Industrial robots, once a luxury item only available to large enterprises , are now being adopted by many small and medium-sized enterprises and have become one of the most common tools in the production process. The industrial robot industry has the potential to expand horizontally and drive development across all sectors, making it clear that industrial robots will eventually become an inevitable choice for manufacturing companies. Furthermore, their future development will undoubtedly bring about revolutionary changes to industrial production and even human society.
So what are the characteristics of industrial robots? Here are three key features.
I. Characteristics of Industrial Robots
1. Programmable
The further development of production automation is flexible automation. Industrial robots can be reprogrammed to meet the changing needs of their working environment, thus playing a significant role in flexible manufacturing processes with balanced high efficiency in small-batch, multi-variety production, and are an important component of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS).
2. Personification
Industrial robots have mechanical structures similar to humans, including walking, waist rotation, upper arms, forearms, wrists, and grippers, and are controlled by computers. Furthermore, intelligent industrial robots possess many human-like "biosensors," such as skin-type contact sensors, force sensors, load sensors, vision sensors, acoustic sensors, and language capabilities. These sensors enhance the industrial robot's ability to adapt to its surrounding environment.
3. Universality
Aside from specially designed industrial robots, general industrial robots have good versatility in performing different tasks. For example, by changing the end effector (gripper, tool, etc.) of an industrial robot, it can perform different tasks.
It is necessary to explain the advantages of industrial robots, and the following are some of the advantages.
II. Advantages of Industrial Robots
Cost saving
The robots can operate 24 hours a day, effectively saving labor costs. Furthermore, the use of industrial robotic arms in automated production lines saves space, making the entire factory layout smaller and more compact.
High production efficiency
The time it takes for a robotic arm to produce a single product is fixed. Within the same product lifecycle, the output using a robotic arm is also fixed, without significant fluctuations. Furthermore, the production time for each mold is standardized, resulting in a high product yield. Therefore, using robots for production is more in line with the interests of businesses.
High safety factor
Using robotic arms in production significantly improves worker safety, eliminating workplace injuries caused by negligence or fatigue. Industrial robots offer greater precision, stability, and safety, ensuring personnel well-being.
Easy to manage
In the past, it was difficult for companies to accurately guarantee daily production volume because employee attendance and work efficiency were variables and easily affected by external factors. However, with the use of robotic arms, the number of workers has been reduced, making employee and production management more efficient for companies.
There are many types of industrial robots, which can be simply classified into the following categories.
III. Classification of Industrial Robots
Mobile robots
AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles ) are a type of industrial robot that can be widely used in industries such as machinery, electronics, textiles, tobacco, medical, food, and papermaking for flexible handling and transmission. They are also used in automated warehouses, flexible processing systems, and flexible assembly systems (using AGVs as mobile assembly platforms). Additionally, they can be used as transportation tools in the sorting of goods at stations, airports, and post offices.
Spot welding robot
Welding robots are characterized by stable performance, large working space, high movement speed and strong load capacity. Their welding quality is significantly better than that of manual welding, greatly improving the productivity of spot welding operations.
Arc welding robot
Arc welding robots are mainly used in the welding production of various automotive parts. In this field, large international industrial robot manufacturers primarily supply unit products to complete equipment suppliers.
Laser processing robot
Laser processing robots apply robotics technology to laser processing, enabling more flexible laser processing operations through high-precision industrial robots. The system can be operated online or programmed offline.
The robot automatically inspects the workpiece, generates a model of it, and then produces machining curves. It can also directly process workpieces using CAD data. Applications include laser surface treatment, drilling, welding, and mold repair.
vacuum robot
Vacuum robots are robots that operate in a vacuum environment, primarily used in the semiconductor industry to transfer wafers within a vacuum chamber. Vacuum robotic arms are difficult to import, subject to restrictions, used in large quantities, and highly versatile, making them a key component restricting the development progress and competitiveness of complete semiconductor equipment.
Cleanroom robots
Cleanroom robots are industrial robots used in clean environments. As production technology continues to improve, the requirements for the production environment are becoming increasingly stringent. Many modern industrial products require clean environments for production, and cleanroom robots are key equipment needed for production in clean environments.
