Robots have matured from their birth in specific industries with specific tasks to becoming versatile mechanisms that are ideal for straightforward pick-and-place applications, as well as challenging applications that can utilize the unique capabilities inherently built into robotics. After working with automation equipment for 20 years, I feel it's important to provide insights into my transition from hard tooling to robotics so that others can understand the significant differences between the two. The purpose of this article is to touch on several features that have made today's robot a vital tool for any application.
True Flexibility The term flexibility means a variety of things when discussing robots. Let me first discuss flexibility in movement. With six-axis robots available, movement is virtually unrestricted. The designer spends less time on how the parts are moved and more time on the tooling at the end of the robot that picks the parts. This flexibility allows the tooling to be designed with an eye toward multiple tasks. For example, picking boxes and pallets or assembling two different parts and then setting them on an exit conveyor.
The idea is having the robot do most of the work. In situations when the end-of-arm-tool cannot accommodate all of the different shapes or sizes of the parts, tool changers are added to allow the robot to pneumatically change end-of-arm tools. This type of flexibility in movement is very useful during the building of a robotic cell. Hard tooling does not lend itself to minor positional changes as well as robots do. These changes made "on the floor" often help with the overall productivity of the cell.
Flexibility in mounting. Floor, ceiling or rail-mount robots offer the designer an option with most applications that does not require additional mounting structures. This speeds up the engineering needed to develop mounts, as well as the outside fabrication requirements.
Flexibility in your long-term investment. Traditionally, the thought of reusing hard tooling would be unheard of, but robots can be re-deployed to accommodate changes in products or procedures. When reusing robots, only the tooling and programming need modifications. They eliminate the question of compatibility when attempting to blend a variety of hard tooling products from different component manufactures together in one assembly.
Because robots offer multiple axes and are self-contained, there is no need for a structural framework to mount the various components of hard tooling. They also greatly reduce the time needed for hard wiring of the system. For most applications, power is only required for the robot and air if needed for the end-of-arm-tool.
Another advantage of re-deploying robots to new applications is that it breeds continuity throughout the plant. When reusing robots there is no learning curve or additional spare part requirements, and only one point of contact for its electrical and mechanical components.
When I first started designing with robots, I had a tendency to limit their flexibility by thinking of only a single task, similar to hard tooling. I now look at the overall system and incorporate the robot to do as many tasks as possible. The key point is that robot flexibility allows the designer more options without having to deal with the compromises of hard tooling.
