Robotic Applications – The Dynamics, Growth and Acceptance in Manufacturing 

Published on : Tuesday 05-04-2022

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Progressively, robots are added in manufacturing to improve efficiency, streamline processes and enhance safety, says Jasbir Singh.

Robots are becoming an important component of tomorrow’s vision of smart factories where manufacturing shall be achieved with new machines by using collaborative and mobile devices for reliable, high-speed operation, more output and smaller footprint. Use of reliable industrial robots’ by using artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and data analytics shall lead to its acceptance in a variety of functions/applications in the production line. Robots use more digitally advanced sensors, digitally connected with each-other and take command from cloud processed wireless signals. The manual tasks are constantly being automated using the Internet of Things (IoT), which gives desired output by collection of real-time data, device interconnectivity and improving results with AI. The induction of robotic functions in machines by factories for achieving higher returns on investment vis-à-vis business will sustain in the competitive market in times to come.

From assembling automobiles to manufacturing and delivering products/spare parts, robotics added solutions are improving productivity, strengthening safety, and determining greater flexibility in processes of every industry. Organisations are implementing progressive guided robotics applications, which can deliver them rapid tangible results. Proactive manufacturers in close coordination with system integrators, and end customers initiates to develop robotic applications to deliver powerful, business evolution outcomes.

Well-known science fiction writer Issac Asimov framed three laws of robotics in 1942, which were subsequently modified by others and also by Asimov himself, but the gist still holds:
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

Types of robots
According to JIRA (Japanese Industrial Robot Association), robots are of following types:

1. Manual Handling Device: An operator operates this kind of robot having some degree of freedom only.

2. Fixed Sequence Robot: Robot can perform a fixed sequence of tasks in a defined cycle. The sequence of cycle is fixed and it is not programmable.

3. Variable Sequence Robot: Robot having almost the similar characteristic as fixed sequence robots except these robots are reprogrammable with some freedom.

4. Playback Robot: Robot of this type can playback a sequence automatically in a loop.

5. Numerical Control Robot: Robots of this type work through a sequence of instructions. However, the instruction set is numerical figures.

6. Intelligent Robot: Intelligent Robots are the robots that can sense the environment around using the smart sensors and take a necessary set of actions automatically.

Industrial robots as defined by ISO 8373:2012: An automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes, which can be either fixed in place or mobile for use in industrial automation applications, in which,
a) Reprogrammable: designed so that the programmed motions or auxiliary functions can be changed without physical alteration; 
b) Multipurpose: capable of being adapted to a different application with physical alteration; 
c) Physical alteration: alteration of the mechanical system (the mechanical system does not include storage media, ROMs, etc.); and 
d) Axis: direction used to specify the robot motion in a linear or rotary mode.

Applications
Robotics machines are progressively leading the way to advance the manufacturing of quality products. The primary requirement of intelligent factories implementing advanced robotics, intelligent sensors, IoT, massive data, cloud computing, and advanced technological developments need to be powerful, safe, and cost-effective. Robots are ideal for operation and simultaneously collecting manufacturing data from machines and collaborating with humans. It is helpful to perform a hazardous job, complex operation, adverse environment, prolong high temperature, working long duration entire time in assembly lines. Robots operating in factories using artificial intelligence to perform high-level tasks by learning and taking decisions from experience in various ongoing situations. Robots in manufacturing corrects the issues proactively, constantly improve the functions to minimise costs, while increasing performance. 

Decentralised control options 

The customer demand changes with the evolution of newer perceived requirements where flexible automated machines with robotic decentralised control could allow manufacturers to produce high-quality products at a competitive price and reach to market quickly. Industry 4.0 based digitalisation mainly focuses on innovating functions in robotics, control systems, smart and intelligent sensing components, and cloud platforms for advanced calculation using industrial software. It makes it possible for the utilisation of industrial data to effectively support manufacturing intelligence by collaborative approach and intelligent improvement. Importance is given for a more intelligent and flexible production facility incorporating increased automation and integration of more sophisticated robots in machines for consistent growth and lower production cost. Companies worldwide are now focusing heavily on robotic digitalisation in machines to secure competitive production in the manufacturing industry.

