—- oo Vyas robor: nea + Have no human feelings * Have no consciousness + Donot thinkindependently + Cannot make complicated decisions. + Do not lear from mistakes or otherwise '* Donot adapt quickly tothe changes in their environment. “The current-day applications of robots can be categorized into two broad areas: industrial applications and non-industrial applications. The industrial applications are discussed in depth and the non-industrial applications are listed atthe end of chapter Its important to remember always that @ robot is not conscious of w doing. It can only move its end-effector 10 well defined positions in well defined manner and perform the task there like grasping or ungrasping, drilling, paint spraying or scraping, welding, assembly, inspection or whatsoever. 10.1 INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS Of the robots inthe world today about 90% aze found in industries. These robots are referred to as industrial robots and are regarded as “Steel Collar Workers Of these more than 50% are deployed in automotive industries. Robots are useful inthe industries in many ways. In today's economy, industry needs tobe efficient to cope with the competition. Installing robots in the industry is often astep to be more competitive because robots can do certain tasks more efficiently than humans. Some ofthe tasks robots can do better are: «Handling dangerous materials + Assembling products Spray finishing + Polishing and cuting + Inspection + Repetitive, bckbreaking and unrewarding tasks # Tasks involving danger to humans or dangerous tasks Robots offer an excellent means of utilizing technology to make a given ‘manufacturing operation more profitable and competitive. The main advantage offered for the industrial needs s the improved productivity and quality offered by therabots, However. the technology is relatively new on the industrial scene. Its use in the manufacturing processes is greatly’ limited for multiple reasons Robots applications in the industries today are primarily in four fields () Material handling (ii) Operations, : Gl) Assembly, and (iv) Inspection. A] Sprayoun (©) Spray coating task 1¥@ 09 Hole y omits: TE ie j (c)Peg.in-hole assombly task (6) inspection task Fig. 10.1. Four characteristic industrial applications of robots ‘Typical examples of four applications are pictured in Fig. 10.1."The operations involving picking the material, workpiece or tool from one place and placing itat the desired place, are the material handling operations. These include material transfer and machine loading/unloading, Common material handling applications: are in hazardous environment of foundry, die casting, plastic moulding, forging, operations and handling dangerous materials, The end-effector for these applications is suitable gripper to hold the material, that may be radioactive or red-hot material. During workcyele in operations category. a robot performs a process with the help of ‘some’ tools asits end-effector. Operations which current day robots perform are: arc welding, spot-welding, spray-painting ete. The work js usually brought and positioned for the robot to perform the task, Autometive industry requires all these applications and has been the leading user af the rabats i this category, 10.2. MATERIAL HANDLING ‘The most basic robot application is one in which the robot is required to pick a ;part or other material from one location and place it at another location. Many tasks performed by a robot require this basic pick-and place % examples are 4 L. Material transfer applications.© Plastic moulding. e variety of manufacturing 0} 10.2.3. Palletizing Application ‘Many material handling operations require stacking of parts, that is, to palletize them, Like machine loading and unloading applications palletizing also involves two processes: Palletizing and depalletizing. Palletizing isthe process of stacking, or storing the material, parts or cartons on a pallet in a specified manner. Individual parts are picked from a fixed pickup point and moved for placing them ‘on the pallet in palletizing operation and are picked up from the pallet, moved and placed at a fixed delivery point in depalletizing.operation..‘The pickup point-for palletizing could be the delivery point (of the finished product) of a manufacturing. process while the delivery point of the depalletizing could be the pickup point for the raw material of an assembly line. Palletizing operation is a pick-n-place operation with a major difference, that is, the placing point or delivery point is not fixed but changes with every part (every cycle) until the pallet is full. A typical pallet and palletizing operation is illustrated in Fig. 10.4, The part is picked up from point A (the pickup point), ‘moved along the specified path (B-C-D) and is placed into the pallet in the ‘next’ location (the delivery point). The next location for the next partis easily computed from the part count, size of the pallet, size of part and location of comer of pallet If the pallet contains bins or slots, one for each part (for example, cold drink cans crate is such a pallet), size of each bin and number