Day after day, the world is becoming increasingly automated. Terms like &#;robots&#;, &#;Tech&#;, &#;artificial intelligence&#; and &#;smart industries&#; are often used interchangeably and are playing an important role in our daily lives.
Yet, here you are, wondering whether you need to shift to a smart industry, or not. To buy that robot, or not. To invest in automation&#; Or not&#;Whether you&#;re a startup or a big industry,
A local or an international company,
Whether you&#;re in manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture or transportation,
This article is for you.We know that it can get complicated to make the right decision with so many different types of robots available. In this article, we will explore 5 key factors that you need to consider when selecting a robot. Whether you are looking to automate your business operations, improve your personal productivity, or simply satisfy your curiosity, this guide will help you make an informed decision and choose the right robot for your unique requirements.
Before we dive into the criteria, you should be able to differentiate between a cobot and an industrial robot.
Please note that not all cobots have those advantages, it all depends on the manufacturers.
Now that you have a clearer idea about the difference between the two, let&#;s take a look at the points you need to focus on when choosing the right robot for your industry:
What is your number one objective? Is it to improve throughput? To shorten the production cycle? To minimize waste? To free workers from tedious tasks and to improve their safety in the field? Or to maximize production quality?
Once you answer this question, you&#;re one step closer to your decision. In fact, collaborative robots can improve the experience of your workers while delivering better performance and quality. While industrial robots are aimed exclusively at increasing your production speed and quantity. So your final decision will depend on what you really want to improve on your production line.
Once you&#;ve set your priorities and objectives, you should include the following factors into your decision:
Performance and production cycle: Here we should note that industrial robots offer superior technical features to collaborative robots. They are often faster, more precise, more powerful and go further. This means they improve your cycle times and your rate of return. However, cobots can also have a big impact on your performance. and that leads us to the second point.
Quality and volume of production: As we mentioned, industrial robots are designed to operate in high-volume manufacturing processes with small variations. Therefore, they are not easily reprogrammed and redeployed to new cell parameters and part configurations.
Cobots, on the other hand, can flexibly adapt to part variations. You can define different programs according to your needs and easily switch between them. This makes cobots ideally suited for short-run manufacturing processes.
Parts size and weight: Industrial robots are designed to execute tiresome tasks, like lifting and handling large, heavy parts that can be difficult to reach. This capability is particularly useful for aerospace components manufacturers, given the size of parts and the complexity of the manufacturing process overall.
Meanwhile, collaborative robots excel with small and medium-sized parts and rely on their respective reach capabilities. Hence, in the electronics industry, the collaborative robots&#; abilities to handle delicate parts with precision and adapt quickly to changes make them a valuable asset.
Industrial robots require fences for safety reasons, that&#;s why they can take up a lot of space. Most of the time, they require a full remodeling of the working space.
On the other hand, collaborative robots work safely alongside your employees, their compact size saves you a lot of space and makes it easier for your workers to move around.
Buy your cobot, teach your cobot, and you&#;ll be ready to go!
Employees and regulations play a very important role in your decision process. If you&#;re surrounded with expert automation engineers, then implementing industrial robots is feasible.
Cobots don&#;t require specific skills to code them, since you can teach tasks with a simple motion, and they will repeat it easily.
Traditional robots tend to be more expensive than cobots. Besides your budget for the automation process, don&#;t forget to consider the long-term costs of both options, including maintenance, downtime, and the costs associated with integrating the robot into your workflow.
Now that you have all the information, it&#;s time to decide! So what&#;s it going to be?
In the application of industrial robots, the robot body is usually selected to meet the conditions of use, and the end-effectors are tailored to the different industries and environments in which they are used.
The main selection principles for robot bodies are: application industry, payload, maximum range of motion, operating speed, brake and rotational inertia, protection class, degrees of freedom, body weight, repeatability and other nine aspects.
