Robotics plays a key role in manufacturing productivity

NASA Tech Briefs, Oct 2002

For businesses to grow, manufacturers know that they must remain competitive in respect to product quality and cost. Many companies have turned to robotic automation to increase productivity, reduce downtime, and save or avoid costs. Rather than fixed automation - which perpetually repeats the same task on a production line - robotic automation is characterized as flexible automation, allowing manufacturers to produce more than one item on a single production line. Because of this flexibility, the medical, manufacturing, and automotive industries have been able to optimize production while reducing costs.

Because robotics and automation offer such diverse uses in varied applications, engineers are striving towards developing innovations that use more artificial intelligence and require less human supervision. However, the biggest challenge lies in actually creating these technologies.

This past year, the robotics industry has been hard hit by the economic downturn, adversely affecting the research and development process. Fortunately, the industry is showing signs of recovery. According to Robotic Industries Association (www.roboticsonline.com) of Ann Arbor, MI, by the end of the first quarter of this year, North American customers ordered 2,350 robots - an increase of 1 % over the comparable period in 2001. RIA estimates that 120,000 robots are now at work in United- States factories, trailing only Japan in use.

Analysts see this upturn as a sign of things to come. Analysts also believe that in almost every industry, the use of robotics offers more cost savings overall than outsourcing to overseas manufacturers. "In most assembly applications, robots increase the quality and yields compared to manual processes," said John Dulchinos, vice president of sales for Adept Technology (www.adept. com), a Livermore, CA-based robot manufacturer. "Even in many low-cost labor markets such as China, robotic assembly still makes financial sense since the level of scrap and rework is reduced significantly," Dulchinos added.

Traditionally, robots have been suitable for repetitive tasks on similar pieces, but the increasing use of artificial intelligence is breaking production barriers in almost every industry. At present, several companies design robots for manufacturing and often are able to create robotic parts according to a client's specifications.

Today's robots are also not limited to operating on the factory floor. Robots and robotics are finding applications in semiconductor, photonics, machine vision, fiber optics, and precision assembly automation. Adept Technology, for example, designs direct-drive robots, databasedriven software, integrated vision and conveyor tracking, and digital servo control networks. The company offers a line of high-speed SCARA and Cartesian robots for assembly and material handling tasks. Payloads - which determine the size and weight of welding torches, cable assemblies, and torch mounts that can be carried by the robot arm - range from 6 to 55 pounds, and most models are available with optional rating for installation in cleanroom environments. For fiber optic automation components, Adept manufactures high-speed alignment stages, process-ready robotic assembly platforms, and assembly for epoxy bonding and laser welding.

Other robotics manufacturers such as Staubli (www.staubli.com), Reis Robotics (www.reisrobotics.com), Fanuc Robotics (www.fanucrobo tics.com), Motoman (www.motoman.com), and EPSON Factory Automation/Robotics (www.robots.epson.com) all offer turnkey robotics and automation systems, including industrial robots, controllers, and software, providing customers with one-stop shopping for their automation requirements.