SPOTLIGHT Robotics
articulated arms (suspended in 3D space via a single line of linkages), parallel manipulators are supported or suspended by arrays of linkages. Examples include delta and Stuart robots. Mobile robotics are wheeled units that move materials and stock items around factories and warehouses. They may function as automated forklifts to retrieve, move and place pallets on shelving or the factory fl oor. Examples include automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).
Classic robot uses Classic robotic applications in automotive manufacturing facilities include welding, painting, assembly and material-handling tasks. Consider how some robot sub-types are put to use in these applications. Six-axis articulated arm robots are serial manipulators in which every joint is a revolute type. The most common confi guration is the six-axis robot having degrees of freedom to place objects in any position and orientation within its working volume. These are very fl exible robots suited to many industrial processes. In fact, six-axis articulated arm robots are what most people picture when thinking of an industrial robot. In fact, large six-axis robots are often used in automobile frame and spot welding of body panels. In contrast with manual approaches, robots have the ability to precisely trace weld paths in 3D space without stopping, whilst concurrently accommodating the changing parameters of the weld bead in response to environmental conditions. Selective compliance articulated robot arm (SCARA) robots have two revolute joints having parallel turning axes running in vertical direction for X-Y positioning in a single plane of motion. A third linear axis allows motion in the Z (up and down) direction. SCARAs are relatively low-cost options that excel in confi ned spaces – even while delivering faster moves than equivalent cartesian robots. This makes them the preferred choice in the production of automotive electronics and electrical systems – including those for climate control, mobile-device connectivity, audio/visual elements, entertainment, and navigation. Here, SCARAs are most commonly used to execute precise material handling and assembly tasks. Cartesian robots have, at minimum,
three linear axes that are stacked to execute motion in the X, Y and Z directions. In
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fact, some cartesian robots employed by Tier-2 automotive suppliers take the form of CNC machine tools, 3D printers, and coordinate measurement machines to verify the quality and consistency of end products.
Cartesian robots are easily the industry’s most common form of industrial robot. As mentioned earlier however, cartesian machines are often only called robots when they are used for operations involving manipulation of workpieces and not tools, like pick-and-place and palletising in assembly, for example. Another cartesian robot variation used in the automotive industry is the automated gantry crane. These are indispensable for fastening and joining processes requiring access to the undercarriage of partially-completed vehicle assemblages.
and integrated motor-based drives at each joint, typically in the form of a gearmotor or direct-drive option. In automotive settings, these are tasked with welding brackets, mounts and geometrically complicated subframes. Benefi ts include high precision and repeatability. Delta robots have three arms that
Dobot industrial robotic arm for collaborative tasks
New robot uses
The automotive industry has spurred massive innovation in the fi eld of robotics over the last 30 years, and that trend will continue with the burgeoning electric vehicles (EVs) market. The industry has also begun to benefi t from new AI and machine vision adoptions that further enhance robotic installations. Cylindrical robots are compact and economical robots that give three-axis positioning with a revolute joint at the base and two linear axes for height and arm extensions. They are particularly well suited to machine tending, packing and palletising automobile subcomponents. Collaborative six-axis robots (cobots) mentioned earlier feature the same basic linkage structure as larger industrial variations, but with extremely compact
are actuated via revolute joints from the base – often mounted to the ceiling for a suspended arrangement. Each arm has a parallelogram with universal joints mounted at its end, and these parallelograms are all connected to the end eff ector. This gives the delta robot three degrees of translational freedom with the end eff ector never rotating relative to the base. Delta robots can achieve extremely high accelerations, making them highly eff ective for pick-and-place operations in applications involving sorting and other handling of small automotive fasteners and electrical components. Stewart platforms (also called hexapods) consist of a triangular base and triangular end eff ector connected by six linear actuators in an octahedron. This imparts six degrees of freedom with an extremely rigid structure. However, the range of motion is relatively limited in comparison to the size of the structure. Stewart platforms are used for motion simulation, mobile precision machining, crane motion compensation, and high- speed vibration compensation in precision physics and optics test routines, including those to verify vehicle suspension designs. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) follow set routes marked by lines painted on the fl oor, wires on the fl oor, or other guidance beacons. AGVs typically have a degree of intelligence so they stop and start to avoid collisions with each other and with humans. They are highly suitable for material-transport tasks in automotive- production facilities. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)
don’t require fi xed routes and are able to make more sophisticated decisions than AGVs. Particularly useful in the sprawling warehouses of automobile manufactures, these typically achieve free navigation using laser scanners and object-recognition algorithms to sense their environment. When a potential collision is detected, instead of stopping and waiting like an AGV, AMRs can simply alter course and move around obstacles. This adaptability renders AMRs considerably more productive and fl exible in automotive- plant loading docks.
Automation | March 2024 9
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