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1、Industrial robotsThere are variety of definitions of the term robot. Depending on the definition used, the number of robot installations worldwide varies widely. Numerous single-purpose machines are used in manufacturing plants that might appear to be robots. These machines are hardwried to perform
2、a single function and cannot be reprogrammed to preform 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 of America. A robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional mai
3、nipulator designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks. Note that this definition contains the words reprogrammable and multifunctional. It is these two characteristics that separate the ture industrial
4、robot from the various single-purpose machines used in modern manufacturing firms. The term “reprogrammable” implies two things: The robot operates according to a written program, and this program can be rewritten to accommodate a variety of manufactureing tasks. The term “multifunctional” means tha
5、t the robot can, through reprogramming and the use of different end-effectors, perform a number of different manufacturing tasks. Definitions written around these two critical characteristics are becoming the accpted definitions among manufacturing professionals. The first articulated arm came about
6、 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) Romote manipulator technology.Numerical contorl technology provided a form of machine
7、control ideally suited to robots. It allowed for the control of motion by stored programs. These programs contain date points to which the sequentially moves, timing signals initiate action and to stop movement, and logic staements to allow for decision making.Remote manipulator technology allowed a
8、 machine to be more than just another NC machine. It allowed such machines to become robots that can perform a variety of manufacturing tasks in both inaccessible and unsafe environments. By merging these two technologies, Devol developed the first industrial robot, an unsophisticated programmable m
9、aterials handling machine.The first commerically produced robot was developed in 1959. In 1962, General Motors Corporation. This robot was produced by Unimation. A major step forword in robot control occurred in 1973 with the development of the T-3 industrial robot by Cincinnati Milacron. The T-3 ro
10、bot was the first commercially produced industrial robot controlled by a minicomputer.Numerical control and remote manipulator technology prompted the wide-scale development and use of industrial robots. But major technological developments do not take place simply because of such new capabilities.
11、Something must provide the impetus for taking advantage of these capabilities. In the case of industrial robots, the impetus was economics.The rapid inflation of wages experienced in the 1970s tremendously increased the personnel costs of manufacturing firms. At the same time, foreign competition be
12、came a serious problem for U. S. manufacturers. Foreign manufacturers who had undertaken automation on a wide-scale basis, such as those in Japan, began to gain an increasingly large share of the U. S. and world market for manufactured goods, particularly automobiles.Through a variety of automation
13、techniques including robots, Japanese manufacturers, beginning in the 1970s, were able to produce better automobiles more cheaply than nonautomated U. S. manufacturers. Consequently, in order to survive, U. S. manufacturers were forced to consider any technological developments that could help impro
14、ve productivity.It became imperative to produce better products at lower costs in order to be competitive with foreign manufacturers. Other factors such as the need to find better ways of performing dangerous manufacturing tasks contributed to the development of industial robots. However, the princi
15、pal rationale has always been, and is still, improved productivity.One of the principal advantages of robots is that they can be used in settings that are dangerous to humans. Welding and parting are examples of applications where robots can be used more safely than humans. Even though robots are cl
16、osely associated with 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 surrounding the envelope clearly marked off. Red flooring strips and barries can be used to keep human workers out of a robots work envelope.Even with such precautio
