CHAPTER 13 - ROBOTICS

ROBOTICS     

           

                Robot are computer-controlled devices which perform tasks usually done by humans. The basic industrial robot in a wide use today is an arm or manipulator which moves to perform industrial operation. Tasks are specialized and vary tremendously. They include:

·         Handling. Loading and unloading component onto machines

·         Processing. Machining, drilling, painting, and coating.

·         Assembling. Placing and locating a part in another compartment.

·         Dismantling. Breaking down an object into its components part.

·         Welding. Transporting. Moving materials and parts.

·         Painting. Spray painting parts.

·         Hazardous tasks. Operating under high level of heat, dust, radioactivity, noise, and noxious odors.

A robot is simply a series of mechanical links driven by servomotor. The area at each junction between the links is called a joint or axis. The axis may be straight line, circular, or spherical. This picture bellows illustrate a 6-axis robot arm.

    The reach of the robot is defined as the work envelope. Which is determined by the major (non-wrist) types of axes that robot has. Most applications require end-of-arm tooling called the end effector, varies depending on the type of work the robot does.

                Robots powered by compressed air are lightweight, inexpensive, and fast-moving but generally not strong. Robot powered by hydraulic fluid are stronger and more expensive but many lose accuracy if their hydraulic fluids change temperature.

                Originally all robot used hydraulic servo-drives. Driven mostly by the level of services requires to maintain hydraulic servo system in these early industrial robot, engineers developed the articulated robot with dc electric servo drive motor. There are two types of robot control system:

                

References:
Petruzella, Frank. 1996. Industrial Electronics. Mc-Graw Hill. Singapore