MATLAB Simulink for
In a factory
Robotics ond
Autonomous Systems
(/articles/ matiab
robotics-outonomous)
Simulation of Sheet Metal
Forming (/articies
Isimulation-sheet
metal-forming)
End Part Manufacturing
with 3D Printing (/articles
lend-port-3d-printing)
Innovation in 3D Printing
Materiais (/articles
linnovation-3d-printing
materiols)
Better EV Batteries with
MATLAB and Ai ((orticles
lev-Datteries-motlab
oi)
Utility of 3D Printing in
Aerospace (/articles
/3d-printing
aerospoce-utility)
Simu!aticn in Aerospace
(/articles/simulation
oerospace)
Al in Simulation /articles
lai-in-simulation)
Simulation Driven Design
(/articles/simulation
driven-design)
Al in 3D Printing
(/articles/ai-3d
printing)
3D Printing in Medical
Devices (/articles
/3dprinting-medical
devices)
MATLAB and Simulink for
Medical and Healthcare
Field (/articles/matlab
simulink-medical
Industrial Robots: These were one of the first robots to be used commercially.
assembly line, these are usually in the form of articulated arms specifically developed for
such applications as welding. material handling. painting and others. They can be further
subdivided as manufacturing robots and logistics robots. Manufacturing robots are
designed to move materials. as well as perform a variety of programmed tasks in
manufacturing and production settings. They are often used to pertorm duties that are
dangerous or unsuitable for human workers. Logistics robots are mobile automated
guided vehicles primarily used in warehouses and storage facilities to transport goods.
Service robots: The International Organization for Standardization defines a service robot
as 'a robot that pertorms useful tasks for humans. They can be further subdivided as
medical robots, home robots, defence robots, entertainment robots, agricultural robots,
educational robots., and other types of robots. Medical robots are professional service
robots that are used in and out of hospital settings to improve the level of patient care.
These robots reduce the workload of the medical staff, which allows them to spend more
of
time caring directly for patients. Mobile medical robots are used for the delivery
medication gnd other sensitive materials in ahospital. Honme robots automate tasks like
cleaning and disinfecting. The prinary purpose of education robots is to make kids aware
of their potential, utility, and help kids build their own robots using readymade kits
Educational robots are used extensively in schools, both in classrooms and in
extracurricular activities. One of the most important uses of robots in defence is to ensure
the safety of soldiers and civilians. For example, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are
are
Used to carry out dangerous tasks or activities in hazardous environments, drones
used for surveillance, and so on. Agricultural robots sense weather pattern and can adjust
the watering of crop as needed, can be used for sowing, de-weeding. and harvesting
crops.
Classifying Robots by their Kinematics or Locomotion
Robots can also be classified according to how they move- or not move.
Stationary Robots:
They can be further subdivided as:
Cartesian Robots: these are perhaps the most common types of robots. They have three
axes which are linear ie, they can only mnove in straight lines rather than rotating and are
robots
mounted at right angles to each other. Because of their rigid structure, this type of
of precision and repeatability. Cartesian robots are mostly
usually can offer good levels
used in the industrial and the manufacturing sector.
robotic arm can move
Cylindrical robots: The body of this type of robot is such that the
can rotate about that vertical axis and
up and down along a vertical member. The arm
construction makes the manipulator able to
the arm can also extend or contract. This
operations, spot welding and for
work inacylindrical space. They are used for assembly
die casting machines.
spherical system. It can move in a bi
Spherical Robots: This type of robot works in a
heaithcare) angular and singe linear direction SC ARA Robots. SC ARA standsfor Selective Compliance
Progrommable Photo
Arm for Robotic Assembly. This type of robot has two parallel revolute joints. They are Used
Polymerization (/articies for assembly purposes allover the world.
/programmoble Articulgted Robots: These are robots with a wide range of movements that include
photopoymerization)
forward. backward, upward and downward motion. Because of their large work envelope.
DEM for Pharmaceuticals articulated robots can be used for several different applications like assembly. arc
(/articies/dem welding. material handling. machine tending. and packaging.
pharmaceuticals)
Parallel Robots: These are closed-loop systems to support a single platform where both
Altair HPCc (/articles
laltaitr-hpc-usecases) acCuracy and dynamic response are needed. An example of this kind of robot would be
those used for drilling and milling.
3D Printing in Tooling further
Wheeled Robots and legged Robots: These are robots having wheels, and can be
((articles/3d-printing
tooling) be categorized as: single wheel robots, two-wheel robots, three and more wheel robots,

