Understanding the process
Before actual installation, relevant personnel must have a detailed understanding of the industrial robot's operating procedures, clearly defining the relationships between its components, which parts require precise dimensional accuracy, and which can have more relaxed standards. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the installation drawings is necessary, along with a grasp of the industrial robot's working principles and functional structure. Appropriate tools and equipment must be sourced before installation to ensure a better installation outcome.
Develop a plan
A detailed installation plan should be developed for each industrial robot, taking into account the actual production conditions on site. Related contingency plans should also be formulated to ensure comprehensiveness and targeted implementation. Furthermore, before actual installation, relevant work instructions should be prepared, clearly specifying operating procedures, key points, required personnel, and self-inspection requirements. This provides a unified basis for the safety of industrial robot equipment. Multiple copies of the work instructions should be made, with each party—the production company, supervision department, installation and commissioning department, and on-site installation department—retaining a copy. This ensures accountability in case of future problems and avoids disputes and finger-pointing.
Cognitive execution
This mainly refers to the need for a detailed review after each industrial robot installation. For example, after installing the connecting equipment, a thorough check of the critical dimensions of the installed components is required to avoid rework due to dimensional changes. After all industrial robot equipment is installed, a comprehensive self-inspection should be conducted to identify and resolve any issues before later debugging, ensuring a high standard of first-time acceptance and guaranteeing the installation progress within the stipulated timeframe.
Industrial robot debugging
The installation of robots is carried out on-site, but the actual production environment is affected by factors such as space utilization, which restricts many of the robot's postures. This can easily lead to vibration, displacement, and other phenomena in the actual operation of industrial robots, ultimately causing them to fail to operate at the designed speed. Therefore, it is extremely important to conduct on-site debugging and calibration after the industrial robot is installed and before it is put into actual production. Specifically, the debugging work mainly includes the following two aspects.
1. Zero-calibrate each axis of the industrial robot.
After a robot leaves the factory, its axes may not be properly zeroed. If such a robot is put into production, the center of gravity of each axis may not be accurately fixed to the support points, potentially causing tilting during production. This can not only affect normal industrial production but also endanger the lives of workers. Therefore, zeroing and adjusting the axes of an industrial robot is essential. Typically, each axis of an industrial robot has a zero-point mark. Simply operating each axis back to this position indicates that it has been zeroed. Additionally, the robot's base will have markings indicating the origin points and corresponding angles for each of the six axes; these are important reference points for adjustment. However, specific adjustments require analysis based on the site environment and the task at hand. For example, the adjustment personnel can plan a reasonable zeroing "route," then use a teach pendant to move the robot to each point sequentially, record the relevant data, and finally, combine their calibration experience with repeated experiments to zero and adjust each axis of the industrial robot according to the actual production requirements.
2. Perform signal processing and debugging on industrial robots.
Modern, improved industrial robots can operate automatically according to specified principles and guidelines using artificial intelligence. For example, they can complete the trajectory specified by the received signals, thus quickly adapting to new environments. However, industrial robot systems are not used in isolation. During production, they must be connected to other peripheral devices, and the signals from these peripheral devices must be linked to the industrial robot system's signals via CC-link. Therefore, signal processing and debugging of the industrial robot after installation and before actual production use is a crucial step. Specifically, during debugging, CC-link settings need to be configured. It is important to note that the CC-link signals set by the debugging personnel must be consistent with the PCC model, master station, slave station, and station information. After signal settings are completed, all signals must be listed and commented out during PLC programming. Only after such signal debugging can the industrial robot be officially put into production use.
Applications of industrial robots
1. Applications in palletizing
In palletizing processes across various factories, highly automated robots are widely used. Manual palletizing is labor-intensive, demanding, and stressful for employees, resulting in low efficiency. Handling robots, on the other hand, can efficiently classify and move items based on their characteristics and categorization, preserving their shape and properties. This allows packing equipment to palletize hundreds of items per hour. They play a crucial role in production line loading and unloading, and container handling.
2. Applications in welding
Welding robots primarily perform welding tasks. Different industries have different industrial needs, so common welding robots include spot welding robots, arc welding robots, and laser robots. The automotive manufacturing industry is the most widespread user of welding robots, offering unparalleled advantages over manual welding in terms of welding difficulty, quantity, and quality.
3. Applications in assembly
In industrial production, parts assembly is a highly complex and labor-intensive task. Manual assembly, once a common practice, has been gradually replaced by industrial robots due to its high error rate and low efficiency. The development of assembly robots combines various technologies, including communication technology, automatic control, optical principles, and microelectronics. Researchers write appropriate programs based on the assembly process and apply them to specific assembly tasks. The most significant advantages of assembly robots are high installation precision, high flexibility, and high durability. Because assembly work is complex and delicate, we choose assembly robots for the installation of electronic components and precision automotive parts.
4. Applications in detection
Robots possess multi-dimensional additional functions. They can replace human workers in specialized positions, such as conducting exploration in high-risk areas like nuclear-contaminated zones, toxic areas, and other high-risk, unknown areas. They have also made significant contributions to areas inaccessible to humans, such as detecting diseased parts of patients, detecting industrial defects, and detecting life at earthquake disaster sites.
