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Teach Pendant

Robotic Automation Solutions for Production Efficiency

Robotic automation solutions for manufacturing is the avenue for the machines to start to working and give the humans some relief from manual tasks. The capabilities that are built into any of the robotic automation solutions are copied from the physical attributes and abilities that humans have. These attributes have just been enhanced by technology so that robotic automation solutions can perform tasks that humans only wish that they could do at the speeds that automation can do them. The four major parts of any of the robotic automation solutions are the controller, a power source, a manipulator arm, and an end-of-arm tool. These all correspond to the brain, the muscles, the arms and the hands of a human. Even though there are human-like parts that are functioning in the work cell of any of the robotic automation solutions, there are other supporting devices that assist in performing the manufacture of products. Index tables that turn from one side to the other to present parts to an appropriate location, safety shields that protect operators from moving objects, and other such devices support the efficiency of the work cell. These types of supporting devices will vary based on the needs of the work cell.

The controller or brains of the automated work cell is a special computer that contains a central processing unit that is similar to the one that is in your PC. It is constructed to withstand any of the harsh elements that can be part of the manufacturing environment. As you can tell by its name this is where processing of information and calculations are done. This is the location where the program that controls the other parts of the automation is loaded so that the program can be "read". The instructions in the program are sent out to the other parts of the automated work cell to tell them to perform automated tasks. The clock rate or speed at which the CPU can "read" and process instructions has been pushed to a very fast rate by recent technology. When controllers were first employed in automation the clock rate of the CPU used was near 8 megahertz, while CPU speed now is measured in the 2 or 3 gigahertz range. One gigahertz equals 1,000 megahertz. The speed jump has had a definite impact on the ability of controllers to pass instructions to and operate manufacturing automation at a very fast pace.

Input/output devices, that are attached to the CPU, allow instructions to be entered into the controller or receive and perform instructions. These devices, sometimes called peripherals, could include the display monitor, teach pendants, and other specialized machines. One of the peripherals is a place of permanent storage for the program that controls the automation. When the automation process starts the program is "read" from the permanent storage into the CPU where the program is "read" and its instructions are sent to the parts of the work cell to complete.

The controller and all the other parts of the work cell have to have a power source to perform the tasks that they do. There are three types of power that are used as sources. These are electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic. The controller uses electricity as its power source, but the other devices in the work cell can have any combination of the available power sources. Hydraulic power is fluid based, while pneumatic power is created from compressed gas. It is possible to have all three power sources represented as power for different parts of one work cell.

The manipulator arm in the work cell is the most well known part of any of the robotic automation solutions. This device is responsible for the movement of parts and products to the needed locations in order to complete the manufacturing cycle. Manipulators are of three types, based on the category of motion that they perform, spherical, rectangular, or cylindrical. There may be more than one of these devices in any given work cell, performing specialized movements for manufacturing.

The next most well-known part of the work cell is the end-of-arm tool. As you might guess there are a large number of different type of these EOT's. Since this tool is a representation of the human hand, it has to perform a great number of specialized tasks to help in the completion of manufacturing. Some of the EOT's are versatile enough to do more than one task, while others have been created to do one very special task. Part grippers and holders are the EOT's that can usually do multiple tasks that are required in the work cell. The EOT is attached to the manipulator arm by means of a tool plate. The tool plate acts as a wrist to which the EOT is attached.

All the parts of the automated work cell must function together with effective instructions from the controller to get the job of manufacturing automation done with efficiency.

About the Author

John Mitchell, the author of this article, is President of Provision, Inc, an online publisher of information about the uses of automation in manufacturing. The company website, http://www.provinc.net, allows manufacturers to evaluate automation components to make manufacturing more efficient. Requests for quotations can be submitted to automation specialists.