Today, the most important area where robotics has gained the maximum stronghold is the manufacturing and industrial automation sector. In a number of tasks which require continuous operation and high precision of work, these industrial robots have all but replaced the human work force. Not only can robot perform in a near unceasing way, they also deliver very high quality of finished goods. Jobs which are considered too risky for human beings to operate are the areas where robotics have been a great success.
Consider the case of automobile manufacturing. Today, most of the car manufacturing work is done by computer controlled robots. This includes placement of sheets on the superstructure, welding, gas cutting, paint and polish, packaging etc. In a number of cases, even the final quality checks are conducted by robotic units.
As of now, there are three major types of robots that are dominant in the manufacturing and industrial automation sector. The first of these is Gantry or the Cartesian robot. This type of robot is essentially stationery and has three elements of motion. Generally, they work on a rectangle shaped area and operate from overhead units. If you have ever seen a huge gentry crane which moves on track then you are familiar with gantry robots. Such robots mainly perform pick and place type operations. These robots are also used in 'dispensing' type tasks.
The second known type of robot is the Selectively Compliant Articulated Robotic Arm or the SCARA robot. Each of this category of robot operates on a quad axes motion pattern. This allows the SCARA robots to operate optimally in a circular area. They operate on an X-Y-Z close coordinated manner. Along with the normal pick and place operations, these robots operate in the areas where handling of machine tools is involved. They also work well in areas where application and assembly roles are involved.
The third type of robot in use as of now is the rotary robot. Theses robots are extremely flexible and can perform a wide range of operations like welding or cutting and even drilling etc. Each of these robots can have anywhere between two to ten rotary joints. This allows them very high degree of flexibility, range of motion and operation. The catch is that rotary robots are much more expensive than the two choices mentioned above and require much more specialized maintenance.
Today, extensive research is taking place in the area of field and manufacturing purpose robotics. As the usage and demands of advanced robotics spread further, the industrial sector will continue to be amongst the largest users and early adopters of robotics. Robots can do whatever humans can, and in a much better manner. Plus, they can do it at a much lower cost, in a much more affordable manner.
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