Miles Budimir

Senior Editor

Robotics is hot. Manufacturers in the business know this, and others are catching on. From investors to companies using more robots on the manufacturing floor, to consumers snapping up robots to do mundane house chores, robots are here to stay. 

Industrial robots in particular are finding their way into new applications. And these aren’t the robots of yesterday, but nimbler and thus better able to handle some of the assembly tasks that were once the job of human workers. 

While industries like automotive manufacturing continue to be far and away the largest users of robots and robotic end effectors, other industries are catching on as well, noted Robert Little, CEO of ATI Industrial Automation. “A fast rising industry for robotic end effectors is consumer electronic assembly, such as mobile phone and computer manufacturing,” he said. “This type of manufacturing has been done by hand with cheap labor out of China. The volume is extremely high, but the parts are inexpensive so this is driving lower-cost end effectors.” In robotics and material handling, end effectors are tools or devices connected to the end of a robot arm that accomplish some task. End effectors can be a range of types, including cutting tools and drills, welding tools, brushes, screwdrivers, vacuum cups and grippers.

Robotic tool changers can range in size from the small and lightweight, such as ATI’s QC-001, weighing less than 60 g (center), to heavy-duty devices like ATI’s QC-1510 designed to handle payloads of up to 9,000 lb.

End effectors are one area where there has been much development over the past decade or so. As Little pointed out: “The sheer volume of robotic end effectors has quintupled from 10 years ago. Now we have a tool changer that can change out tools on very small spider robots and another tool changer that can assist with changing out multi-ton rockets.” The overall effect is more and better end effectors for a broader range of applications. “End effectors have increased their reliability and can be used in extreme environments like underwater, clean room, food handling and in space such as the Mars Rover,” he added. Another visible trend in robotics is the increase in robots designed to work closely with humans. Traditional factory-floor robots were often large pieces of moving metal that had to be enclosed in special cages with a plethora of safety features to keep human workers safe. Nowadays, robots are slimmer, nimbler and designed to work alongside humans. More robots in the workplace allow humans “to be moved from dull, dirty, delicate and dangerous tasks, into more stimulating jobs with far more potential for satisfaction and advancement, such as production management or robot programming,” said John Bubnikovich, VP, sales and marketing, ABB Robotics North America.  

Collaborative robots designed to work with humans, such as ABB’s YuMi, are the next wave of robots for industry. This collaborative, dual arm, small parts assembly robot features flexible hands, parts feeding systems, camera-based part location and advanced robot control.

This trend toward more collaborative robots means that robots will become more commonplace in manufacturing settings. “Collaborative robotics and innovations that allow humans and robots to safely work side-by-side, like vision and advanced software technologies, can be deployed and programmed far more easily and rapidly than ever before,” added Bubnikovich. 

And while some analysts have raised concerns about the effects on employment as more robots enter the workspace, ABB sees the opposite effect. As Bubnikovich noted: “A study by Metra Martech concluded that the one million industrial robots currently in operation are directly responsible for the creation of close to three million jobs. The study further concluded that growth in robot use over the next five years will result in the creation of one million high-quality jobs around the world in prominent industries such as consumer electronics, food and beverage, alternative energy and advanced battery manufacturing.” 

The bar graph shows robot shipments in the U.S. versus non-farm employment from 1996 to 2014.

The electric Schunk EGP small component gripper is now available as a performance level d/SIL3-certified safety gripping system.

The Schunk EGP Safety is the world’s first performance level d/SIL3-certified electric small component gripper on the market with omnidirectional gripping force safety. In combination with a special safety module it enables SOS and STO functions. If the assembly process is interrupted as a result of an emergency shutdown, the module automatically switches to safe operating stop. As opposed to existing solutions on the market the Schunk EGP Safety is supplied with power continuously in case of a safe operating stop, so that gripped parts are held reliably even without mechanical gripping force maintenance. As soon as voltage is applied the gripper switches back to regular operating mode without delay and without having to restart the system. The Schunk EGP Safety is controlled by a safety module and four inductive proximity switches.

Compared with electrically operated small component grippers that are available on the market, the Schunk EGP features high speed with simultaneous high gripping force, which can be adjusted in two or four steps, depending on the model. All electronic components are integrated within the device to save space. Brushless and therefore maintenance-free servomotors and a powerful junction roller guide ensure high efficiency and make the gripper a dynamic and high-performance specialist for demanding pick and place applications. Since the high-speed picker is based on the platform of the time-proven pneumatic Schunk MPG-plus small component gripper, it is ideal for conveniently converting existing systems from pneumatic to electric, with no loss of gripping force. The unit is controlled via digital inputs, which allows users in many cases to transfer the sensor of the Schunk MPG-plus to the Schunk EGP as well.

The small component gripper is available with or without safety functions in sizes 25, 40, 50 and 64 with finger strokes of 3, 6, 8 and 10 mm and gripping forces of 38, 140, 215 and 300 N, respectively. It is suitable for handling components with a weight of 0.19, 0.7, 1.05 and 1.25 kg, respectively. The closing times are 0.09, 0.22, 0.21 and 0.5 sec. In addition, the EGP 25 is available in a special high-speed version with a closing time of only 0.03 sec and a gripping force of 7 N.

Schunk
www.schunk.com