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Fig. 1. Ricoh has used both a Scara robot and a Cartesian robot in a cell that assembles shutters for toner cartridges.


4 Manufacturers are seeing an increase in demand, but how can they respond? Paul Stevens looks at developments in industrial robots which are now simpler to implement.


4 Les fabricants constatent une augmentation de la demande, mais comment y répondre ? Paul Stevens examine certains développements de la robotique industrielle qui sont maintenant plus simples à mettre en œuvre.


4 Hersteller erleben zunehmende Nachfrage – aber wie können sie darauf reagieren? Paul Stevens betrachtet sich die Entwicklungen bei Industrierobotern, die jetzt einfacher zu implementieren sind.


How robotics can help manufacturers recover from the recession


way. One option is to use industrial robots, which are now more cost-effective both to purchase and to implement, thanks largely to programming software that is more engineer-friendly. With robots now being simpler to integrate, there


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is increasing competition among manufacturers to add functionality so they can offer increasingly sophisticated systems. For example, Maurice Hanley, Fanuc Robotics’ sales and marketing manager, says: “Fanuc robots now come with onboard vision so there is no need for engineers to get bogged down in interface and connectivity issues.” For industrial automation the four main types


of robot are Cartesian (gantry) robots, Selective Compliant Articulated Robot Arm (Scara) types, anthropomorphic robots that typically have five


s European member states’ economies start to recover from the recession, manufacturing companies are seeking ways to ramp up production in a flexible


or six axes, and Delta (parallel kinematic) types. Hanley adds: “Scara still leads in the electronics sector, but the speed of the standard arm has improved to rival that of Scara now. A Cartesian robot more closely matches the motion of a human arm where manual tasks need to be automated.” In a partnership between BAE Systems and the


UK MOD, known as Munitions Acquisition - the Supply Solution (Mass), a manufacturing facility has been commissioned for machining artillery shells. The new manufacturing unit removes operators from potentially hazardous areas, occupies one- quarter of the space, requires four fewer operators per shift, enhances product quality and increases available capacity. The system comprises four robotic manufacturing cells capable of independent operation to allow maintenance and retooling to be undertaken without interrupting production. The system is designed to manufacture both 105mm and 155mm shells, with quick changeover routines embodied within the manufacturing processes.


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