bipedal robots (humanoid robots), tri-pedal robots, quadra-pedal robots and hexapod
3DCS Tools in
robots..
Manufacturing (/articles
|3dcs-in Airborne Robots: these robots can fly through the air. Drones are an extremely popular
manufocturing)
example of flying robots.
Alwith MATLAB (/articles Aquatic Robots: These robots can work on or under Water. They are mostly
used for
lai-with-motlab) underwater exploration of oil, gas or minerals.
Overview of Altair The Future of Robotics
Hyperworks (/articles
Irrespective of their classification, the use of robots provides several advantages in
laltair-hyperworks
overview) manufacturing like reduced labour costs, increased production, high precision and flexibility.
Fully autonomous robotic systems are able to operate completely independent of humans,
Automobile Sector and make
using a variety of sensors and communication systems to assess the situation and
3D Printing (/articles
/automobile-3d decisions and changes during operation. with high end software programming platform, it is
printing) possible to program robots with varying levels of autonomy ranging from constant repetition
CAD for Medical Devices
of a predefined motion to systems that are able to detect objects, avoid obstacles, map its
surroundings, learn based on previous experience, etc.
(/articles/cad-medical
services) Robots have assumed special importance in smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 scenario.
Simulation of Medical While Robots automate a lot of functions, with Industrial loT, companies can take their smart
Devices (/articles manufacturing initiatives to another level. lloT can help companies monitor and manage
/simulation-medical manufacturing operations digitally and hence renmotely. It can red flag issues and hence
devices) manufacturing.
help companies remain ahead of the problems. It can significantly inmprove
productivity &efficiency. PTC loT ThingWorx solutions (https://www.designtechproducts.com
Data Analytics Software
(/articles/rapidminer product-details/ thingworx-iiot-platform) are considered amongst the best, that can help
(Augmented Reality)
data-analytics) companies digitalise manufacturing operations management and AR clubbed with IloT
Tolerance and Stack up
(https://www.designtechproducts.com/prodict/ptc-vutoria)
Analysis for Large
(https://www.designtechproducts.com/product/ptc-iiot) can help companies achieve
Assemblies (/articles Digital Transformation.
/tolerance-stackup developing nations will be shaped
analysis) Indeed, the future of industry in India, Singapore and other
 Barr & Paatz
Ref BP128

Anatomy Of A Robot
Stirling Paatz of robot integrators Barr &Paatz describes the anatomyof an industrial robot.
The term robot stems from the Czech Word robota, which
translates roughly as 'dul, repetitive labour'. Although
robots are indeed often associated with performing
highly repetitive, routine applications, today's flexible
automation technology lends itself to much more than
that, undertaking sophisticated precision tasks that a
human cannot hope to emulate. But to understand quite
what applications the technology is capable of and where
it might be integrated into your own production
processes, it is important to appreciate the anatomy of a
robot, or more accurately an industrial robot, since that governs its functionality.

Let's start by defining an industrial robot. It is usually described as 'a reprogrammable,

multifunctional manipulator designed to perform various automated tasks', to which the ISO
standard adds that it must be 'programmable in three or more axes'. To make more sense of
that,we need to consider a number of core termsthat describe the robotic anatomy.

Axislaxes - an axis is aline across which a rotating body turns. TwO axes are reguired to
reach any point in astraight plane, while three axes (X Y Z) are needed to reach any point in
space. Three further axes (roll, pitch and yaw) are needed to control the
orientation of the
end of the robot arm or wrist.
End effector - also known as end of arm tooling, this is the
'hand' attached to the end of the
robot arm or wrist. End effectors include grippers,
vacuum cups, sprayguns, welding tools
and electro-magnetic pick-ups, their performance being vital to
precision and repeatability.
Degrees of freedom - this is the number of independent
movements the end efector can
make along the axes of its coordinate system. For
example, movement along the X Y Z
COordinates only constitutes 3 DoF, whilst adding rotation around the Z
axis equals 4 DoF.
This term is often confused with degrees of mobility (see
below).
Degrees of mobility - while DoF are often incorrectly
number of independent joints on the robot. this is determined by simply counting the
more accurately expressed as degrees ol
mobility (DoM). Thus, an industrial robot has a maximum of 6 DoF, but might actually nave,
say, 9 DoM.
Kinematics is the actual arrangement of ioints/axes and rigid links in the robot, as well as
being the study of motion in robotics. Common robot kinematics, or configurations, include
Cartesian, Articulated, Parallel and SCARA.
Manipulator - this refers to the arm mechanism, created from a sequence of joint and
inkage combinations, including the wrist. Confusingly, it is often used to describe the robot
itself, minus the power supply and controller.
Joints - robot joints are described as either rotational or translational. Rotational joints have
arotary action along the joint axis and are also referred to as revolute. Translational joints
have a linear or sliding motion alongthe joint axis and are also known as prismatic.
Actuators - also referred to as drives, these are devices that convert electrical, hydraulic
and pneumatic energy into robot motion. Nowadays, actuators are typically fast, accurate AC
servo drives, while the robot base rotates using a harmonic drive or, less commonly, ring
gear.
Work envelope - this is the total volume of space that the end effector of the manipulator
can reach and is also known as workspace and work volume. The size and shape of the
work envelope is determined by the robot kinematics and the number of DoF; it should be
large enough to accommodate all the points the end effector needs to reach.

