Robots & Automation – MFET 585

Robots & CNC in Integrated

Manufacturing – MFET 685
 Agenda
• Parts of a robot
• Degrees of freedom
• Classifying robots
• Types of actuator drive
• Robot configurations

2
Parts of a robot
 Relationship of the Five Major
Robot Systems
 Controller
 Manipulator
 End Effector
 Power Supply
 Means for Programming

4
Relationship of the Five Major
Robot Systems
 Controller
 Part of a robot that coordinates all
movements of the mechanical
system.
 Can receive input signals and send
output signals to other controllers.
 Activate the motion control
mechanism, consisting of various
controllers, amplifiers and actuators.
 The controller has three levels of
hierarchical control.

6
 Hierarchical Control
 Level I – Actuator Control
 Elemental level at which separates movements of the robot along
various planes.
 Level II – Path Control
 Coordinates movements along the planes determined in the Level I
into the desired trajectory or path.
 Level III – Main Control
 Interpret the written instructions from the human programmer
regarding the tasks required.

7
Hierarchical Control
 Manipulator
 The manipulator is the arm of the robot in which moves
materials, parts, tools or special devices through various
motion to provide useful work.
 The manipulator is made up of a series of segments and joints
much like those found in the human arm.
 Joints connect two segments together and allow them to move
relative to one another. The joints provide linear or rotary
movement.

9
Types of Motion Provided by Actuators
 End Effector
 The end effector is also known as the robot’s gripper, hand or
the end of arm tooling on the robot.
 A device that attached to the wrist of the manipulator for the
purpose of grasping, lifting, transporting, maneuvering, or
performing operations on a work piece.

11
 Power Supply
 The power supply provides the
energy to drive the controller
and actuators.
 Three basic types of power
supplies are:
 Electrical
 Hydraulic
 Pneumatic

12
13
 Means for Programming
 Used to record movements into the robot’s memory. A
robot may be programmed using any of different methods.
 The teach pendant also known as the teach box or hand held
programmer, it is used to teach record positions at the
desired location.

14
Teach Pendant
 Degrees of Freedom
 Degrees of Freedom (DOF) is a term used to describe a
robot’s freedom of motion in three dimensional space.
 The more DOF’s a robot has, the more complex and organic
the movements.
 The number of DOF defines the robot configuration.
 Many applications require movement along three axes: X,Y, Z.
 These tasks require three joints or three degrees of freedom.

16
Degrees of Freedom in the Human Hand
 Degrees of Freedom
 The three degrees of
freedom in the arm are:
 Rotational traverse:
movement on a vertical
axis.
 Radial traverse: the
extension and retraction
of the arm, creating in-
and-out motion relative
to the base.
 Vertical traverse:
provides up-and-down
motion.

18
Three Basic Degrees of Freedom
 Degrees of Freedom
 For applications that require more freedom, additional axis
can be obtained from the wrist, which gives the end effector
its flexibility for complex applications.
 The three degrees of freedom in the wrist are:
 Pitch: (bend) up-and-down movement of the wrist.
 Yaw: side-to-side movement
 Roll: (swivel) involves rotation

20
Pitch, Yaw, and Roll

Pitch Yaw Roll

Robot’s Six Degrees of Freedom
Track-mounted Robot with Seven DOF
 Classifying Robots
 Three common methods of classifying robots are by the
following types:
 Type of controller
 Type of actuator drive
 Shape of the work envelope

 Work envelope: is defined as the maximum total area that the

robot arm has the ability to move within. A robot's work envelope
is its range of movement.

24
 Type of control system
 Robots may use one of two control systems
 Non-Servo – “open loop”
 Servo – “closed loop”

25
 Non-Servo Robots
 Non-Servo robots are the simplest robots and are often
referred to as “limited sequence”, “pick-and-place”, or “fixed-
stop robots.”
 In a open loop system, no feedback mechanism is used to
compared programmed positions to actual positions.
 Characteristics of non-servo robots:
 Relatively inexpensive compared to servo robots.
 Simple to understand and operate.
 Precise and reliable.

