Robotic arms can be used for all manner of industrial production, processing and manufacturing roles - any task in which extremely precise, fast and repeatable movements are required, in fact.

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Robotic arms of all kinds are used today at every scale of manufacturing, from minutely detailed circuit board assembly to large-volume heavy industries such as automotive production lines, as well as in a huge range of ‘pick and place’ (conveyor belt) applications. This means that it’s important to know which types of programmable robotic arms are better suited to which sorts of environments and tasks before you begin planning a purchase.

In every case, selecting the right type of programmable robot arm for a given role or task should involve consideration of the intended application’s precise nature and requirements. These will typically include:

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• Load
  • All types of robotic arms have a given load capacity, and this manufacturer-specified number always needs to exceed the total weight of the payload involved in any job you expect the arm to perform (including tools and attachments).
  • Different sorts of robot arms are supported by differently designed frameworks, which can increase or decrease overall load capacity - this must be balanced with consideration of physical placement and footprint.
• Orientation
  • This criterion is generally defined by the footprint and mounting position of the robotic arm, and how well it fits alongside the other equipment in your production line for the range of movements and manipulations it’s expected to perform. This will in turn influence where the arm can physically be positioned relative to the objects it will be moving.
  • Certain types of robotic arms require bulkier pedestals or more physical clearance space to perform their programmed range of movements, and these factors must be considered in terms of other equipment or workers in the vicinity.
• Speed
  • Particularly when choosing robotic arms for picking and placement applications, it’s important to pay attention to manufacturer ratings for speed, and especially in terms of acceleration over longer distances.
  • Changes and upgrades to speed ratings can be achieved in some types of robotic arm through changes made to the choice of belts, motors or actuators used.
• Travel
  • Tolerances and accuracy over wider spans can be reduced in certain types of robot arms, due to arm deflection and differences in support framework design.
  • If the application requires longer travel distances between payloads or work areas, this may dictate which sorts of robotic arms would be suitable or unsuitable for performing the task, depending on the tightness of tolerances required.
• Precision
  • Certain types of programmable robotic arms are inherently designed to be more precise in their range of movements and articulations than others. This may come at higher cost for a more complex machine, and involve a compromise against other factors such as footprint, speed, potential travel distance and orientation.
  • For many industrial applications such as picking and placement, robotic arms capable of extremely precise repeatable movement may be an unnecessary expense. However, for tooling applications, precision will be a key consideration before most other factors. Again, changes and upgrades can be made to improve precision for certain types of robotic arm, but not all.
• Environment
  • Consideration of atmospheric conditions and potential hazards (including dust, dirt and moisture levels) in the immediate working environment will be important when choosing an appropriate type of robotic arm for a specific location.
  • Physical footprint, orientation and range of movement will also influence how suitable a particular model or arm type is for use in a particular environment, with other equipment and workers taken into account.
• Duty cycle
  • This is essentially an evaluation of how intensively the robotic arm will be expected to perform, and for how long between ‘rest’ or maintenance periods. Wear and tear will obviously become a problem sooner for a robot arm that is run continuously, as opposed to one which is only operated during standard shift cycles.
  • Different models or arm types will require different maintenance regimes, such as lubrication intervals and parts replacement - in any environment where minimal downtime is critical, these will be important considerations to bear in mind when buying robotic arms for specific production roles.

Collectively, the criteria above are sometimes referred to as a robot’s LOSTPED parameters.

What are Industrial Robot Joints?

Industrial robots are comprised of multiple links that are connected to one another. These link connections are the joints of an industrial robot, also commonly referred to as axes. Robot joints are essential to provide and ensure robotic arm movement. Each joint contains a motor or actuator, that powers the joint to perform a relative motion. Each robotic joint has its own specific movement or degree of freedom. The more joints an industrial robot has the more degrees of freedom it has which means it will be capable of accessing greater amounts of space.

Most industrial robots have between three to six joints or axes. Six-axis robots are the standard and have a full range of motion. With six joints, the FANUC Arcmate 120ic can access space from any angle due to its six degrees of freedom. There are robots with seven or more joints. 7-axis robots are relatively new, but their extra degree of freedom allows them to maneuver their arm around objects and eliminates the need for positioners. Industrial robots featuring double digit joint configurations are usually designed with dual robotic arms. Robots with greater than six joints are classified as high-DOF (degree of freedom) robots while those with less than six joints are considered low-DOF robots. The number of joints your robot will need will depend upon the complexity of the application you are automating. More complex applications generally require a broader range of motion and will likely need at least a six-axis robot. Less complex applications typically involve more straightforward movements which can be automated by a low-DOF robot.

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Types of Robot Joints

There are five main types of robotic joints. Two of these types feature linear motions while the other three feature rotary motions. Industrial robots may be configured with one joint type or a combination of joint types.

• • Linear Joint - The relative motion of linear joints is parallel, meaning the two joint links slide linearly. SCARA robots are configured with two linear parallel joints. The FANUC Sr-3ia is a SCARA robot. These may also be called type L joints.


• • Orthogonal Joints - Orthogonal, or type O joints are another type of linear moving joint. The difference between this type and linear joints is that instead of running parallel they run perpendicular. Cartesian robots feature this type of robotic joint.


• • Rotational Joints - Rotational joints produce rotational relative motions and are referred to as type R joints. With these joints the rotational axis runs perpendicular to the two links.


• • Twisting Joints - Twisting joints, also called type T, produce rotary motions. Like rotational joints, the axis of rotation runs perpendicular to the two links.


• • Revolving Joints - Revolving joints or type V joints, allow for rotational relative motion between two links. With this type one link runs parallel while the other runs perpendicular.

Articulated industrial robots feature a combination of joint types, as do delta robots. Articulated robots may feature multiple rotary joints depending upon their complexity. Most articulated robots like the Yaskawa MA are built with twisting and rotational joints. Delta robots feature a combination of rotational and linear joints.

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