Having got to grips with the anatomical terms used in connection with industrial robots, we
should next consider the operating and performance parameters against which any particular
configuration and type is specified:

Payload (kg) maximum load or carrying capacity, including weight of the end effector.
Reach (mm) - the maximum distance a robot can extendits arm to perform a task.
Speed (mm/sec) - how fast arobot can position its endeffector or rotate an axis (deg/sec).
Acceleration (mm/sec) - defines how quickly an axis can accelerate to top speed.
Accuracy (t mm) how closely a robot can move to specified place in the work envelope.
Repeatability (+ mm) - how precisely a robot can return repeatedly to a given position.
Mounting - robots can also be ceiling or wall mounted, freeing up effective workspace.
Footprint (m2) - installation space required, often minimised by overhead or wall mounting.
Cycle Time (secs) cumulative time for completing one full set of process operations.
Given all of these structural and specifving parameters, we can now
evaluate u mat
industrial robot confiqurations, which for simplicity's sake | have limited to the tour
mainstream types, in more or less descending order of complexity and flexibility:

Articulated robot - or Jointed Arm robot, is the most versatile type and closely resembles
the kinematics of the human arm. It has three concurrent prismatic or rotary joints, with a
further 3 axes in the wrist, giving 6 DoF. ts end effector can be manipulated tO any
orientation in the work envelope, which is almost spherical. The capacity to reach over and
part
around constructions and twist or tilt the end effector, make it ideal for complex
removal/installation, processing, arc and spot welding, paint spraying, mould unloading and

machine tending tasks.

Benefits Drawbacks
Large work envelope More expensive
Smallfootprint More components
Highly flexible Complex algorithms
Fast operating speed Less rigid at full reach

J3

J4

J2, J6

J5

J1

WORK ENVELOPE

Articulated robot (6 DoF)

SCARA robot - an acronym of selective compliance assembly robot arm, this hasS 4 Dor,
with two parallel rotational joints, a translational joint for vertical positioning, and a simple
rotating wrist. This has a quasi-cylindrical work envelope. referred to as cardioidal, but the
end effector is more restricted in orientation. It is commonly used for routine pick & place,
assembly. packaging. palletising and machine loading applications and has arguably the best
price/performance ratio.
Benefits Drawbacks
Good vertical stiffness Restricted motion
Fewer joints/components Less flexibility
Small footprint Horizontal compliance
High speed operation
Good payloads
Excellent repeatability

Parallel robot - the best known of this type is the Delta Robot, also known as a high speed
picker; it looks less like a conventional robot and more like a three- or four-legged spider,
with a fourth moving element extending from the centre to manipulate the end effector, within
a hemispherical work envelope. It has 4 DoF, three translational and one rotational, and
because the actuators are mounted off the lightweight arms on the overhead chassis, there
is less mass to accelerate and very high speeds are possible (up to 150 picks per minute
compared to 60-65 ppm for a SCARA). Its key applications are picking and packaging lighter
payloads in the food, pharmaceuticals, plastics and life sciences industries.
Benefits Drawbacks
Very high speeds " Smaller payloads
Low installation profile Less flexibility
 Low gross weight
Long term reliability Restricted workspace
Very aCcurate Complex algorithms
J2

J3

J4

WORK ENVELOPE

Parallel/Delta robot (4 DoF)

Cartesian robot - also commonly known as aGantry robot, it features only three prismatic
joints, often with an attached wrist to enable rotational movements (4 DoF), and can reach
any position within its rectangular work envelope, through linear motion of the axes. It is
typically suspended from an overhead grid and the installation footprint is often larger than
the workspace, but the rigid structure means very heavy payloads can be carried. Typical
applications include materials handling. pick & place, machine loading/unloading, stacking
and palletising, usually performed with considerable speed and accuracy.
Benefits Drawbacks
Very high payloads Little flexibility
Speed and accuracy Restricted workspace ,
Relatively low cost e Big footprint
Overhead mounting
Simple algorithms

Having considered the different robot kinematics, you will appreciate that all are capable, for
example, of pick & place tasks, but with quite different speeds, payloads and complexity of
motion. As with any mechanical installation, however, it is important not to over-engineer the
solution, with more DoFs, faster cycle times and higher payload capacities than are needed
for the application, because that factors in increased cost. That's where specialist robot
integrators like ourselves enter the equation. We consider the application as a whole, taking
into account the exact process, required kinematics, the workpiece and end effector, then
specify the right manipulator and the right model, with the appropriate performance
characteristics for the task in hand.
Not only that, we will construct the algorithms for accomplishing that
particular task, program
the robot controller and integrate any associated processes, feed mechanisms and other
manipulators into the operating cycle, then design the mechanical and electronic barriers for
sateguarding personnel and the fast-moving machinery. Then using advanced 3D modelling
software, we'll simulate the entire robot workcell or production line, in order to prove to you,
the customer, that it will actually work in practice, before anything's built.

Nevertheless, Ihope that this brief quide to the anatomy ofa robot means that when talk next
turns to kinematics, manipulators, end effectors and work envelopes, you can smile
knowledgeably - then call someone who knows!

Industrial Estate, Totnes TQ9 5LQ,

Further enquiries to Barr & Paatz, Ford Road, Totnes
telephone 01803 869 833, email s.paatz@barr-paatz.CO. uk