MANU 2484 Design for

Assembly & Automation

Lecture 13: Industrial Robotics

Course Coordinator: Mr. Trung Nguyen

 Today’s Topics
• Robot Anatomy: Components and types of industrial robots.

• Cycle Time and Cost Analysis: The cost of operating a robot.

• Robot Accuracy and Repeatability: How accurate is your

robot?

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Industrial Robotics

Robot Anatomy and Programming

 Industrial Robotics – Robot Overview

• As defined by the Robot Institute of America, a robot is “a programmable,

multi-functional manipulator designed to handle material, parts, tools, or
specialized devices through variable programmed motions for the performance
of a variety of tasks”.

Karakuri Puppet Roomba Vacuum Robot

(Japan, 17th Century) (America, 21st Century)

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 Industrial Robotics – Robot Overview

• For our purposes, if a machine is programmable, capable of automatic

repeat cycles, and can perform manipulations in an industrial
environment, it is an industrial robot.

• All things considered, a robot is a severely handicapped worker and is

several orders of magnitude less flexible than a human being. Robots
cannot think or solve problems on the plant floor.

• However, robots can perform the job (within its capability) in an exact
cycle time, and do it every time, whereas a human being often cannot.

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 Industrial Robotics – Robot Overview

• Example of a robot (Atlas model by Boston Dynamics) at work.

Source Link

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Industrial Robotics – Robot Anatomy

Diagram of a typical robot

The “teach”
pendant of a robot
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 Industrial Robotics – Robot Anatomy

• All robots have the following basic components:

1. Manipulators: the mechanical unit (a.k.a. an “arm”) that does the actual work of the
robot.

2. End Effector: the “hand” or “gripper” portion of the robot, which attaches the end of
the arm and performs the operations of the robot.

3. Controller: the brains of the system that direct the movements of the manipulator.
In higher-level robots, computers are used for controllers. “Teach pendants” are
often used to program the robot.

4. Feedback devices: transducers that sense the positions of various linkages and
joints and transmit this information to the controller in Digital or Analog form.

5. Power Supply: Electric, pneumatic, and hydraulic power to supply and regulate the
energy needed for the robot components.

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• A joint in a robot is similar to a joint in a human body, as both provide relative
movement between two parts of the body.

• Each robot joint has an input link and an output link, and the output link is
moved relative to the input link. The output link of one joint is the input link for
the next joint.

• The coordinated movement of these joints gives the robot its ability to move,
position, and orient objects to perform useful work.

• Manipulator joints can be classified as linear or rotating, indicating the motion

of the output link relative to the input link.

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• Five types of joints commonly used in industrial Robot construction is shown:

Type R: Rotational joint

Type L: linear joint

Type T: Twisting joint

Type O: Orthogonal
joint

Type V: Revolving joint

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• Some illustrations of Linear joints and Rotating joints.

Linear Joint Rotating Joint

Source Link Source Link

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• Using joints of different types, the manipulator is constructed.

• Robot manipulators can usually be divided into 2 sections:

o Arm-and-body assembly: typically has 3 joints consisting of both linear and rotating
joints, responsible for positioning an object or tool.

o Wrist assembly: typically has 2 or 3 joints consisting of (almost always) rotating

type, responsible for orienting the object or tool.

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• The letter symbols for the five joint types (L, O, R, T, and V) can be
used in a joint notation system for the robot manipulator and wrist.

• The joint notation for a robot can have 2 parts: the body-and-arm
manipulator and the wrist. A colon separates the body-and-arm
notation from the wrist notation.
o Example: the notation “TLR:RT” represents a 5-axis manipulator.

An example of a TRR wrist.

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• All robot manipulators are fundamentally positioning systems.

• The definitions of control resolution, accuracy, and repeatability

previously discussed will apply to industrial robots.

• There are five basic arm-and-body configurations available in

commercial robots. They are:
1. Polar type.

2. Cylindrical type.

3. Cartesian coordinate type.

4. Jointed-arm type.

5. Selectively Compliant Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA).

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• Polar type robots operates in a polar coordinate system which
consists of a radius 𝒓, an in-plane rotational angle 𝜶, and an out-of-
plan rotational angle 𝜷. Its work envelope approximates a portion of a

sphere.
𝛼

𝑟
𝛽

ABB IRB400 robot

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• Cylindrical type robots operates in a Cylindrical coordinate system
which consists of a radius 𝒓, an in-plane rotational angle 𝜶, and an
elevation 𝒛.

