MOTION SYSTEM APPLICATIONS
Environmental effects on
motion components in robotics Here we outline leading factors affecting the longevity and performance of industrial robot joints.
Recent years have seen continuous demand in numerous industries — automotive manufacturing to computer, communication, and consumer electronics (3C) product fabrication — for industrial robots. Compared to dedicated equipment in traditional production lines, robots have superior operational flexibility and capabilities. So, they’re especially suitable for small-batch production to satisfy rapid response to market changes and consumer needs.
BACK TO BASICS: WHAT MAKES AN INDUSTRIAL ROBOT To review, industrial robots are automatically controlled programmable multipurpose manipulators that move loads in three or more axes. Advantages of using industrial robots include improvements in quality and productivity; reduction in manufacturing variability; savings in raw materials; reduced product lead time; and reduction in long-term total manufacturing costs. In addition, they have been widely used to free human workers from repetitive tasks and dirty or dangerous environments. Increased use of industrial robots has spurred demand for leveraging the technology’s full potential. Case in point: Industrial robots are increasingly used in the motion control industry for optimizing manufacturing throughput. That has in turn driven industrial and scientific efforts to design next-generation industrial robots. Significant advances in actuator and control technology have enabled the evolution of sophisticated modular robot joints. Modular robot joints are standardized yet capable of interfacing
Shown here is a robot in a semiconductor application. Motion controls increasingly take the form of industrial robots for maximizing manufacturing productivity and | courtesy Universal Robots throughput.
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DESIGN WORLD — MOTION
Motion Components in Robotics and Environments Considerations - MC 11-19 V3.indd 10
11 • 2019
motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com
11/19/19 8:15 AM