As robots are less susceptible to disruptions the goals are zero down time and maximise efficiency of machines. Unscheduled machine downtime is the most prevalent reason for inefficiency in manufacturing. Induction of robots in process increases productivity, reduces malfunctions, eliminates errors and improves quality. As it uses digital smart sensors and wireless communication to and from the server, robots can generate data for the health of its sensors, devices and any deviation while operation. Understanding of remaining motor life and moving parts of robots, the potential issues can be highlighted in advance of an actual failure. This will stimulate mitigating downtime in planned outages and improve productivity. For predictive analysis large information is required to be captured like current operating condition of robots, gripper pressure, arm position, and motor temperature or vibration. Predictive analytics in robots by AI is being further fine-tuned by generated data from smart sensors and calculation by advanced algorithms in which the ability to raise alarm before the failure actually going to happen shall improve its reliability manyfold. It is important towards a robotics perspective, how it will enable to provide better understanding of machine automation to improve process efficiency, product quality and safety by collection of data to understand a clearer picture of the value by adding robots to their production lines. 

Robots with human collaboration and swift mobility 
Collaborative robots and automated mobile robots (AMRs) are the extension of robots that play an important role for transformation towards smart factories. Cobots are industrial robotic arms which enable human-machine collaboration functionality without the requirement of complex programming or issues related to additional safety infrastructure. The main benefits of using cobots as it less expensive and more flexible which provide an additional option for manufacturers to invest least amounts of capital for achieving right automation solutions.

Advantage of digitalisation in robotic applications
Edge-enabled AI using 5G communication and cloud computation shall make cobot a superior option to provide the advantages of industrial robotic arms having easy re-programmability, better flexibility and low footprint in manufacturing or assembly line. Developers have a target to produce a better user interface and easy programming environment, including communication links to external devices for data exchange. Universal Robots attracts industries for collaborative functions in machines in a variety of easy-to-use applications to quickly implement and start delivering. Cobots work in an information transparency environment by their ability to collect and exchange data with other systems for analysis and remodelling if required. Cobots are digitally integrated mechanical devices that will continue be evolving in the era of Industry 4.0 through regular software updates and easy programmability.

Mechanical structure
Robots by mechanical structure are based on the following definitions: 
a) Cartesian robot: robot whose arm has three prismatic joints and whose axes are coincident with a cartesian coordinate system 

b) SCARA robot: a robot, which has two parallel rotary joints to provide compliance in a plane 

c) Articulated robot: a robot whose arm has at least three rotary joints 

d) Parallel robot: a robot whose arms have concurrent prismatic or rotary joints, and 

e) Cylindrical robot: a robot whose axes form a cylindrical coordinate system

Functionality understanding while selection
Industrial robot/cobot are designed/developed to meet the functionality in its use by understanding mainly the following characteristic 
a. Number of axes 
b. Working envelope 
c. Kinematics 
d. Carrying capacity or payload 
e. Speed 
f. Acceleration 
g. Accuracy, and
h. Repeatability.

We will see how businesses will refine their manufacturing by adaptation of robots and cobots extensively, in the process also improving the reliability, workplace safety on actual work and saving costs. Progressively, robots are being added in manufacturing setup to improve efficiency, streamline processes, enhance safety, and smooth delivery experiences across the business infrastructure.

Jasbir Singh is an Automation Expert having long experience in Factory Automation, Line Automation, Implementation Strategist, Business Coach, Regular writer on automation, Artificial Intelligence, Robots/Cobots, Digital Technology, Network Communication, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Wireless Communication, Block Chain and use of advance digital technologies. He has established a long association with Business Houses/large production houses to improve factory automation in their production lines as well as productivity improvement in factories in India and overseas; and in advising and designing the units to transform into digital platforms by use of Artificial Intelligence. Email: marketing@seeglobalinternational.com