Unit2

Configuration according to geometrical specification already written in notes.

Components of an Industrial Robot

The main components of an industrial robot are Manipulators, End Effectors, Feedback
devices, Controllers, and Locomotive devices.

1. Manipulators
To simply understand what a manipulator is, think of it as the arm of a robot and like a
human arm that has several joints. These joints or mechanical linkages are capable of
movement in various directions to perform the work of the robot.

These mechanical linkages are driven by actuators which may be pneumatic or hydraulic
cylinders, hydraulic rotary actuators, electric motors, drives, etc. The actuators may be
coupled directly to the mechanical links or joints or may drive indirectly through gears,
chains, or screws. When pneumatic or hydraulic drives are utilized, the flow of air or oil to
the actuators is often controlled by valves mounted on the manipulator.

2. End Effectors
This is a device that is attached to the end of a robotic arm to carry out its tasks. Think of it like
the palm and fingers of a human hand. The End Effector is the component that moves or orients
the product or process. It is used for specialized tasks such as welding, measuring, marking,
drilling, cutting, painting, cleaning, and so on.

3. Feedback Devices
These are a class of devices used to monitor an operation or process and then verify the operation
or process has occurred. Back to a human body analogy, they are the organs that supply data to the
brain (controller).

In a robot, a feedback device could be installed to sense the positions of the various links and
joints and transmit this information to the controller. They may be simple limit switches, actuated
by the robot's arm or position-measuring devices such as encoders, potentiometers, resolvers,
and/or tachometers. Depending on the devices used, the feedback data is either digital or analog.

4. Controllers
The robot controller is a computer, composed of hardware and software, linked to the robot and
essentially functions as its "brain”. Controllers have all of the characteristics associated with
computers and contain sophisticated decision-making and data storage capabilities. They initiate
and terminate the motion of the manipulator through interfaces with the manipulator's control
valves and feedback devices, or perform complex arithmetic functions to control path, speed, and
position, or provide two-way communications between the controller and ancillary devices.

Let’s consider a robotic spray-painting system. This particular system uses a controller, pressure
transducer, and valve positioner to control the flow of liquid paint to the spray-gun end effector.
Here a pressure sensing transducer generates a proportional electrical signal that is fed into a
controller. The controller then compares the input signal with a reference value and produces an
output signal for a voltage-to-pressure transducer. This transducer converts an electrical signal to a
variable 3 - 15 psi pneumatic signal that is used to control the output valve for the spray gun. The
positioner adjusts the flow rate through the paint gun by changing the control valve setting.

Working simulation of spray paint robots in RoboLogix simulation software

5. Locomotive Devices
Muscles help in the movement of the arm, fingers, and palm in humans. For the robot, the power
of movement is provided by motors. pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic motors are the three most
popular types of motors used in robot movement.

Knowledge of these five components provides the foundation of understanding for working with
robots used in robotic manufacturing systems that are installed, programmed, and maintained by
robotics technicians.

If you want to learn more about being a robotics technician or have questions about the Robotics
Technician Certificate Program, please contact a Program Consultant, toll-free at 1 888-553-5333
or email us at info@gbctechtraining.com.
What is the control system in robots?

Robot control systems regulate and command the functions of the robot in
order to achieve the desired result. The robot itself is an autonomous machine
that has 3 main parts which all work together in a cohesive manner. The three
main parts consist of the controller, the actuator, and the sensors.14 Oct 2021

The controller commands all the movements of the robot through a feedback control
system run through a computer program.

The actuators create mechanical movements with motors, pistons, wheels, and other
such devices so that the robot can turn, grab, and lift. Sensors give the robot
environmental awareness and are an integral part of how the robot relates to its
surroundings. With sensors, the robot is fed information about the size of different objects,
shapes, and direction.

There are also open loop and closed loop systems that must be taken into account. An
open loop system means that the control activity is unaffected by the yield. The best
example of this would be an electric clothes dryer. Depending on how many clothes you
have or how wet they are, you can choose different settings and then set a timer.
However, the dryer will not regulate the process, meaning that it will stop once the timer
goes off whether the clothes are fully dry or not. It’s an open loop system because it does
not monitor or measure the progress.

