Types of Machining robots

When choosing a robot for machining tasks, you've got options. The four main types are Articulated, Cartesian, SCARA, and Parallel robots. All of these options are called 'robot arms' in the industry, but when you picture a robot arm, you're likely just thinking of an Articulated robot.

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• Articulated robots have rotary joints that move much like human arms. They're very flexible in high-mix scenarios and can reach tricky angles at the cost of being less precise. Good for drilling, cutting, polishing, and assembly. 
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• Cartesian robots move along three linear axes, so they're precise but limited to straight-line movements. They can easily be affixed to tracks on a ceiling to save on cell floor space. Great for precision machining like routing, cutting, and grinding.
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• SCARA robots have two parallel rotary joints and can move very quickly on a horizontal axis. They're faster than Cartesian robots, more precise than most Articulated arms, and often the most compact choice. They're ideal for pick-and-place, packaging and polishing. 
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• Parallel robots have a fixed base and moving platform connected by multiple arms. They're the most rigid and precise option but complex to program. Used for high-speed, high-precision machining, especially on complicated conveyor production lines.

In choosing a robot, pay particular attention to the working area available in your shop and the size of the parts you require it to work with. Articulated and SCARA robots work best for small parts and tight cells. Cartesian and Parallel robots can handle larger, heavier parts but often require more setup, such as ceiling tracks and are therefore less adaptable. Precision and speed are key for machining, so you'll want to look out for the robot's 'repeatability' ' how accurately it can return to a position over and over again.

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End-effectors and tooling for Machining robots

With your robot chosen, the next important choice is the end-of-arm-tooling. These 'end-effectors' are what allow your robot to interact with the environment around it and dictate the types of tasks your robot can undertake. Here are a few of the most common options for machining:

Grippers

If you need to pick and place parts or manipulate objects, a multi-fingered gripper end-effector is a good choice. Grippers can grasp parts of various shapes and sizes. Basic grippers will look much like a workbench clamp or a human hand. More advanced examples include Vacuum grippers which use suction to pick up smooth, non-porous parts. Magnetic grippers are ideal for handling ferrous metal parts, while Needle grippers can pierce and move fabric.

Welding equipment

For welding applications, a welding torch end-effector can be attached to a Machining robot. The robot can then perform arc welding, spot welding, laser welding and more. The welding torch may need to be customized based on the specific welding process and a higher payload robot is often required to handle heavy cables for shielding gas and electrodes. 

Cutting and polishing tools

To cut, grind, deburr, polish or sand parts, a Machining robot can be fitted with rotary cutting tools like saws, grinders, sanders and deburring tools. The spindle speed and power need to match the requirements of the cutting tool. A coolant system is often necessary to prevent overheating, and you may consider an end-effector with a built-in vacuum to reduce mess or a grit-changer to reduce human intervention. 

Drills and fastening tools

For assembly tasks like drilling, screwing, riveting or inserting fasteners, the appropriate driver bit or drill chuck can be attached to the robot arm. These include nut drivers, screwdrivers, drill chucks, and riveting tools. You'll want an end-effector with a built-in torque or force sensor to ensure your robots don't over-tighten fastenings. 

Other options

End-of-arm-tooling exists for almost any application you can think of. If there's a tool which can be manipulated by a human, then a robotic adaption almost certainly exists. End-effectors exist for chiseling, gluing, nail-gunning, and even cutting materials with scissors. If you're looking for a particularly niche end-effector, your robot's manufacturer will be able to point you in the right direction.

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Factors to consider when choosing a Machining robot

When choosing a Machining robot, there are several factors you should consider to determine which type is right for your manufacturing shop. We've already considered the specific types of robots you should look at and the importance of end-effectors. But you'll also want to consider the work envelope, speed, safety factors, and cost.

A robot's work envelope refers to the area it can reach. A larger envelope means a bigger range of motion to access your parts or move them around. This does often come at the cost of precision and even more often, speed. Think about the sizes of parts you need to handle and the tightness of workspaces. 

Speed is also an important factor. This is both inherent in the type of robot you choose such as a SCARA robot which has fewer joints to individually move than an Articulated arm and therefore can generally move faster. The RO1 by Standard Bots can outpace most robots with a joint rotation speed of 435 degrees per second. 

While small differences in speed can seem trivial, higher joint movement means faster cycle times, which translates to more output from your robots and a higher ROI. 