of bins in the pallet specify the size of pallet 8 Delivery points — ins) Next location’ Robots can be easily programmed to perform palletizing operation. Thy nvnoram combltegthe delivery point for each part while keeping tie eount hor of mars tect when pallet is toll 2 poms the cy} . tferent placing pint or cach Syole, Wen the pale is full itis moved manvally or otherwise tnd an a eae ts placed'in ks place. These asks are coordinated withthe robot conta with qe hep of suilabe Sensors and microswitehes in the workcell ir omnon palletizing operations the pallets two-dimensional, that i, only one ayer of pants is stacked, mostly in a horizontal plane. More complex srtteiging operations have inclined or vertical pallets. A sill more complex eveatonis ene in which parts are stacked one over he other giving more than are tacked pars The computation of nex delivery point leaion sin are eo clone in tna euse. Figure 10.5 ivan example of stacking Of earons (0 say breads or books) on a pallet. cartons Pallet Fig. 105 A multi-layer pallet example—stacking of exrtons Depalletizing operation is reverse of palletizing operation. In depalletizing, the pickup point is different for each part while the delivery pointis fixed 10.3 PROCESSING APPLICATIONS |A large number of robot applications are more than just material handling pplications. A class ofthese applications where the end-effector is atoal instead ‘of a gripper are classified as processing applications. With the too] the rabot tnanipulator performs some manvacturing process function, The type ofthe tool depends upon te operation tobe performed by the robot. Sometimes, the tol ts permanently attached tothe end ofthe wrist while in other situations the tol may —— perasped in the gripper. The laer provides greater flexibility for the tool changing, Some of the processes where robots are efficiently utilized are: + Welding, + Spot-welding.* Spray painting = rant Ciaping : J oday, robots are usea in tne anuusuies aypiicasions like drilling and other machining operations, polishing, Water jet cutting, etc. The arc welding application is discussed here in detail as an example, 10.3.1 Arc Welding Welding application is most common process applications for industrial robots. [Are welding requires continuous long welding to make a welded joint between two parts. A human operator, known as the welder, using thé arc welding cauipment, generally performs the arc Welding. The arc welding equipment Consists of an electrode holder, an electrode, a low voltage high current electric Supply and electric cables. The ar is initiated between the electrode and the metal pistes tobe joined and this are produces temperatures sufficient to melt the parts focally and form a pool of molten metal to fuse the (Wo pieces together. The welder moves the electrode along the path where welding is tobe done. It may be a straight-line path or a curved path as shown in Fig; 10:6-"The accuracy and quality ofthe weld depends on the skill ofthe welder. I a consumable electrode is tied it Contributes metal as fillerto the molten pool and its size reduces requiring (i) additional movernent of electrode towards the parts to maintain the arc, and {i frequent replenishment of electrode. Ifa non-consumable electrode is used. filer metal may be supplied in the form of a separate wire oF rod continuously. (a) A staignt ine weld in plone (b) Line of wold in 3.0 Fig 10.6 Straight and curved weld trajectories for continuous arc welding ‘The arc produced emits ultraviolet radiation that is injurious to human vision. The arc welding has other hazards like ‘and toxic fumes, All these are ‘all these factors and hazards it ‘and can cause permanent vision darna; high temperature, molten metal, flying sparks potential threat to the human operator: Because of +s logical to consider use of robots for arc welding 10.3.2 Robot for Arc Welding Application |p utilizing arobot for continuous arc welding following issues are to be tackled © The are welding process is usually in low quantity and changes oficn 0 be welded have variations and may require the/are- * The compone ‘© The path to be negotiated by the electrode is complex. For a robot negotiating a straight-line motion is as difficult as negotiating a curved path, + Inthe case of consumable electrode arc welding, the robot is required to move the electrode towards the parts being welded to maintain the arc, as the electrode is consumed. + The quality of weld depends on the speed of electrode movement. If speed islow, more metal will deposit and if tis more less metal will deposit and weld may be weak All these difficulties are compensated by the skill and judgment of welder. 