What Are Industrial Robots? Industrial robots are used in a variety of applications. These include: Handling: Capable of manipulating products as diverse as car doors to eggs, industrial robots are fast and powerful as well as dexterous and sensitive. Applications include pick and place from conveyor line to packaging, and machine tending, where raw materials are fed by the robot into processing equipment such as with injection molding machines, CNC mills and lathes and presses.
Palletizing: Industrial robots load corrugated cartons or other packaged items onto a pallet in a defined pattern. There are three primary types of palletizing: inline or layer forming , depalletizing or unloading , and mixed case. Cutting: Due to their dangerous nature, laser, plasma and water jet cutters are frequently used with robots. Hundreds of different cutting paths can be programmed into the robot, which produces precise accuracy and path following with greater flexibility than most dedicated cutting machines.
Finishing: Multi-axis robots can grind, trim, fettle, polish and clean almost any part made in any material for a consistent quality finish. This number encompasses a worldwide scale, meaning business professionals and production managers across the globe recognize the value of industrial robots.
The advantages and disadvantages of manufacturing robots deserve equal consideration for the undeniable benefits these machines bring to the workplace — as well as the valid concerns.
These are some of the many positive benefits that have come from using robots in manufacturing:. Some of the biggest concerns that production managers, employees and other relevant parties have about industrial robots include:.
The history of robots in manufacturing is expansive. Through the last few decades, these machines have steadily increased in their number of applications and efficiency. Though many see them as modern marvels, robotic manufacturing systems have been around for much longer. The inventor George Devol filed a patent for the first industrial robot in , and the prototype came to life in From there, these machine-based arms became a familiar sight in automotive factories and other manufacturing plants.
Now, robots come with numerous features and capabilities that make them more unique, flexible and productive than before. Collaborative robots, or cobots, can work on the factory floor alongside humans for a faster, more efficient workflow. Both within and outside of the manufacturing field, robots are gaining senses such as touch and vision. What will future applications of industrial robots look like, and how can they streamline manufacturing?
Here are a few ways these machines are already beginning to evolve. Lights-out manufacturing allows robots to work without any interference. This term is common among factories with few, if any, human workers — machines handle the production process from beginning to end.
Some manufacturers may find this concept easier to implement than others, but those that do integrate it into their operations tend to see a marked improvement in productivity and labor costs. Companies that practice this strategy can even experience better energy efficiency because of a decreased need for climate control and additional lighting.
The Internet of Things IoT connects physical devices with internet applications — like cloud-based software — to make them smarter and more aware of their surroundings. Robotics manufacturers are merging the two by equipping robots with sensors that enable them to read their environment.
These tools pick up on external information such as tactile and visual input. With this data, these bots can make informed decisions about what action to take next. More advanced applications of the IoT include predictive analysis and location tracking. Integrating these abilities into existing robotics sensors can take these devices to the next level of automation.
Vision technology is fast becoming standard, reducing the need for expensive fixturing and tooling, and force sensing lets a robot adapt when an assembly problem is encountered. Every manufacturer can benefit from putting robots to work.
Contact Acieta and find out what manufacturing robots can do for your business! Skip to main content. Why Robotic Automation? Search Search form Search. Robotics in Manufacturing. Five Reasons to Use Robotics in Manufacturing Robots used in manufacturing create efficiencies all the way from raw material handling to finished product packing. Robotic equipment is highly flexible and can be customized to perform even complex functions.
With robotics in greater use today than ever, manufacturers increasingly need to embrace automation to stay competitive. Automation can be highly cost-effective for nearly every size of company, including small shops. Robots in manufacturing help to create jobs by reshoring more manufacturing work. Robots protect workers from repetitive, mundane and dangerous tasks, while also creating more desirable jobs, such as engineering, programming, management and equipment maintenance.
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