26
Example of a Non-servo System
 Speed
Engine
sensor

Throttle Setpoint
 Servo Robots
 The servo robot is a close-looped system because it allows for
feedback.
 In a closed-loop system, the feedback signal sent to the servo
amplifier affects the output of the system.
 A servo amplifier translates signals from the controller into motor
voltage and current signals.
 Characteristics of servo robots:
 Relatively expensive to purchase, operate, and maintain.
 Use a sophisticated, closed-loop controller.
 Wide range of capabilities.
 Can transfer objects from one point to another, as well as long a
controller, continuous path.
 Respond to very sophisticated programming.
 Use a manipulator arm that can be programmed to avoid obstructions
within the work envelope.
29
 Speed
Engine
sensor

Positive
Reduce throttle
Throttle Speed - Setpoint
Negative
Increase throttle

Setpoint
Example of a Servo System
 Type of actuator drive
 One method of classifying robots is the type of drive
required by the actuators:
 Electrical actuators use electric power
 Hydraulic actuators use hydraulic (fluid) power.
 Pneumatic actuators use pneumatic (air) power.

32
Electric Actuator Drive
 Electric Actuator Drive
 Three types of motors are commonly used for electric
actuator drives:
 AC servo motors
 DC servo motors
 Stepper motors
 Electric-drive motors are quiet, simple, and can be used in
clean-air environments. However, the conventionally geared
drive causes problems of backlash, friction, compliance, and
wear in which leads to inaccuracy, poor torque control
capability and limited maximum speed on longer
movements.

34
 Electric Actuator Drive
 The rotary motion of most electric actuator drives must be
geared down to provide the speed or torque required by the
manipulator.
 Many manufacturers are offering direct drive motors, in
which eliminates some of these problem mentioned earlier.
 These high torque motors drive the arm directly, without the
need for reducer gears.
 Using direct drive motors, eliminates backlash, reduces
friction and increases mechanical stiffness of the drive
mechanism.

35
Direct-drive Motor
 Hydraulic Actuator Drive
 A hydraulic drive system uses fluid and consists of a pump
connected to a reservoir tank, control valves, and a hydraulic
actuator.
 Provide linear and rotary motions.
 The storage tank supplies a large amount of instant power,
which is not available from electric-drive systems.
 Provides precise motion control, can handle heavy loads, can
be used around highly explosive materials, and are not easily
damaged when quickly stopped while carrying a heavy load.
 However, they can be expensive to purchase and maintain
and are not energy efficient.

37
https://www.youtu https://www.youtube.
be.com/watch?v= com/watch?v=cVvMk
Qa3Hf6SAFww BYYhfU
39
 Pneumatic Actuator Drive
 Pneumatic drive systems make use of air-driven actuators,
since air also a fluid, many of the same principles that apply
to hydraulic systems are applicable to pneumatic systems.
 Installation for robots using a pneumatic actuator drive are
easy to install and setup. Also cost less than hydraulic actuator
drive systems.
 Pneumatic actuators drives are clean, can work at high speeds
and are useful for small-to-medium loads.
 However, since air is compressible, precise placement and
positioning requires additional components to achieve the
smooth control.