A closed loop system is when there is feedback, meaning an error signal is fed to the
controller in order to reduce the error and stabilize the output of the system by bringing it
to a desired value. You can turn an open loop system into a closed loop system by
adding a sensor that monitors the progress of whatever activity of the task.

Accuracy,resolution of a particular robot

Since industrial robots made their debut in the 1950s, both the demands and the
implementation have changed. Originally, their tasks were heavily focused on
repetition, with only low requirements regarding accuracy. But accuracy did improve
through lightweight construction, electric servo drives, gearbox design, precision
gearboxes with modern controllers and improved path planning. Today, path
deviations of less than 1 millimeter are no longer unusual. However, there is a certain
saturation as far as adjustments are concerned.

Some applications today require a path accuracy below 0.1 millimeters, for example:
  Laser welding and cutting
 Precision coating and inkjet printing
 3D printing

Today, the focus has shifted to increased computational capacity and more precise
measurement technology for improving control. The actual characteristics of the
mechanical systems should be captured so that the model can be expanded to include
the deviations from the ideal. Focusing on robot calibration and compensation
functions pays off, in particular in series production.

Important factors for improving robot accuracy

The creation of a reliable compensation model initially requires engineers to identify
the dominant factors precisely. There are many effects that can have an impact on
robot accuracy.

Factors impacting accuracy:

 Robot geometry
 Effects of the gearbox, such as transmission, elasticity, backlash on reversal, hysteresis or
gear friction
 Limited stiffness due to joint elasticity and bearing errors
 Servo errors
 Vibration
 Higher-order errors

The importance of the various factors in terms of an improvement depends on the

robot type. It is very important to identify the dominant factors in each case in order
to create a reliable compensation model. It is also true that the more effects need to be
taken into consideration, the greater the effort required for the calibration and
validation of the compensation functions.

In addition, the drawback of a complex compensation model with many parameters is

that it may become unreliable and even counterproductive, causing a marked
deterioration of the accuracy. The reason is that each additional parameter entails a
new dimension of variations.

Accuracy goals

Characterizing the accuracy of a robot can be complex in itself. There are different
understandings of and demands for accuracy, depending on the requirements of the
specific application. The calibration and compensation strategies of the robot can vary
according to the conditions of the application. Frequently, after taking these
conditions into account, the accuracy required for a specific application can be
achieved with less effort than one might think.

Static accuracy, repeatability and absolute accuracy

The specifications of common industrial robots usually include values of less than 0.1
mm. However, these refer to static repeatability. This means that a test determines the
robot’s precision in returning to a point if the same path is repeated and the robot then
stands still.

In practical applications, two other aspects can be important here: the first is the
dynamic repeatability that describes how accurately the path is traveled again.

The second is the absolute accuracy. It represents the “ultimate prize” and is
interpreted as the robot traveling an entirely new path with new dynamics and
adhering to the programmed path within a defined tolerance range.

The path deviations in common robot systems can be higher by several orders of
magnitude. A specification must take into account the requirements of the application:
is the target a point or a path, will the position of the workpiece be measured relative
to the robot, will the paths be repeated or are they different for each cycle.

Capacity and speed of response:

computational technique for obtaining maximum load carrying capacity for robotic
manipulator with joint elasticity subject to accuracy and actuator constraints is
described. The maximum loads carrying capacity which can be achieved by a
manipulator during a given trajectory are limited by a number of factors. The dynamic
properties of a manipulator, its actuator limitations, and joint elasticity (transmissions,
reducers, and servo drive system) are probably the most important factors.A strategy
for determining dynamic load carrying capacity (DLCC) subject to both accuracy and
actuator constraints where a series of cubical bounds centred at the desired trajectory
is used in the end-effector oscillation constaints while a typical DC motor speed-
torque characteristics curve is used in the actuator constraints. A general
computational procedure for the multi-link case given arbitrary trajectory is laid out in
detail. Finally, a numerical example involving a two-link manipulator with joint
flexibility using the method is presented. In the simulation, the manipulator is
required to follow a specified trajectory. The results obtained illustrate the tracking of
the link reference trajectory and show the necessity of the dual constraints and
indicate which constraints is more critical for a given robot and trajectory depending
on the required tracking accuracy.