Industrial Robots and their Applications

Robots are the future of tomorrow, said people in the past and folks, that future is here! These machines have been taking manufacturing and logistic industries by storm with their productivity and speed, reducing the requirements for manpower and enabling the handling of heavy duty workload without the need for people to labor over it. The numerous benefits of automation in industries include employee safety, reducing wastes and other costs for operations. Industries and factories usually have different requirements for the robots they need and based on this, industrial robots are classified into seven types-

1. Cartesian Robots

They are also called xyz, linear or gantry robots and as the name suggests, they work on the cartesian coordinate system that works on the three linear axes x, y and z. This means that they are capable of moving in straight lines in three directions of the axes.

Applications- These robots are normally used for 3-D printers and CNC (computer numerical control) machines. Other applications include milling machines, plotters that can create precise designs, packaging automation, part assembly and precision spot welding. They are capable of carrying heavy workloads, in material handling and loading and unloading of objects as well.

2. SCARA Robots

Acronym for Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm, and they function similar to the Cartesian robots with linear (x, y, z) axis movements, however, in addition to this they are also provided with rotary movement due to two parallel joints and they are good for lateral motion. They are faster systems when compared to cartesian robots.

Applications- They are mainly used for assembly applications, bio-medical applications and palletizing, transferring parts, and in logistics as well.

3. Articulated Robots

Also known as the robotic arm or manipulator arm, they are connected to the base with a twisting joint and have about 2- 10 joints whose motion and configuration is very similar to that of a human arm, meaning it has a wide range of movements.

Applications- The typical applications for such kinds of robots include industrial applications like painting, metal casting, packaging, assembly, arc welding and machine tending.

4. Cylindrical Robots

Perfect for functioning in limited spaces, these industrial bots have rotary joints at the base and a prismatic joint for linear motion as well. They envelop a cylindrical work space due to their movement range owing to their rotating shaft and extended arming allowing for vertical and horizontal motion.

Applications- These robots can work well in small workspaces for simple assembly or machine tending and die casting without loss of speed.

5. Delta Robots

Spider-like robots that are known by names like parallel robots, the bots have parallel links that are connected to a common base which is placed above the work stations. Working in a dome shape, they are both precise and fast due to all three arms being connected to the same base.

Applications- These efficient bots are popular for maneuvering pick and place applications in industries for food, pharmaceuticals or electronics and other direct control tasks.

6. Polar Robots

Popularly known as spherical coordinate robots, they only have rotary joints and the axes of the robots work together to form a polar coordinate thus allowing a spherical range of motions. They are presumably the first industrial robots to be developed.

Applications- They are commonly used for injection molding, welding, material handling and extrusion.

7. Collaborative Robots

Known as Cobots, they are applicable for a safe, shared workspace where people can work alongside them. These bots can also be taught rather than just being programmed to function.

Applications- They are used for picking and placing, machine tending and quality inspections.

Knowing what we now know about industrial robots, we can see the myriad of functions these helpers are capable of from spot welding to mechanical processes like cutting, grinding and polishing including sealing and spraying materials. Robots truly paint an efficient, futuristic plan for industries for whom automation is truly a boon, both in the means of pace and productivity! Knowing about the various types of bots in an industry can be extremely beneficial to freshers and students who are looking to work in this field be it operations or production!