40
41
42
 https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=aEMHfzCT
Q_s
https://www.youtube.com/wat
43 ch?v=2iG1ybuchx0
Robot Configurations
 Cartesian/Gantry
 Cylindrical
 Spherical/Polar
 SCARA
 Articulated
 Delta
  The work envelope is defined
Work Envelope as the maximum total area
that the robot arm has the
ability to move within. A
robot's work envelope is its
range of movement.
 Usually measured from the
center of the robot. It is the
shape created when a
manipulator reaches forward,
backward, up and down.
 These distances are
determined by the length of a
robot's arm and the design of
its axes. Each axis contributes
its own range of motion.
Shape of the Work Envelope
 Robots come in many sizes and shapes. The type of
coordinate system also varies.
 The type of coordinate system, the arrangement of joints,
and the length of the manipulator’s segments all help
determine the shape of the work envelope.
 To identify the maximum work area, a point on the robot’s
wrist is used, rather than the tip of the gripper or the end
of the tool bit. Therefore, the work envelope is slightly
larger when the tip of the tool is considered.
 Shape of the Work Envelope
 Robot configurations:
 Revolute Configuration (Articulated)
 SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm)
 Cartesian Configuration
 Cylindrical Configuration
 Spherical Configuration (Polar)
Revolute Configuration—Vertically Articulated

https://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=5
tRT5j3jfsE
Revolute Configuration—Vertically
Articulated
 The revolute configuration, or jointed arm, is the most
common.
 These robots are often referred to as anthropomorphic
because their movements closely resemble those of the
human body.
 Five to six revolute (rotary) joints
 This type of robot is quite useful for painting and welding
applications due to its long reach and flexibility.
Revolute Configuration—Vertically Articulated
SCARA
(Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm)
 Also known as the horizontally articulated configuration
 Has one vertical (linear) and two or three revolute (rotary)
joints.
 SCARA robots are suited for operations in which the vertical
motion requirements are small compared to the horizontal
motion requirements.
 Pick-and-Place applications
 Clean-room applications
 Materials handling (Electronics industry)
SCARA
(Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm)
SCARA Configuration
Cartesian/Gantry Configuration
Cartesian/Gantry Configuration
 The arm movement of a robot using the Cartesian
configuration can be described by three intersecting
perpendicular straight lines, referred to as the X,Y, and Z
axes
 Designed to move to its designated point, instead of
following trajectories parallel to each axis.
 High degree of mechanical rigidity, accuracy, repeatability
and can carry heavy loads.
 Cartesian robots are generally limited in their movement to a
small, rectangular work space.
Cylindrical Configuration
 A cylindrical configuration consists of two orthogonal slides,
places at 90 degree angle, mounted on rotary axis.
 Reach is accomplished as the arm of the robot moves in and
out.
 For vertical movement, the carriage moves up and down on a
stationary post.
 A cylindrical configuration generally results in a larger work
envelope than a Cartesian configuration.
 These robots are ideal for pick-and-place operations.
Cylindrical Configuration
Cylindrical Configuration
Spherical/Polar Configuration
 This type of configuration resembles the action of the turret
on a military tank.
 A pivot points gives the robot its vertical movement and a
telescoping boom extends and retracts to provide reach.
 Rotary occurs around an axis perpendicular to the base.
 The design is simple and provides good weight lifting
capabilities.
 This configuration is suited to applications where a small
amount of vertical movement is adequate.
Spherical/Polar Configuration
Spherical/Polar Configuration
Delta Configuration
 The Delta configuration is a parallel-link robot in which its
major mechanical axes act on the robot faceplate in parallel
rather than in series.
 This allows for both quick and precise movements.
 The majority of the work envelope is closer to the base of the
robot, the envelope narrows as the tooling is moved farther
away from the overhead unit.
 Ideal for sorting, pick-and-place and interfaced with vision
system since it gives more time to the controller to process
images and determine any necessary offsets without
sacrificing cycle time.
Delta

https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=v9oeO
YMRvuQ
Delta Configuration
Types of robots and work envelopes
Work Envelope Rules
 The operator must stay in a
certain location while the
robot is operating.
 The operator must be
aware of the robot’s
maximum range of motion.
 Install physical/non-
physical barriers around
the work envelope for
safety.
Stepper motor

Common step angles

• 0.36º /step
• 0.72º /step
• 0.9º /step
• 1.8º /step
Timing Belt Drive
Planetary
gearbox 5:1 to
36:1 reduction

Harmonic drive https://www.youtu

100:1 or more be.com/watch?v=b
zRh672peNk