Source Link

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• Cartesian type robots operates in a Cartesian coordinate system
which consists of the 3 axis 𝒙, 𝒚. 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒛.

𝑥 𝑦

Source Link

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• Jointed-arm robots may have two or three additional minor axes of
motion at the end of the arm. These three movements are pitch
(vertical), yaw (horizontal), and roll (wrist rotation).

𝑦𝑎𝑤

𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ

Source Link

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 Industrial Robotics – Manipulator
Joints and Links
• Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm is similar to jointed arm robots,
except that the shoulder and elbow joints have vertical axes of rotation which
translates to 3 or 4 controllable axes.

• This provide rigidity in the vertical direction but relative compliance in the
horizontal direction.

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 Industrial Robotics – End Effectors

• For a robot to be useful in a particular application, it must be equipped

with a special tooling designed for the application.

• An end effector is the special tooling that connects to the robot’s wrist-
end to perform the specific task.

• There are 2 common types of end effector:

o Tools.

o Grippers.

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 Industrial Robotics – End Effectors

• A tool is used when the robot must perform a processing operation.

• Common tools include: spot-welding guns, arc-welding tools, spray-painting

nozzles, rotating spindles, heating torches, automatic screwdriver, etc.

• Grippers are designed to grasp and move objects during the work cycle.

• Grippers are used for part placement applications, machine loading and
unloading, and palletizing.

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 Industrial Robotics – Control Systems
and Programming
• The robot’s controller consists of the electronic hardware and
software to control the joints during execution of a programmed work
cycle.

• The control systems in robotics can be classified into 3 groups:

o Playback with point-to-point (PTP) control.

o Playback with continuous path (CP) control.

o Intelligent Control: implemented using powerful microprocessors and

advanced programming techniques, robot intelligence include
characteristics such as: machine vision, make decisions when things go
wrong, make computation, and even communicate with humans.

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 Industrial Robotics – Control Systems
and Programming
• There are two basic methods used to “teach” modern robots their
programs:
o Leadthrough programming (programming by demonstration): involves a
“teach-by-showing” method in which the manipulator is moved by the
programmer through the sequence of positions in the work cycle.

o Computer programming languages: provides a convenient way to

integrate certain non-motion functions into work cycle, such as decision
logic, interfacing with other equipment and sensors.

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 Industrial Robotics – Control Systems
and Programming
• Example of Leadthrough programming.

Source Link

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Cycle Time and Cost
Analysis for Robots
Is it really cheaper to have a robot?
 Industrial Robotics – Cycle Time and
Cost Analysis
• The cycle time of a robotic application can be analyzed using the same
equations discussed previously:
𝑻𝒄 = 𝑻 𝒐 + 𝑻𝒉 + 𝑻𝒕

𝑻𝒄 = cycle time, minutes/piece.

𝑻𝒉 = work part handling time, minutes/pc.

𝑻𝒕 = average tool handling time.

• Most robotic applications involve either some form of material handling or a

processing operation. The meanings of these terms will be adjusted
according to the application.

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 Industrial Robotics – Cycle Time and
Cost Analysis
• For material handling applications, the cycle time is just the part handling
time. In other words:
𝑻𝒄 = 𝑻𝒉

• For processing operations, the robot can be treated as the principal

production machine and the whole equation (with 𝑇𝑜 , 𝑇ℎ , 𝑇𝑡 )will apply.

• The average production time 𝑻𝒑 of a robotic cell is given by the equation:

𝑻𝒔𝒖 + 𝑸𝑻𝒄
𝑻𝒑 =
𝑸

𝑻𝒔𝒖 = the setup time, minutes.

𝑸 = the quantity of work units to be produced in the production period.

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 Industrial Robotics – Cycle Time and
Cost Analysis
• Similar to the Manual Assembly case, the hourly production rate 𝑹𝒑
(pieces/hr) of a robotic cell is given by:

𝟔𝟎
𝑹𝒑 =
𝑻𝒑

• For long-running mass production, where 𝑄 becomes very large, then we can
make the approximation:

𝑻 𝒑 ≈ 𝑻𝒄

𝟔𝟎
𝑹𝒑 ≈ 𝑹𝒄 =
𝑻𝒄

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 Industrial Robotics – Cycle Time and
Cost Analysis
• The cost of operating a robot cell is divided into fixed and variable cost.

