Table Of ContentIndustrial Robot Handbook
Richard K. Miller, CMfgE
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Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
© 1989 Springer Science+Business Media New York
Originally published by Van Nostrand Reinhold in 1989
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 86-45550
AII rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced
or used in any form or by any means-graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photo
copying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems-without written
permission of the publisher.
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Library of Congress Data
Miller, R.K.
Industrial robot handbook.
ISBN 978-1-4684-6610-2 ISBN 978-1-4684-6608-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4684-6608-9
VNR COMPETITIVE MANUFACTURING SERIES
Product and Process Design
PRACTICAL EXPERIMENT DESIGN by William J. Diamond
VALUE ANALYSIS IN DESIGN by Theodore C. Fowler
A PRIMER ON THE TAGUCHI METHOD by Ranjit Roy
MANAGING NEW-PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT by Geoff Vincent
ART AND SCIENCE OF INVENTING by Gilbert Kivenson
RELIABILITY ENGINEERING IN SYSTEMS DESIGN AND OPERATION by Balbir S.
Dhillon
RELIABILITY AND MAINTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT by Balbir S. Dhillon and Hans
Reiche
APPLIED RELIABILITY by Paul A. Tobias and David C. Trindad
Manufacturing (hard)
INDUSTRIAL ROBOT HANDBOOK: CASE HISTORIES OF EFFECTIVE ROBOT USE
IN 70 INDUSTRIES by Richard K. Miller
ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE by Werner G. Holzbock
MACHINE VISION by Nello Zuech and Richard K. Miller
DESIGN OF AUTOMATIC MACHINERY by Kendrick W. Lentz, Jr.
TRANSDUCERS FOR AUTOMATION by Michael Hordeski
MICROPROCESSORS IN INDUSTRY by Michael Hordeski
DISTRIBUTED CONTROL SYSTEMS by Michael P. Lukas
BULK MATERIALS HANDLING HANDBOOK by Jacob Fruchtbaum
MICROCOMPUTER SOFTWARE FOR MECHANICAL ENGINEERS by Howard Falk
Manufacturing (soft)
WORKING TOWARDS JUST-IN-TIME by Anthony Dear
GROUP TECHNOLOGY: FOUNDATION FOR COMPETITIVE MANUFACTURING by
Charles S. Snead
FROM IDEA TO PROFIT: MANAGING ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
by Jule A. Miller
COMPETITIVE MANUFACTURING by Stanley Miller
STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR THE INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING FUNCTION by Jack
Byrd and L. Ted Moore
SUCCESSFUL COST REDUCTION PROGRAMS FOR ENGINEERS AND MANAGERS
by E. A. Criner
MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS OF MANUFACTURING by Donald P. Smolik
PRODUCTS LIABILITY by Warren Freedman
LABORATORY MANAGEMENT: PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE by Homer Black, Ronald
Hart, Orrin Peterson
Materials Management
TOTAL MATERIALS MANAGEMENT: THE FRONTIER FOR COST-CUTTING IN THE
1990S by Eugene L. Magad and John Amos
MATERIALS HANDLING: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE by Theodore H. Allegri, Sr.