10.3.3. Arc Welding Robot Requirements ‘The arc-welding robot has to overcome all the above difficulties though it cannot posses the skill and judgment of the welder. To perform satisfactory welding ‘Operations, the manipulator should be capable of moving its tool-point (the end of electrode) along a trajectory in three-dimensional space. It-must be capable of continuous path movement, as a point-to-point robot cannot do continuous are welding. In addition, it should have a feed mechanism for consumable electrode or filer metal wire. The workcell controller should coordinate the robot motion; electrode or wire feed, the spark gap, the welding current and other activities in the workcell ‘A human operator or another material handling robot may carry out the loading/unloading of parts. IT another robot is used, the workeycle of both robots ‘must be synchronized. If two workstations are used within the workspace of robots, the welding robot can perform the welding cycle while the material handling robot performs the load/unload cycle. ‘The workspace of the welding robot should be large enough to accommodate size of the parts to be welded. A five degrees of freedom manipulator can weld parts in a plane while six degrees of freedom are required for welding complex Contours, Robot programming for continuous arc welding requires a mechanism to feed the contour along which welding is to be performed as well as it may require interpolation algorithms for interpolating straight line or curved paths between two points ‘The capabilities of arc welding robots increase manifold with the use of sensors that can track the welding path and the weld produced. These ean help in ‘overcoming most of the difficulties and compensate for irregularities and variations in the process parameters 10.4 ASSEMBLY APPLICATIONS “Assembly is the final stage of manufacturing and itis manual labour intensive. It fceounts for as muchas 40 0 0 perce of buman labour requged to get WHE cae = avi Ft (@)Hole crossing (<) One-point__(€) Two-polat ‘contact contact Fig. 10.9 Four possible stages in peg-in-hole mating 10.4.4 The Compliance ‘The compliances can be defined as allowed or initiated movement of the peg for the purpose of alignment with the hole. Three possible misalignments or position errors between the peg and hole are lateral, rotational and axial. These are illustrated in Fig. 10.10. To correct these misalignments, the peg must have three types of compliance: lateral compliance. rotational compliance and axial ‘compliances J angular 7 misalignment Axl mmisalgnment (©) Rotavonal (6) Axial Fig. 10.10. Three types of compliance required (0 ease out assentbly sal Tateral Compliance To the axis of peg and the axis of CO y aici compuedee eel eo 10.10¢a), Rotational Compliance If the axes of peg and hole are not parallel, Fig 10.10(b), assembly of the two will not take place. Small angular misalignments are corrected by rotational compliance. ‘Axial Compliance Once the peg is above the hole, the axial compliance Fig. 10.10(c), eases the assembly. The axial motion (compliance) in conjunction with lateral and rotational compliance pushes the peg into hole slightly and the assembly is initiated In addition to peg-in-hole assembly operation, a robot for performing several other tasks requires compliance. Some examples are (a) Turning doorknob to open the door. (b) Playing a musical instrument. (6) Scraping paint from a glass pane (4), Performing surgery. 1045 Providing Compliance ‘The compliance is provided in a robot to correct for the lateral and angular errors during assembly so that the peg does not get stuck in the hole and assembly is successful. There are two ways compliance can be provided to the peg, see Fig. 10.11. (@ Active compliance. Gi) Passive compliance, Proving Comptance | Measure Forceftorque (Degree of misalignment) | sensors Forcetorave Controller | Sofware = Search Algorithm4951 Sensor Based Inspection Ee ees gaigpe fingers of a materialhandling robe 8 wakral Sensors placed on the gripper fing« ze one place to other handling each .d by the gripper and moved from one ‘each partis grasped by the grip oo ‘The specific physica size information can be obtained by the sensor fied on tt fingers of the gripper and the robot can determine whether (ht size is within tolerance fimits or not. If the size is correct, partis placed on the desired place and if the size is incorrect, the part is may be dropped into a waste bin. 10.5.2. Vision Based Inspection Tn chapter 9, the robotic vision systems were discussed Tewas eared one from the image of an object several features ofthe object can De CxtT2C= features provide valuable information required in inspection, provide va ‘ ‘a two-dimensional ‘A typical robotic vision system is capable of analyzing @ © scene Pie otstmensional view of the scene is obtained from a single AST “ Tove featares of the objec are required to Be inspected, the camera oo into different postions by the robot manipulator, see Fig. 10.1) eee the robot manipulator can be used to present the part toa stationary WE sea (camera), in different oricntations. Thus, robot's task is 2 sort i handling task In the design of a robotic vision inspection system, considered. These factors are ‘© Proper lighting of the workspace. ee coer erty required resolution to extract dimensions and other feature to the desired accuracy. = «ted of view should be large enough to accommodate nee 1 Ribu shoul have suficient degrees of freedom to maniPu ‘or the part, as the case be. everal factors must be 105.3 Testing Testing is another associated quality control activity ‘Testing is: