When you are going through the process of deciding what robotic to add to your manufacturing process you will need to consider some characteristics in order to make the correct selection. The best way for you to make this selection is with the advice of an experienced automation provider. You will need to supply the characteristics of your process to the provider so that you can make the selection of robotics with right information at hand. All devices that you will consider will have varying abilities of automation performance as compared to the needs that you have in your manufacturing.
One of the most desired abilities of robotics when it comes to automation performance is the payload capacity. Each robot has a rating of its maximum capacity for moving weight from one location to another. This rating is not as straightforward as you might assume. Any robot can hold in a fixed position a given amount of weight, which is considerably more weight than the robot can swing from one location to another. The payload capacity of a robot can also be effected by the shape and surface of the objects that are to be manipulated. As a practical matter a robot can manage more weight closer to its base than it can at its full arm extension. In a lot of cases the manufacturer of robotics will gives its devices two ratings, normal and maximum. There is no particular specification about these ratings. It is important for you to understand what each of these ratings are, especially as they are considered in relation to what you need for a robotic to do in your manufacturing operation.
Repeatability is often one of the most sought after characteristics of automation performance that a robotic device can bring to a manufacturing operation. After all one of the main reasons that you want to use a robot device is to rely on its capability to repeat the same task over and over. This concept of repeatability should not be confused with the concept of accuracy. Accuracy is the ability to go to a predetermined point in space that is prescribed by some defined coordinate system. Repeatability is the ability of the device to perform the same task over and over, which includes returning to the same point in space repetitively. This repetition can only be done by a robotic device after it has been trained to perform the task. It is true that a robot device must have both these characteristics to be considered for efficient work in manufacturing. Repeatability requires that a robot perform over a period of time. Part of the automation performance of the device is to be accurate in returning to the target point each time and not slip off the target as production continues.
The specification tolerance for repeatability varies from one type of robot to another type. A small pneumatic robot that has its positions determined mechanically can have very tight tolerance. Sometimes the tolerance range can be ≈ 0.001 inch or even smaller. Larger robots are rated with tolerances that are not as tight, such as 0.005 inch. These are the ones that are hydraulically operated.
Speed is often a characteristic that is required by manufacturers in deciding which robotic to include in the operation. You could have a concern about a robot not being able to keep up with the current processing speed of your production line. But most of time the opposite is true. The robotic has to be tweaked down from its maximum speed, so that it will be running at the speed that is being produced by the other devices on the manufacturing line. Technology has pushed the speed of robots up to very fast rates. Having the very high cycle times coupled with the improved accuracy and repeatability of robots gives any manufacturing operation an excellent financial lever for improving overall production and reducing costs. It is a good position for a manufacturer to discover when it is determined that all the automation devices on the production line can be adjusted to various levels in finding what the optimum level of production is. You can be fairly certain that you would not be able to vary the throughput over a wide range of production speeds if you do not use automation.
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