively govern the surrounding environment. The motion control technology incorporated in the latest generation robots offers excellent repeatability of positioning and trajectories, as well as an ever-better precision than the previous robots.

Depending on their application, there are four types of industrial robots. Four, plus one. Of course, owning a set of specialized robots is not a guarantee of an effective production. The trick is knowing how to program and integrate them with every other actors in the factory. This is where we operate, as a team of Adgenera!

Four, plus one

Cartesian robots
As the name implies, they move along linear axes. Compared to other industrial robots, they have larger dimensions, as well as greater payload and range of action. They are also known as gantry robots, xyz robots, ICS - which stands for Integrated Combination System. They consist of two or more electrical axes, each of which has only one degree of freedom. Cartesian robots are quite simple to program and operate. As for the capabilities, this type of robot is characterized by good precision. In fact, they are often used in operations such as the enslavement of machine tools and in pick and place logistics. Therefore, they take part in operations where precision is essential.

6-Axis Robots
They are also called articulated robots, they have 6 degrees of freedom. The set of joints allows a flexible and optimal mobility for the handling and the assembly in various coordinates. This reproduces the movements of a human arm, including the hand – that's why they are anthropomorphic robots. Their flexibility means that they are applied in multiple contexts, despite their higher cost and coding complexity. More and more frequently anthropomorphic robots are collaborative.

SCARA robots (Selective Compliant Assembly Robot Arm)
They were born in the early 1970s. They consist of two arms articulated to a horizontal plane and a z axis, the only axis in which movement takes place. SCARA robots are therefore suitable for vertical insertion operations that require rotations on the same plane. The simplest assembly operations - without complete orientation - are performed by SCARA robots. Those can be distinguished from the articulated robots by their greater precision and better price, as well as by a smaller number of degrees of freedom. However, they are faster than the Cartesian ones thanks to the possibility of acting on a single plane.

Parallel robots
They are employed in handling operations of light and small objects, where precision is required. For example, in the pharmaceutical and electronic industry. Two or three rotating or prismatic axes working in parallel, connected to a common base, can create rapid movements - synchronized or independent. The vast majority of parallel robots are Delta-type, also called spiders. They can have 3, 4 or 6 axes and they work on an extended perimeter. Finally, they are distinguished by excellent acceleration and speed.

Collaborative robots
Finally, another type of robot belongs to a transversal category: the collaborative robots, or cobots. These ones work closely with men, without the aid of separators or safety devices. For this reason, collaborative robots are favored in situations with high variability or confined spaces. Human safety is ensured by external sensors that provide data to the control unit. Also, a Cobot must comply with many rules about their speed, temperature and the safety distance to be kept with humans. The arrival of Cobots has impacted also the design of living and working spaces, allowing to work in limited and ergonomic spaces. Studing robot and spaces properly will avoid injuries in case of accidental contact between man and robot.

Is it worth it?

Well, these are complex systems that require a certain investment. Often small companies asking us for a first consultation, those that do not yet have a well-automated system, ask us “is it worth it? Is the initial investment actually paid off?". Those companies that have chosen us can testify how investing in automated robotics not only facilitates the worker, but also it allows for a lower risk of error and for the operations tracking.

If humans and robots work together safely, that is, if humans work with a special robot - a collaborative one, a cobot – then the work spaces are redesigned and the logistic costs are lowered. In addition to safety and cost reduction, incorporating robotics into your company leads to a significant increase in production quality. For example the availability of standardized processes and products is one of the decisive factors for an accurate and repeatable result.

DISCUSS IT WITH ONE OF OUR SPECIALISTS