PRACTICAL STOCK AND INVENTORY TECHNIQUES THAT CUT COSTS AND
IMPROVE PROFITS by C. Louis Hohenstein
CONTENTS
Chapter Page
1 - Robots in Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 - How an Industrial Robot Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3- Grippers and Tactile Sensing ............................................... 26
4- Fundamentals of Machine Vision ............................................ 47
5 - The Robot Manufacturing Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
6 - Economic Justification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
7- Organizing an In-Plant Program ............................................. 77
8- Robot Applications for Batch Manufacturing and Job Shops .... , ................. 83
9 - Safety Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
10- The Automotive Industry ................................................... 97
11 - Aerospace Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ........... 10 2
12- Machine Tool Loading ..................................................... 110
13- Robotic Machining ........................................................ 127
14- Punch Press Loading ..................................................... 131
15 - Spot Welding ............................................................ 146
16- Arc Welding ............................................................. 153
17- Forging ................................................................. 174
18 - Spray Painting ........................................................... 183
19 - Grinding and Deburring ................................................... 198
20 - Heat Treat Furnaces ...................................................... 206
21 - Polishing and Buffing ..................................................... 211
22- The Wire Industry ........................................................ 219
23 - Material Handling ......................................................... 224
24 - Palletizing ............................................................... 238
25 - Deposition of Material, Gluing and Sealing .................................... 253
26 - Waterjet Cutting .......................................................... 267
27 - Robots and Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 284
28 - Cleaning and Washing .................................................... 298
29- Robotic Inspection ........................................................ 301
30 - Assembly of Electronic Products ............................................. 306
31 - Assembly of Computer Disks ............................................... 317
32 - Clean Room Robotics ..................................................... 321
33 - Die Bonding ............................................................. 331
34 - Printed Circuit Board Component Insertion .................................... 337
35- PC Board Handling, Drilling and Testing ...................................... 362
36 - Wire Harness Fabrication .................................................. 369
37 - Solar Cell Manufacturing ................................................... 372
38 - Robots for The Assembly of Small Parts ...................................... 377
39 - Examples of Robots for Industrial Assembly ................................... 387
40 - Bin Picking ........................... ·. .................................. 405
41 - Robot Use in The Plastics Industry ..... , . ~ .................................. 415
42 - Plastic Molding Machines ........ ·. ......................................... 417
43 - Plastics Material Handling .................................................. 442
44 - Plastics Machining ........................................................ 449
45 - Robot Use in Foundries ................................................... 451
46 - Die Casting ............................................................. 457
47- Investment Casting ....................................................... 470
48 - Flame Cutting ........................................................... 479
49 - Mold Preparation ......................................................... 489
50 - Electric Arc Furnaces ..................................................... 494
51 - Shakeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......... 498
52 - Automatic Pouring System for Cast Iron ....................................... 501
53 - Shot Peening ............................................................5 06
54- Centrifugal Casting ....................................................... 510
55- Applications for Food Processing ............................................ 512
56 - Handling Cans and Glass Containers ......................................... 521
57 - Robotic Packaging ........................................................ 529
58 - Product Weighing ........................................................ 536
59 - Decorating Chocolates and Bakery Products ................................... 540
60 - Meat Products and Livestock ............................................... 546
61 - Poultry and Eggs ......................................................... 553
62 - The Fish Industry ......................................................... 565
63 - Dairy Products ........................................................... 571
64 - Bakery Products .......................................................... 577
65 - Food Plant Sanitation ..................................................... 583
66 - Agricultural Applications ................................................... 587
67 - Pharmaceutical Manufacturing .............................................. 591
68 - Robotics and Health Care .................................................. 596
69 - Applications in the Textile Industry ........................................... 601
70 - The Apparel Industry ...................................................... 612
71 -The Footwear Industry ..................................................... 617
72 - Brick Industry ............................................................ 621
73 - The Glass Industry ....................................................... 626
74- Lumber and Wood Products ................................................ 636
75 - Furniture Manufacturing ................................................... 642
76 - Printing and Publishing .................................................... 649
77 - Electric Utilities .......................................................... 657
78- Nuclear Power Plants ..................................................... 661
79 - Construction . . . . . . . . . . . .................................................. 673
Appendix A - Directory of Robot Manufacturers .................................... 679
Appendix B - Directory of Machine Vision Manufacturers ............................ 684
PREFACE
These are exciting times for manufacturing engineers. It has been said that American
industry will undergo greater changes during the 1980 and 1990 decades than it did during
the entire eight preceding decades of this century. The industrial robot has become the
symbol of this progress in computer-integrated manufacturing.
This book is for engineers and managers in manufacturing industries who are involved in
implementing robotics in their operations. With tens of thousands of industrial robots
already in use in the United States, there are plenty of role models for proposed
applications to be patterned after. This book provides an overview of robot applications
and presents case histories that might suggest applications to engineers and managers
for implementation in their own facilities.
The application of industrial robots were well developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
While the reader may note some of the examples discussed in this handbook incorporate
older robot models, it is the application that is of interest. As Joseph Engelberger, the
founding father of robotics has pointed out, industrial robots in 1988 are "doing pretty much
the same kind of work" as they did in 1980.
This compilation of case histories began in 1982 with our series of six ROBOTS IN
INDUSTRY reports. These were the 'boom' times in industrial robotics in the United
States. Between 1982 and 1986, the U.S. industrial robot population grew from less than
4000 to almost 20,000. During that time period, the ROBOTS IN INDUSTRY reports were
the leading publications presenting application development guidelines and case studies
for robot use in specific industries. Now, the best-selling ROBOTS IN INDUSTRY reports
have been combined into this single volume, completely updated handbook.