I. Industrial robot application industry
Where you want your robot to be used is paramount when choosing the type of robot you need to buy.
If you just want a compact pick-and-place robot, a scara robot is a good choice. If you want to place small items quickly, the delta robot is the best choice. If you want robots to work together alongside workers, you should go for a collaborative robot.
2. Payload
Payload is the maximum load that a robot can carry in its workspace. It can range from, for example, 3Kg to Kg.
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If you want the robot to carry the target workpiece from one station to another, you need to be careful to add the weight of the workpiece and the weight of the robot's hand claws to its working load.
Also of particular note is the robot's load profile, which can vary in actual load capacity at different distances in the spatial range.
3.Maximum operating range
When assessing the target application, it is important to know the maximum distance the robot needs to reach. Choosing a robot is not just about its payload - it is also about the exact distance it can reach.
Each company provides a range of motion chart for their robots, which allows you to determine whether the robot is suitable for a particular application. The horizontal range of motion of the robot, noting the area of the robot that is not working in the immediate vicinity and behind it.
The maximum vertical height of the robot is measured from the lowest point the robot can reach (often below the base of the robot) to the maximum height the wrist can reach (Y). The maximum horizontal movement distance is measured from the centre of the robot base to the centre of the furthest point that the wrist can reach horizontally (X).
4.Running speed
This parameter is relevant to every user. In fact, it depends on the Cycle Time that needs to be completed for the job, and the specification lists the maximum speed for the model, but we should be aware that the actual speed will be between 0 and the maximum speed, taking into account acceleration and deceleration from one point to another.
This parameter is usually measured in degrees per second. Some robot manufacturers will also indicate the maximum acceleration of the robot.
5.Brakes and rotational inertia
Basically every robot manufacturer provides information on the braking system of their robots. Some robots are equipped with brakes for all axes, other robot models are not equipped with brakes for all axes. A sufficient number of brakes are required to ensure precise and repeatable positions in the working area.
In another special case, in the event of an unexpected power failure, the axes of a load-bearing robot without brakes do not lock up and there is a risk of accidents.
Also, some robot manufacturers provide the rotational inertia of their robots. In fact, this would be an additional safeguard for the safety of the design.
You may also notice the applicable torques on the different axes. For example, if your movement requires a certain amount of torque to do the job correctly, you need to check that the maximum torque applicable on that axis is the correct one. If the selection is not correct, the robot may go down due to overload.
6.Protection class
This also depends on the level of protection required for the robot's application. Robots working with food-related products, laboratory instruments, medical instruments or in flammable environments will require different levels of protection.
This is an international standard and needs to be distinguished from the level of protection required for the actual application, or selected according to local specifications. Some manufacturers offer different levels of protection for the same type of robot depending on the environment in which the robot is working.
7. Degrees of freedom (number of axes)
The number of axes of a robot determines its degrees of freedom. For simple applications, such as picking and placing parts between conveyors, a 4-axis robot is sufficient. If the robot needs to work in a confined space and the robot arm needs to twist and reverse, a 6-axis or 7-axis robot is the best choice.
The choice of the number of axes usually depends on the specific application. It is important to note that a higher number of axes is not just for flexibility.
8.Robot body weight
Robot weight is also an important parameter for designing robot cells. If the industrial robot needs to be mounted on a customised table or even a track, you need to know its weight and design the support accordingly.
9.Repetitive positioning accuracy
The choice of this parameter also depends on the application. Repeat accuracy is the degree of accuracy/variance with which the robot reaches the same position after each cycle. Typically, robots can achieve accuracies of up to 0.5mm or even higher.
For example, if the robot is used to manufacture circuit boards, you will need a robot with ultra-high repeatability. If the application being worked on does not require high accuracy, then the robot's repeatability may not have to be as high. Accuracy is usually expressed as "±" in the 2D view. In practice, as the robot is not linear, it can be positioned anywhere within the tolerance radius.
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