Safety is your next consideration if you're going to operate a fast-moving robot equipped with a sharp tool. You'll want to consider a 'Collaborative Robot' ' that is, a robot equipped with built-in safety sensors and collision detection for safely working alongside humans. 

For more dangerous situations, like lifting heavy payloads or equipping a robot with a cutting device, your risk assessment may necessitate additional safety equipment like a fence, proximity sensor or emergency-stop buttons.

Your budget is another important factor to consider. Machining robots can cost anywhere from $35,000 to $400,000 or more depending on the type, brand, and accessories. While cost is always a factor, choosing a robot that can't perform the necessary tasks efficiently will cost more in the long run. You'll want to consider additional costs depending on your choice of robot and process, such as retooling or programming costs, which can vary wildly depending on the robot. 

Top Machining robot manufacturers

When it comes to choosing a robot for your machining needs, you have several reputable manufacturers to consider. Here are some of the top players in the field and what they offer.

ABB

ABB is a Swiss pioneer in robotics and automation, with over 300,000 robots installed worldwide. They offer a wide range of Articulated, SCARA, and Cartesian coordinate robots suitable for machining applications like welding, cutting, deburring, grinding, and polishing. Their higher payload robots like the IRB or IRB are well-suited for heavy machining tasks.

FANUC

FANUC is one of the largest Japanese robotics companies, with over 4 million CNC's and 400,000 robots installed globally. They provide highly reliable robots for machining, including their FANUC M-710iC/50H and M-20iA/12L models. These Six-Axis, high-speed robots can perform precision machining operations like deburring, grinding, polishing, and dispensing sealants.

Standard Bots

Standard Bots are a US-based robotics company with a manufacturing facility based out of New York. Their flagship Articulated Arm RO1 possesses the largest payload at 18 kg in its class, with the fastest joint movement and most accurate repeatability amongst competing robots. RO1 can integrate particularly easily with OnRobot machining end-effectors and pricing begins at $5 per hour of operation.

Yaskawa Motoman

Yaskawa Motoman produces innovative Industrial robots for various machining applications like spot welding, arc welding, cutting, and dispensing. Their high-speed, space-saving robots like the Motoman GP8 and GP12 are well-suited for machine tending and parts transfer. They also offer the Motoman MH24, a heavy-duty robot designed for demanding welding and cutting operations.

No matter the manufacturer you choose, each will be able to help you figure out your full robotics solution, including the most suitable robot type, compatible end-effectors, appropriate accessories like conveyors and safety features like proximity sensors. 

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Next steps

So there you have it, the basics of choosing a Machining robot for your factory floor. Do your own exploring, and think about what kinds of parts and materials you want to work with first and how quickly you need to produce them. With your budget in mind, you can narrow down your options and find a robot that will help streamline your processes, reduce costs in the long run, and boost your productivity and profits. With so many options available now for even the smallest of operations, getting automated is more feasible than ever.

Interested in bringing robotic Machining to your own business? RO1 by Standard Bots is the best choice for machine shops large and small:

1. Affordable: RO1 is the most affordable robotic arm in its class, starting at almost half the price of incumbent competitors. 
2. Powerful: RO1 is faster and more precise than competitors, despite having the highest payload capacity in its class at 18 kg.
3. Integrated: RO1 comes equipped with built-in relays to control almost any machine on the market, including plug-and-play support for Haas CNC milling machines.

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Speak to our solutions team today to organize a free, 30-day onsite trial and get expert advice on everything you need to deploy your first robot.

Capable of vastly improving product throughput and part quality, robotic welding is optimizing manufacturing operations of all sizes around the world. High-performance welding robots provide fast, agile and reliable functionality to adapt to labor shortages, production inefficiencies, pressing market demands and more. However, the level of automation efficiency achieved typically relies on multiple factors beyond implementing an extremely flexible high-speed robotic arm.

As one of the leading automation efficiency factors, the thoughtful design of a robotic weld fixture should not be overlooked. A poor tool design and installation job ' even when associated with a high-end robot ' has the potential to be terribly inefficient and cost-prohibitive. The good news is our Yaskawa experts have proven tips, considerations and best practices to help company leaders make intelligent choices during the design and implementation stages that will bolster production and return on investment (ROI).

Primary functions of a robotic weld fixture

There's more to robotic weld tooling than most people think. When selecting a robotic weld fixture, it's important to first remember the tool's primary functions:

• Provide clear access to the weld joint with the proper torch angles.

