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Introduction
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization. Whereas mechanization provided human operators with machinery to assist them with the muscular requirements of work, automation greatly decreases the need for human sensory and mental requirements as well. Automation plays an increasingly important role in the world economy and in daily experience. Today, automation industries require the use of different types of robots to perform different tasks such as welding, assembling, molding, etc.
Choose the End-of-Arm Tooling for each Robot: After the robot selection and reach evaluation, designers need to consider the end-of-arm tooling. For end-of-arm tooling, determine how the part can be heldwith either a vacuum or mechanical gripper, or a combination of both. In addition, sprues may need to be held in place while trimming, so that pieces wont be dropped. An important factor in end-of-arm tooling is part locationespecially for machining or assembly operationsto be sure the part is positioned accurately. If placing inserts, manufacturers should consider how to hold the insert piece while also removing the molded part. This reduces cycle time. By properly analyzing the process, robotics will allow you to grab the complete part out of the mold, reposition and place the insert for the next partall without exiting the molding machine. The challenge to this design problem is determining how to hold the insert due to space considerations.
Consider Cell Safety: Cell safety is a consideration that should be prominent through the entire design process. Important considerations are fencing to protect operators from the robotic system, along with placement of hard stops, which prevent the robot from going outside of the designated area.
6 axis robots
Axis 1 This axis, located at the robot base, allows the robot to rotate from left to right. This sweeping motion extends the work area to include the area on either side and behind the arm. This axis allows the robot to spin up to a full 180 degree range from the center point. This axis is also known as the Motoman: S and Fanuc: J1. Axis 2 This axis allows the lower arm of the robot to extend forward and backward. It is the axis powering the movement of the entire lower arm. This axis is also known as the Motoman: L and Fanuc: J2. Axis 3 The axis extends the robot's vertical reach. It allows the upper arm to raise and lower. On some articulated models, it allows the upper arm to reach behind the body, further expanding the work envelope. This axis gives the upper arm the better part access. This axis is also known as the Motoman: U and Fanuc: J3.
Axis 4 Working in conjunction with the axis 5, this axis aids in the positioning of the end effector and manipulation of the part. Known as the wrist roll, it rotates the upper arm in a circular motion moving parts between horizontal to vertical orientations. This axis is also known as the Motoman: R and Fanuc: J4. Axis 5 This axis allows the wrist of the robot arm to tilt up and down. This axis is responsible for the pitch and yaw motion. The pitch, or bend, motion is up and down, much like opening and closing a box lid. Yaw moves left and right, like a door on hinges. This axis is also known as the Motoman: B and Fanuc: J5. Axis 6 This is the wrist of the robot arm. It is responsible for a twisting motion, allowing it to rotate freely in a circular motion, both to position end effectors and to manipulate parts. It is usually capable of more than a 360 degree rotation in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
Gantry System
Gantry robots, although primarily used in palletizing applications, lend themselves to a variety of tasks. Among these are palletizing, packaging, welding, glueing, painting and moving heavy parts. Because the gantry system is mounted primarily overhead, it uses little floor space. A gantry system has a very large work envelope and repeatability in the range of 0.1 to 1 mm, which is good considering the large size of the work area. A gantry system can lift small payloads up to very large ones. Payloads can vary from a few pounds up to 2000 lbs. Gantry systems do have larger masses to move and therefore are generally slower in both acceleration and deceleration than other types of robotic systems.
Gantry robots come in various shapes and sizes. Typically when someone refers to a gantry robot, what they really mean is a robot that hangs upside down and travels along either an 'X' or 'X' / 'Y' path to get to its pickup/putdown points. Pictured to the left is a Fanuc robot with an 'X' directional gantry travel. If the beam that the robot is mounted on were also to travel the robot would be capable of 'Y' directional travel as well as 'X'. This type of configuration is well suited for stacking multiple pallet positions. So, for instance, a distribution center could have an Order Fulfillment Sysytem or OFS that has 20 products that come in as 1 product per pallet. The DC needs to stack mixed pallets for distribution to their "customer". Customer in this context could refer to a sales location of the same company. So, this order fulfillment system could de-palletize product from the "pure" pallets that come in and re-palletize the product into a "mixed" pallet for shipment to the customer. There could also be any number of "output" positions.
The unit to the right uses a robotic arm placed on an overhead structure, a gantry, to achieve four-axis movement. The arm has three prismatic joints, whose axes are coincident with a Cartesian coordinator. The arm or end effector is mounted to a bridge that moves above the loads. The arm can be a suction cup, gripper or hybrid combination of the two. This palletizer is ideal for palletizing 8 to 60 pallets at a time. If more speed is required two or more bridges with arms can be place on the same gantry.
Comparison of Jointed Arm Robot Versus Linear/Gantry Systems Below is a list that shows the differences between implementing a six-axis robot and a linear/gantry unit to do part extraction. Jointed Arm Robot: Stiffness Shelf-mounted robots can demold parts either with force (forced removal from negative mold) or delicately (demolding from core). Despite the extended position of the shelf-mounted robot during demolding, it retains its extreme stiffness. The flexibility of the gripper allows the parts to be twisted freely out of the (sometimes enormous) undercutting of the injection mold. Linear/Gantry: Stiffness By observing a linear robot in the lowest position (telescope extended), it quickly becomes apparent that the stiffness is greatly reduced due to the long lever arm. Due to this weak point additional mechanical support is needed. For this the motion is restricted on linear motion. Jointed Arm Robot: Mold Costs Complex parts with undercutting can be extracted from the negative injection mold without the need for additional, cumbersome gripper props. As for the injection molds themselves, it is possible, at least partially, to dispense with ejectors, core pullers and side loaders, thus making the molds considerably cheaper. Potential savings on molds. Linear/Gantry Systems: Mold Costs The linear/gantry systems are only of limited use for removing complex parts from negative molds; in most cases, the articles to be demolded are ejected. Complicated and expensive molds with side loaders, core pullers and ejectors are required, as are additional props on the extractor gripper. Expensive molds with additional functions.
Jointed Arm Robot: Large Volume Parts Using toolchanger carriages mounted on either side, it is possible to equip injection molding machines with tools/molds that are actually larger than the gap between the two beams. Because of its six-dimensional freedom of movement, the shelf-mounted robot positioned on top of the machine is able to demold these bulky parts. For robot no problem. Linear/Gantry: Large Volume Parts External axes are required for the removal of large-volume parts using linear handling devices. In addition, a spacer is required on the fixed mold clamping plate in order to demold the large-volume parts over the upper machine beams. Additional axes required: Vertical space requirement No stiffness in the bottommost position Spacer required Jointed Arm Robot: Cleanliness/Quality Enclosed guide mechanisms only very rarely cause problems with dirt. Linear/Gantry: Cleanliness/Quality Because of the exposed tracks, there is the danger of lubricating oil from the traversing axes dripping on the demolded plastic parts. This causes major problems and loss of quality in the case of subsequent painting. It is often necessary to repaint the parts.