Chapter 1
Robots in Industry
As of mid-1985, approximately 16,000 industrial robots were
estimated to be in use in the United States. There are several
reasons for their use and acceptance:
1. Reduced labor costs.
2. Increased output rate.
3. Elimination of dangerous or undesirable jobs.
4. Improved product quality.
5. Increased manufacturing flexibility.
6. Reduced material wates.
7. Easier compliance with OSHA regulations.
8. Reduced labor turnover.
9. Lower capital cost.
10. Controlled and faster inventory turnover.
The Robot Insitute of American defines an industrial robot as:
A reportrammable multifunctional manipulator
designed to move materials, parts, tools or
specialized devices through variable programmed
motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.
The Japan Industrial Robot Industry Association uses a broader
definition of an industrial robot:
An all-purpose machine equipped with a memory
device and a terminal, and capable of rotation
and of replacing human labor by automatic per
formance of movements.
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The Japan Industrial Robot Industry Association classifies robots
by method of information input and "teaching" as follows:
1) manual manipulator--a manipulator that is worked by an
operator.
2) fixed sequence robot--a manipulator which repetitively
performs successive steps of a given operation according to a
predetermined sequence, condition, and position, and whose
set information cannot be easily changed.
3) variable sequence robot--a manipulator whic repetitively
performs successive steps of a given operation according to a
predetermined sequence, condition, and position, and whose·
set information be easily changed.
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4) playback robot--a manipulator which can produce, from memory,
operations originally executed under human control. A human
operator initially operates the robot in order to input
instructions. All the information relevent to the operations
(sequence, conditions, and positions) is put in memory. When
needed, this information is recalled (or played back, hence,
its name) and the operations are repetitively executed
automatically from memory.
5) NC (numerical control) robot--a manipulator that can perform
a given task according to the sequence, conditions, and
position, as commanded via numerical data. The software
used for these robots include punched tapes, cards, and
digital switches. This robot has the same control mode as an
NC machine.
6) Intelligent robot--this robot with sensory perception (visual
and/or tactile) can detect changes by itself in the work
environment or work condition and, by its own decision-making
faculty, proceed with its operation accordingly.
These definitions can be used to distinguish between the U.S. and
Japanese classifications of robots:
• "Robots by Japanese Definition" -- all 6 clases
• "Robots by U.S. Definition" -- classes 3,4,5,6.
"Robots"
The work "robot" was first used in 1923 in a play by Capek. The
concept of robots was popularized by Isaac Asimov in the 1950
book, I, Robot. Asimov postulated Three Laws of Robotics:
1. A robot must not harm a human being, nor through inaction
allow one to come to harm.
2. A robot must always obey human beings, unless that is in
conflict with the first law.
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3. A robot must protect itself from harm, unless that is in
conflict with the first or second laws.
These laws still provide meaningful guidelines for robot
researchers, manufacturers, and users.
Robotic Organizations
There are two robotic societies in the United States, both
managed by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Robotics International of SME is both applications and research
oriented and covers all phases of robot research, design,
installation, operation, human factors, and maintenance within
the plant facility. It was founded in 1980 as an educational
scientific association for robotics professional and is the
worldwide organizational "home" for scientists, engineers, and
managers concerned with robotics. Their address is"
Robotics International of SME (RI/SME)
One SME Drive
P. 0. Box 930
Dearborn, MI 48128
The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) is the only trade
association in the United States involved in the field of
robotics. Founded in 1974, RIA supports the exchange of
technical information between robot manufacturers, distributors,
corporate users, accessory equipment suppliers, and those
involved in robotics research. Their address is:
Robotic Industries Association
One SME Drive
P. 0. Box 1366
Dearborn, MI 48121
Six robotic organizations outside the United States are listed in
Table 1.
Robotic Manufacturers
There are currently over 100 manufacturers of industrial robots
in the United States. Appendix A presents a list of these
manufacturers classified by state. In addition, several
manufacturers of robots in Japan, Sweden, Canada, England, and
other countries import robots to the United States.
The Evolution of Intelligent Robots
The field of industrial robotics began in 1951 with a patent by
George C. Devol for a "Programmable Article.Transfer." The first
industrial robot, a Unimate from Unimation, Inc., was installed
in 1961 at a General Motors plant. The task was unloading a die
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