• Locate the weld joint to be within the process window. This is typically ± ½ the weld wire diameter for gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and is much tighter for gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW).

• Clamp and provide highly repeatable locations for the parts to provide zero gaps in the weld joint.

• Position the weldment in the fixture to:

  1. Put the weld joints in the optimal position and minimize robot motion.

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  2. Provide the easiest load and unload orientation for the operator.

Note: keep in mind the preferred robotic welding position is flat or horizontal. On thin gage (<'') vertical down should be considered based on the joint design and weld requirements. Also, breaking the weldment into sub-assemblies may be necessary.

Best practices for designing or selecting a robotic weld fixture

Once you grasp the concepts of the tool's primary function, there are other considerations to apply to the tool design/selection process, such as:

• Note if the tool will be mounted to a positioner. If so, pay close attention to its specifications (such as overall span or weight that will likely be greater than that of just the part), and accommodate those when choosing a fixture.

• Identify the weight and center of gravity of the tool with parts on the fixture.

• Use counterweights for balance, if needed, but stay within the maximum load limits (for torque and inertia) for the positioner ratings.

• Be certain the operator can keep up with the robot cycle; sometimes, multiple parts can be designed into the fixture to extend arc-on time for time matched loading/unloading of new parts.

• Decide on manual vs. pneumatic clamps. Both are acceptable, but each can impact cycle time.

• Clamp open, clamp closed, and part-in-position I/O signals should be used to communicate with the robot.

• Protect against the elements, such as welding heat, UV light and spatter. This goes for surfaces, hoses, signal wires/cables and threads. Note: do not use Allen head screws.

• Consider the impacts of distortion for welding a part. Pre-cambering or tightly clamping the parts before welding may help.

• Be sure that the part can be removed after welding.

• Be sure the part is a good fit for robotic automation. Sometimes, a part may need to be redesigned to accommodate the robot. Slot and tab construction is an ideal solution for many parts.

• Properly locate the center of rotation, especially for use with two-axis (or more) positioners.

• Use shims. A good range is around 3 mm.

• Do not use magnets, as weld spatter sticks to them, causing arc blow.

• Tooling and details should be durable, hardened and replaceable for greater longevity.

• Check to see if the fixture needs to be at a different angle to ease the loading and unloading operation.

• Consider the type of power clamps used and what happens to the fixture when an e-stop is applied.

Frame options that may be beneficial

Use a common frame (between headstock and tailstock) with milled pads for bolt on details or smaller modules.


 

1. Frame style: drop beam, single rail, full frame.
   
   
    

2. Frame design: modular, not one weldment for flexibility.

   • A common frame concept between a headstock and tailstock is known as a "picture frame", which provides dimension to fit your application.
     
     

   • A single beam concept, or an opening in the 'picture frame', is ideal for allowing access to 360-degree welds after inverting the frame.
     
     

Helpful products for optimizing weld tool functionality

The right mix of peripheral tools and upgraded products can help optimize an application. A few options manufacturers may want to consider using include:

1. AMPCOLOY® 940: this special thermally conductive alloy has high mechanical properties and is ideal for a heat sink to pull heat away from the parts being welded.

2. Carr Lock® System: this system is ideal for manually changing out fixture plates from a common frame or mount.
   
   

Simple steps to checking a new fixture design

To see if a tool design will put the weld joint in the same location regardless of the operator and part variations, it is suggested to implement this six-step process:

Note: steps 1 ' 5 should use the same robot operator.

1. Load a set of parts.

2. Program the robot to point to the weld joint with the weld wire.

3. Get a good visual or photo of the position of the wire in the weld joint.

4. Remove the parts and reload the same parts. Drive the robot to the programmed point and check the weld wire position to the weld joint. Note: it should be the same as in step #3.

5. Repeat 1 through 4 using a different batch of parts.

6. Repeat 1 through 5 using a different operator.

Solid weld tool design for optimum productivity

A wealth of knowledge exists to guide decision makers on their robotic automation journey. While working with an experienced robot OEM or supplier is ideal, specific questions regarding tooling can always be addressed by modular component suppliers, like Rentapen or MISUMI, or from weld tooling manufacturers, such as Stryver Manufacturing or Automation IG. Regardless of how a robotic weld tool is brought to fruition, a good fixture design is critical to application success and optimum productivity for better ROI.

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