𝑻𝑪 = 𝑪𝒇 + 𝑪𝒗 𝑸

𝑻𝑪 = total annual cost for running a robot $/year.

𝑪𝒇 = fixed annual cost, $/year.

𝑪𝒗 = variable cost, $/piece.

𝑸 = Annual production quantity by the robot cell, piece/year.

• Fixed annual cost includes expenses related to maintenance and upkeep of

the robot, such as cost for wear-and-tear, operator salary, etc.

• Variable costs are expenses related to a specific job such as a dedicated end-
effector or special coating to handle the part.

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 Industrial Robotics – Cycle Time and Cost
Analysis Example
• Example: An articulated robot loads and unloads parts in a CNC machine cell
in a mass production line. The machine tool operates on semiautomatic cycle
which is coordinated with the robot using interlocks. The programmed
machining cycle takes 2.25 minutes. Cutting tools wear out and must be
periodically changed, which takes 5 minutes every 25 cycles. At the end of
each cycle, the robot reaches into the machine and removes the just-finished
part, places it in a tote pan then reaches for a starting work part and places it in
the machine tool receiver. This takes 30 seconds to complete. Tote pans are
exchanged every 20 work cycles and is done concurrently with the machining
operation. Determine:
a) The average production time for this production cell.

b) The hourly production rate of the cell.

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 Industrial Robotics – Robot Accuracy
and Repeatability
• The capacity of a robot to position and orient the end of its wrist with accuracy
and repeatability is an important control attribute in nearly all industrial
applications.

• The definitions of Control Resolution, Accuracy, and Repeatability are

similar to those used for Numerical Control systems.

• Control resolution refers to the capability of the robot’s positioning system to

divide the range of the joint into closely spaced points, called addressable
points, to which the joint can be moved by the controller.

• Similar to CNC system, there are 2 limits of the Control Resolution:

o 𝑪𝑹𝟏 : dictated by the electromechanical components in the joint.

o 𝑪𝑹𝟐 : the controller’s bit storage capacity for that joint.

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 Industrial Robotics – Robot Accuracy
and Repeatability
• If the joint is of linear type, and consists of a leadscrew or ball screw drive
mechanism, then the same methods used for a CNC system can be used to
find 𝐶𝑅1 for the joint. However, if the joint is of a different type then additional
analysis must be done.

• For 𝐶𝑅2 the same formula as CNC systems can be used:

𝑹
𝑪𝑹𝟐 = 𝑩
𝟐 −𝟏
𝑹 = the range of the joint-link combination, expressed in linear or angular
units, depending on the joint type.

𝑩 = the number of bits in the bit storage of the controller for the joint.

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 Industrial Robotics – Robot Accuracy
and Repeatability
• The Control resolution of the joint is the greater value between 𝐶𝑅1 and 𝐶𝑅2 :
𝑪𝑹 = 𝑴𝒂𝒙{𝑪𝑹𝟏 , 𝑪𝑹𝟐 }

• Repeatability is the measure of the robot’s ability to position its end-of-wrist at

a previously taught point. Similar to NC systems, for single joint-link
mechanism, repeatability is:
𝑹𝒆 = ±𝟑𝝈

𝝈 = standard deviation of the error distribution.

• Accuracy is the robot’s ability to position the end of its wrist at a desired
location in the work volume:

𝑪𝑹
𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒚 = + 𝟑𝝈
𝟐

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 Industrial Robotics – Robot Accuracy and
Repeatability Example
• Example: One of the joints of an industrial robot has a type R joint with a range
of 90𝑜 . The bit storage capacity of the robot controller is 10 bits for this joint.
The mechanical errors form a normal distribution about a given taught point.
The mean of the distribution is zero and the standard deviation is 0.05𝑜

a) Find the control resolution 𝐶𝑅2 , accuracy, and repeatability for this robot
joint.

b) If the output link has a length of 0.75 meter, determine the linear distance
corresponding to 𝐶𝑅2 , accuracy, and repeatability in mm for the end of the
link.

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Questions?

The only stupid question is the one that was not

asked.
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