6 Types of Industrial Robots and Their Application

As soon as people hear about the word “robots”, you immediately think about machinery that acts like a human. Well, it is more than that. Robots are widely used in the industrial space at plant operations for increased productivity and faster assembly of equipment.

With industrial robots becoming more prevalent in the manufacturing space, you will find increased demand in different types of industrial robots to fit specific applications.

In this blog, you will read about the different types of industrial robots and their application in this space. Check out the blog for more.

Types of Industrial Robots

Here is a list of different types of robots used in the industrial space.

1# Cartesian Robots

Cartesian robots, also known as linear robots or gantry robots, are used in the industrial space working on three linear axes using the Cartesian Coordinate System (x, y, z), meaning they move in straight lines on 3-axis, up and down, in and out and side to side.

Plant operators often choose to use this robot as it is easy to handle and program. They are also highly customizable, and customers can choose the stroke, lengths, speed and precision of the robots as most of parts of the robot arrive separately and need to be assembled by machine workers.

Advantages

• Simple to operate and program
• Minimal assembly
• 360 degrees rotation
• Handles heavy loads
• High accuracy
• Comparatively inexpensive

Disadvantages

• Complex assembly
• Limited movement to one direction at a time
• Large operation and installation area

Application

It is used for loading and unloading, for material handling, for assembly of products, handling nuclear material and lastly, for adhesive applications.

2# Articulated Robots

The movement and configuration of this robot matches the configuration of a human arm. The arm of the robot works like a twisting joint and make up to two to ten rotary joints acting like axes allowing greater degree of motion.

The joints in this robot are parallel and orthogonal to each other allowing freedom of movement offering maximum flexibility in the industrial space.

Advantages

• Fast speed
• Requires minimal floor space
• Easy to align to multiple planes

Disadvantages

• Robot controller to operate
• Complex programming
• Complex kinematics

Application

It is used for packaging of food, handling material and machinery, welding of arc and spots and for automotive assembly and steel bridge manufacturing. It is also useful in handling glass and foundry.

3# SCARA Robots

Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm, also known as SCARA have a donut shaped body and consists of two parallel joints providing compliance to the selected plane. With rotary shifts positioned vertically, SCARA robots work in lateral movements and are best for assembly purposes.

SCARA also works on 3-axis and have an easier integration and faster movement as compared to Cartesian robots.

Advantages

• Fast speed
• Able to repeat movement
• Huge workspace

Disadvantages

• Requires a robot controller
• Difficult to program offline
• Useful to planar surfaces

Application

SCARA robots are mainly used for assembly, packaging, bio-med and palletizing purposes. They are also used to handle semiconductor wafers and to load and unload machines.

4# Delta Robots

Delta robots also known as parallel robots, have 3 arms connected to a single base mounted above the work surface. Delta robots work in dome-shape and with high speed, they are highly delicate and precise. They are the most expensive industrial robots.

They are popular for their pick-and-place and product transfer applications as they use 6-axis to perform a task.

Advantages

• Very high speed
• Highly operational precision

Disadvantages

• Difficult to operate
• Requires a separate robot controller

Application

Delta robots are mainly used in the food industry along with the pharmaceutical and electronic industry as well for fast pick-and-place as well as product transfer. Their application is also useful in: flight stimulators and automobile stimulators, as well as for optical fiber alignment.

5# Polar Robots

Polar robots, also called spherical robots have an arm with two rotary joints and one linear joint, all connected to the base with a twisting joint, The axes in the Polar robots work to form polar coordinates allowing the robots to work in a spherical envelope.

They are also known to be one of the first kinds of industrial robots to ever be developed and are widely used for molding and welding purposes. With a gun turret configuration, it sweeps a large volume of space, but the arm access remains limited within the work area.

Advantages

• Freedom of movement
• Can handle large work volume
• Requires less floor space
• Can reach above and below obstacles

Disadvantages

• Cannot reach above itself
• Short vertical reach
• Low precision and repeatability
• Requires robot controller
• Old model, no new designs

Application

Polar robots are widely used for casting die, and for industrial work such as molding injection, stacking and unstacking, forging, welding and handling material and glass.

6# Cylindrical Robots

Cylindrical joints work in a rotary motion at the base and a prismatic joint to connect the links. It is in a cylindrical-shaped work envelope which is achieved by rotating shaft and an extendable arm that can move in vertical and sliding motion.

They are very similar to Cartesian robots in their axis motion and are made of two elements which are rotary and linear actuators. With high speed and repeatability capabilities, cylindrical robots have simple applications of pick-and-place and are easy to install as compare to other robots.

Advantages

• Easy operation and installation
• Minimal assembly
• Freedom of movement
• Requires less floor space
• Able to carry heavy payloads

Disadvantages

• Cannot reach around obstacles
• Low precision in rotary motion direction
• No new designs, obsolete favor

Application

Cylindrical robots are widely used to pick-and-place products such as transport of LCD panels and loading and unloading of machinery. They are also useful in assembly, dyeing, foundry, forging and coating applications.

Bottom Line

With implementation of industrial robots into the industrial space, one needs to have proper knowledge about the above robots before choosing the appropriate one for their business operations. Manufacturers should consider factors like accuracy, speed, travel, movement, load, capacity and duty cycle before buying.

So be wise and read this blog carefully before making your choice!