oe See attributes not determined by inspection, like funetional ee Of operations, strength, defects in material. load, fatigue and exvionnen effects, and other similar attributes that affect the performance ©! e pee the hhands of the users. Robots can be used for performing ‘various a saat ih ay pe destructive or non-destrctve- Usually. Sposa UP Sensors a robots for performing test — eee ee erro will be characterized by a very stion between robots, ‘manufacturing processes: inspection, orker, sat all present onthe scene- scents | 10.6 PRINCIPLES FOR ROBOT APPLICATION AND APPIICATI@N PLANNING a ing part of this chapte n sations of robots were described and various technical issues for different type of applications of robots were discussed. To apply robotics for industrial applications some common principle are presented hee Tere ze our basic prineples fr robo applications in industries: ea = 1 Ifthe conditions at the workplace repeat without significant unstructured variability, then a simple robotics solution is possible. If the workeycle changes often but within limits, robotics solutions are possible due to reprogrammability of the robots. For all changes that are imposed duc to a robot installation, the robot behavior and the workplace must be eapable of change. Itis important not to try to use robots to imitate human functions. 4. Recognize and exploit or create robot-compatible mechanical states or environments and eliminate or reduce the need for human skill and judgment. ‘When planning for a robot application to perform a task in industry several stages have to be taken into consideration. 1. Workplace analysis and evaluation: a thorough study of what is the task, including subtasks, process plans etc., their analysis and evaluation must be done to justify robotics application. Recognition of requirements of alternative methods for automation: the layout of the workplace and the interlinking of robot ané other machines in, the workplace are major issues. 3. Selection of optimal method: at this stage simulation and graphical emulation are commonly used tools. 4. Search for solutions to implement the selected methods: the selection of the right robot (DOF, workspace, etc.) and the selection of peripheral devices such as gripper and sensors. 5. Economic analysis: is the final step in robot application planning and is discussed in the next section. 10.7 JUSTIFICATION OF ROBOTS With the basic knowledge of industrial applications of robots in mind, it is important that each robot application be evaluated, both technically and ‘economically. This section provides a checklist to aid in the technical evaluation along with a strategy for economic justification of the application of a robot In ‘addition, since the decision to use or not to use a robot also requires non-monetary factors, a “qualitative” justification section is included. 40.7.1 Technical Justification for Potential Applical jons ‘Though robots are capable of performing many tasks, the complexity involved «with using a robot for a specific application may require considerable time andaK # Cost of redesigning ME manufacturing system or workstatic Standard methods ot economic analysis like break-even analysts, present worth, return on investment etc. can be used for detailed economic analysis an arriving at an answer. 10.7.3 Qualitative Justification To justify a robot for 4 manufacturing application many factors come Mhto play. ‘Several of these are not traditionally economically based, but instead applyTo issues such as quality and safety. The justification for applications of robots should also consider these qualitative factors to arrive at a conclusion, Some of the qualitative factors that must be evaluated when deciding whether or not to us a robot for a particular application are the following: Quality Jstency of quality is one-of the main reasons. for deployment of robots in. ‘ramufsctring proces. Iti dificult but possible to quantify quality and cost of quality. For example, in applications where the robot is applying adhesives, paint, ‘or lubricants etc. robot can consistently apply the same amount of material on ‘each part. The increase in quality can be measured in terms of lower scrap ra less raw material use and more consistent parts. Productivity better than a human operior in perfomming the task once bt thea oman Constant speed and quali when efoming he sk tepeutvely. Abo ene esto eed to et It can work les 28 furs dy “7 days week or 365 aya Year I called 9 2477 24365 wrk This eal in pooduetity fcese that may be dicey measur Though nese roeton anes. Use of robs aso ees pendency aa aahourand gives ber delivery schedules, improved customer rl tn goo Those benefits are dificult quant Hazards i certain pplication eliminates the need fora human operator © ean fndongrour terial hatardous envionment crhzarduscondons Such a alloactve materia, ht workpiece, heavy eas cacssive nie of tone sce The con of hazard fora human operator dificult to quan. Flexibi ity eases the flexibility « 1 pr hn voluy the pr duct nifk, production that can be processed in a workcell, increased flexibility tsa definite advantage but