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1、附录英文原文Industrial Robot and its systems componentsThere are a variety of definitions of the term robot. Depending on the definition used, the number of robot installations worldwide varies widely. Numerous single purpose muchines are used in manufacturing plants that might appear to be robots. These
2、machines are hardwired to perform a single function and can not be reprogrammed to perform a different function. Such single-purpose machines do not fit the definition for industrial robots that is becoming widely accepted. This definition was developed by the robot Institute ofAmerica:A robot is a
3、reprogrammable muhifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through variable progranmled motions for the perfommnce of a variety of tasks.Note that this definition cxmtalns the words reprograrnmable and multifunctional. It is these two characteristics th
4、at separate the true industrial robot from the various single-purpose machines used in modern manufacturing firms. The termreprogrammableimplies two things:The robot operates aec)rding to a written program, and this program can be rewritten to acconlmodatc a variety of manufacturing tasks.The termmu
5、ltifunctionalmeans that the robot can, through reprogramming and the use of different cnd-effectors, perform a number of different manufacturing tasks. Definitions written around these two critical characteristics are becoming the accepted definitions among manufacturing professionals.The fimt artic
6、ulated arm came about in 1951 and was used by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. In 1954, the first programmable robot was designed by George Devol. It was based on two important technologies:(1) Numerical control (NC) technology.(2) Remote manipulation technology.Numerical control technology provid
7、ed a foma of machine control ideally suited to robots.It allowed for the control of motion by stored programs. These programs contain data points to which the robot sequentially moves, timing signals to initiate action and to stop movement, and logic statements to allow for decision rfmking.Remote m
8、anipulation technology allowed a machine to be more than just another NC machine. It allowed such machines to become robots that can perfoml a variety of manufactuing tasks in both inaccessible an unsafe environmonts. By mering these two technologies, Devol developed the first industrial robot, an u
9、nsophistieated programmable materials handling machine.The first conunercially produced robot was developed in 1959. In 1962, thefirst industrial robot to be used oil a production llne was installed by GeneralMotors Corporation. This robot was produced by Unimation. A major step forwardin robot cont
10、rol occurred in 1973 with the development of the T-3 industrial robotby Cincinnati Milaeron. The T-3 robot was the first commercially produced industrial robot controlled by a minicomputer.Numerical control and remote manipulation technology prompted the wide scaledevelopment and use of industrial r
11、obots. But major technological developmentsdo not take place simply because of such new capabilities. Something must providethe impetus for taking advantage of these capabilities. In the case of industrialrobots, the impetus was economies.The rapid inflation of wages experienced in the 1970s tremend
12、ously increased the personnel costs of manufacturing firms. At the same time, foreign competition became a serious problem for U. S. manufacturers. Foreign manufacturers who had under taken automation on a wide scale basis, such as those in Japan, began to gain an increasingly large share of the U.S
13、. and world market for manufactured goods, particularly automobiles.Through a variety of automation techniques, includicg robots, Japanese manufacturers, beginning in the 1970s, were able to produce better automobiles more cheaply than nonautomated U.S. manufacturers. Consequently, in order to survi
14、ve, U.S. manufacturers were forced to consider any technological developmentsthat could help improve productivity.It became imperative to produce better produets at lower costs in order tobe competitive with foreign manufacturers. Other factors such as the need to findbetter ways of performing dange
15、rous marmfacturing tasks contributed to thedevelopment of industrial robots. However, the principal rationale has always been,and is still, improved productivity.One of the principal advantages of robots is that they can be used in settingsthat are dangerous to humans. Welding and parting are exampl
16、es of applicationswhere rotmts can be dangerous to humans. Even though robots are closely asmciatedwith safety in the workplace, they can, in themselves, be dangerous.Robots and robot cells must be carefully designed and configured so that they do not endanger human workers and other machines. Robot work envelops should be accurately calculated and a danger zone surroundting the envelop clearly marked off. Red flooring strip
