Industrial robotic arms are built to perform a variety of tasks and as such they are high-tech. robust and some are even quite affordable. A manufacturing environment cannot function with a single robot, the organization should invest in various robots to perform the numerous tasks available.
Some sectors of the economy that had ruled out the significance of industrial robotic arms and chose to stick to human operators have found it almost impossible to cope with the competition and have changed tact as a result. This is as a result of rapid return on investments by the machinery, speed and consistent quality in results.
Robots hence are the world movers of today very little can be performed meticulously and effectively without the use of these machines. Whether new or old, these machines can be repurposed and reused in different robotic applications due to their versatility and flexibility.
Robotic Arm Functions in a Manufacturing Setting
Robotic arms are used in various industries namely; food processing, automobile production. These robots can be applied in multiple areas such as welding, material handling, milling and painting among others.
Material Handling
Material handling robots have the capability of automating the most dangerous, strenuous and tedious tasks in a production line. In the production line material handling robots enhance the efficiency of the production line as well as the provision of quality goods on time that guarantees customer satisfaction.
Material handling encompasses a variety of tasks on the working areas such as packing, transferring and machine loading among others. When selecting machine handling robots it is crucial to consider speed and payload, grippers and end-of-arm tooling all as requirements.
Assembly Line
Assembly line robotic arms are utilized for lean industrial procedures and have enlarged production abilities in the manufacturing environment. These robots unburden the workforce from strenuous and dull assembly line tasks and are also able to improve speed and consistency.
End-of-arm tooling can be tailor-made for each machine to serve manufacturing requirements. Extra alternatives such as robotic vision can be incorporated to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of sorting identifiers.
Milling
Robotic milling is the procedure of chipping away fragments from a mold or a prototype to form a conclusive structure. Milling robots can perform precise cuts and have exact movements needed for the production of the highest quality parts achievable.
An object of any dimension can be milled but requires adjustments in end-of-arm tooling and programming as well. Robotic milling work cells are forged in such a way that they contain multiple part fixtures enabling securing more parts and improving production.
Welding
Robotic welding can be defined as the use of mechanized programmable tools that definitively automate a welding process by handling the part and performing the weld. Robotic welding is a relatively new trend in robotics. Robotic welding was first used for spot welding in the automobile industry.
Robotic welding is on the rise and commands a 20% market share of all robotic applications. The most popular forms of robotic welding are arc welding, spot welding, resistance welding and laser welding. The main feature of robotic welds is quality and reduction of errors.
Industry palletizing is the action of loading or unloading fragments, boxes or other parts from pallets. This action can involve robots and is termed as robotic palletizing. Palletizing robots are reliable options for various industries such as shipping, manufacturing and food processing among others. Robotic palletizers are available in a wide range with distinct reach and payloads.
End-of-arm tooling variability allows for flexibility of distinct types of robotic palletizing. They include bag grippers which have a unit and support it at the base whereas magnetic and suction grippers handled more ridged units and grip them from the peak. Palletizing also enhances uniformity of loading and unloading procedures.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, most of these robotic arms have a variety of functions as discussed above. Most can be reused, reprogrammed and reconditioned to save on capital investments.