is difficult to quantify All the above factors are difficult to quantify into costs or savings, these must be consides application of robots nevertheless ‘in the overall decision-making in favour or against the 10.8 ROBOT SAFETY A robotic system is an integration of robots, machines, computerized information channels and human beings, where no element can be considered perfect or immune from eventual failure and malfunction. Since the humans work rather close to the robots this increases the risk of mutual damage. All these factors necessitate the formulation of safety guidelines that indicate how the conditions of conflict can be minimized. Only when all the system components are functioning safely and reliably, the high productivity levels associated with ‘stems can be realized. ‘The humans can be divided into five groups that are at risk of direct injury from a robot |. Workers: A robot is deployed in the industry for specific application. ‘There will be human workers in close vicinity of the robot for doing tasks invariably overshooting into the workspace of the robot. These workers are at the greatest risk of getting injured 2. Programmers: A robot programmer using online programming method is in direct contact with the tobot. This closeness with the robot's work envelope has its inherent danger of injury 3, Maintenance engineers: A maintenance enginecr is also in direct contact. and is at risk from the same dangers as programmers. Additionally, because maintenance procedures often require that safety interlocks be disconnected, the inherent risk is greater for the maintenance engineer. 4. Casual observers: The casual observer is inquisitive. Ifthe robot is not rigidly guarded, then a casual observer may move towards a robot that looks stationary and be injured when it continues or resumes its operation, 5. Others outside the assumed danger zone: Components manipulated by the robot can slip or fly out ofthe grippers and strike persons well outside the assumed danger zone of the robot if the surrounding area is not properly secured In a practical sense, safety procedures and devices allow the authorized entry of humans into @ robot's working envelope with minimum risk of injury. Hardware devices and sensors would monitor all anticipated reasonable access to a robot's work envelope. Safety devices make use of physical safeguards available in a variety of forms. Some of them are: ‘+ simple contact microswitches, * restrained keys to the access doors, roboticresure mats, : Q Intrarea ng ocasus os © vision systems, " ¢ flashing red lights often seen within work zone indicate that an SParently stationary robot is activated, but awaiting an input, or performing a "Me-detayed operation. 10.9 NON-INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS The advances in robotics technotogy aF€ not directed only forts use industries. There has been almost a parallel gr0Wth of robotic technology in non-industeial Srvronments. Robots are finding Me Way in research aborts, energy Plants, agriculture, hospitals, space, homes, textiles, services, education ete. It May be sometimes difficult to classify a particular application into whether itis ind, lstial or non-industrial, : Applications of robots are only limited by the need and imagination of the ‘developer and the end user, Robots hae almost invaded in every walk of life. The technology is advancing rapidly and today if you think a robot cannot do a ear agg Redes ik ition, wal beta ereasy weatrror ifferent applications of robots in Some diverse Segments are listed below. This Uist isin no way exhaustive. Home Sector Scie ns considered robots as domestic slaves. This is going Se ca magi gan oti civetedemcsic ipcaions we ‘Ot much more than expensive toys. Some of the domestic applications possible = ‘Sweeping and cleaning. Cooking. Entertainment. Replacing pets. Garden maintenance. Security. Health Care The use of robots in human health care has a wide scope. Robotic technology isin te nd is going to expand in health care for: ‘care and monitoring- * Sweep office rug, classrooms, streets ete ‘Manage shopping malls, + Serve food in restaurant. ‘+ Maintenance and repair. + Disaster recovery. Agriculture and Farms Robot's use in agriculture and farming sector is very much limited today but is going to increase. They can be used to: Plough fields, sow seeds and transplant sapling ete. ‘+ Pluck, sort and pack fruits ‘+ Breed livestock ‘+ Animal shearing. Research and Exploration With the help of robots, research in many inaccessible areas have been possible because of their greater capabilities to face hazardous environments and remote handling capabilities. These include: * Space exploration. * Under-sea exploration. + Nuclear research. * Geological exploration. The list of tasks given above for different sectors can be expanded further to include following. A robot should * Play football, cricket, ete. 9 Knit a sweater. Change a tire, repair a puncture Dispense gasoline, Dance. Play musical instruments, Polish diamonds. Make paintings. ‘© Talk and listen. Robots have many potential applications, other than material han assembly, ete. in