There are ten common misunderstandings about the application of industrial robots. I accidentally fell into three of them. What about you?

Investments usually range from tens of thousands to millions of dollars. It is very important to make the right choice at the first time and avoid common mistakes, which will lead to unnecessary expenses or delays in the task. In order to help designers avoid the most serious mistakes, this article lists the top ten misunderstandings that need to be avoided in robot applications.

Mistake 1: Underestimating Payload and Inertia

The number one mistake that robot users make in applications is underestimating the payload and inertia requirements. This is usually caused by not including the weight of the tool at the end of the arm when calculating the load. The second reason for this mistake is underestimating or completely ignoring the inertia force generated by the eccentric load.

Inertial forces can overload the robot axes. Overloading of the rotary axes is very common in robots. Not correcting this problem can also cause damage to the robot. Reducing the load or reducing the speed can compensate for this situation. However, reducing the speed will increase the cycle time unnecessarily - the cycle time as a part of reducing the return on investment ranks first in the purchase of robots. This is why the load-related factors are very important from the beginning.

Effective load is very important. Some of the technical parameters of ordinary robots are given with detailed descriptions. The rated load is valid only at the rated speed. One of the important conditions for reaching the maximum load is to reduce the robot's operating speed. In addition, excessive load may also damage the robot's accuracy.

Mistake 2: Trying to get robots to do too much

Sometimes, the robot's capabilities and flexibility make the designer ask it to take on too much work, resulting in a robot cell that is too complex. This result makes it difficult to determine the correct cycle time, or brings additional difficulties to the processing plan, resulting in a lot of difficulties due to the speed limit of the processor. And once the production is defective, this error is often magnified. In production, unplanned downtime will incur huge losses.

Another situation is when the robot and workcell are used beyond the capabilities of the original design. This can easily lead to disappointment when the additional work is added later. Especially if no new simulations are done before moving forward with the plan, the required cycle time may not be achieved. Therefore, to ensure that a robot cycle is within the required time, things that exceed the robot's capabilities must be paid close attention to.

Before using the robot, it is necessary to go through simulation and determine the robot's application travel load and cycle time according to the design requirements. If a new application of the robot is added, it is necessary to conduct certain verifications before entering.

Myth 3: Underestimating cable management issues

As simple as it may seem, or perhaps too simple, cable management is often overloaded. However, optimizing the routing of cables to end-of-arm tools or peripherals is critical to the motion of the robotic device. Failure to assess potential problems will result in unnecessary robot motion to avoid cable entanglement and stress. Also, assuming that dynamic cables are not used or that cable stress is reduced can result in damage to the cables and downtime.

The robot end-effectors currently in use are generally gas-driven or electrical-driven, and inevitably have corresponding air pipes or cables connected. Most of the air circuits and electrical circuits are external, so you need to pay close attention when controlling the robot's motion; some robots have built-in air circuits and circuits, which is very convenient. You only need to consider the management of cables when the arm and the end-effector move relative to each other.

Myth 4: Questions to consider before choosing a robotic system

By considering each application, when the system is installed, you can be sure that all aspects of the application are what you need and avoid serious overspending due to possible errors.

In addition to these, the robot's working stroke is also one of the issues to be considered. When determining the stroke, we cannot only determine whether it can meet the application requirements based on the stroke of the robot's technical parameters. We should theoretically consider whether the robot's motion trajectory can meet the stroke requirements after the end effector is installed. This is also one of the key reasons for stopping simulation.

As for the environment, there will be specially customized industrial robots for different environments. For example, the spraying industry requires industrial robots with explosion-proof capabilities, which are different from standard robots, and there are also clean room applications, etc. The reliability and defect rate of the robot, the power consumption, etc. are all issues that must be considered when choosing.

Myth 5: Misunderstanding of Precision and Repeatability

A precise machine is repeatable, but a repeatable machine is not necessarily precise. Repeatability refers to the robot's ability to move back and forth accurately between predetermined positions in a regular working path.

Precision is expressed by moving accurately to a calculated point along the working path. In the handling action, the robot moves to the position of some predetermined points through calculation, using the robot's precise performance. Precision is directly related to the mechanical tolerance and the accuracy of the robot arm.

Precision is closely related to the mechanical precision of the robot arm. The higher the precision, the higher the speed. The robot reducer is an important key structure to ensure the precision of the robot. Ordinary industrial robots use standard reducers of the RV type. If you need to apply it to some precision manufacturing applications, you can consider using industrial robots of the robot ancestor staubliunimation.

Myth 6: Choosing a robot system depends only on its pros and cons

Most robot manufacturers may think more about the robot than the mechanical performance. But once the robot is deployed, the uptime depends mainly on the durability of the machinery. Loss of production capacity is likely not caused by poor controllers and equipment, but by poor mechanical performance.

Often the selection of a robot system is based on the user's knowledge of the controller and software. If the robot also has excellent mechanical performance in this regard, this can be a very competitive advantage. On the contrary, if the robot needs to be stopped from time to time after installation, the time-saving advantage brought by the knowledge of the control will be quickly consumed.

The mechanical part is the key to ensure the performance of industrial robots. The accuracy, speed and durability are all closely related to the mechanical part. The structure of the robot is relatively simple, usually consisting of a motor and a reducer. If the selected robot often needs to repair the reducer part or other mechanical structures, it is very troublesome.

Myth 7: There is no correct knowledge of robotics

Robot manufacturers and system integrators usually design a robot cell for one application, but if the user does not have the correct knowledge of the robot, there is a risk of failure. The life of any consumer device is closely related to how the user uses and maintains the device. It is not uncommon for some first-time robot users to refuse training. It is crucial for the robot to continue to work properly to fully understand the robot's capabilities and use it optimally within the scope of work.

Industrial robots are very special equipment, and their operation is no less complicated than that of a machine tool. Similarly, those who use robots must be familiar with the basic knowledge of safe operation of industrial robots, otherwise it will be very unsafe for both the equipment and people. Operators who use robots must receive system safety operation training from the system manufacturer before they are allowed to operate them in practice.

Myth 8: Ignoring the relevant equipment for robot applications

Teaching pendants, communication cables and some special software are usually necessary, but they are easily forgotten in the initial order. These will cause delays in the entire project and cause costs to exceed the budget. To correctly choose a robot product, you must first consider your comprehensive needs and all aspects of the equipment selection. It is very common that customers sometimes do not integrate some key equipment with the robot in order to save money.

At the beginning of a project, you must understand the equipment and software that the project needs to configure. During the procurement process, you should always consider the ordering of related products according to the application of the project.

Myth 9: Overestimating or underestimating the capabilities of robot control systems

Underestimating the capabilities of the robot control system will result in system duplication and unnecessary waste. It is very common to use double backup on the safety circuit. Overestimating the control system capabilities will result in additional equipment costs, rework and lost time costs. Trying to control too many I/O and adding servo systems is a common mistake.

Security control is a very important issue. While considering security, we should also try our best to optimize the security logic of the application. Duplication in the program is unnecessary.

Myth 10: Not considering robotics

Limited investment scope, lack of understanding of robotics and past failed attempts to adopt robotics are the reasons why many people stay away from robotics. However, in order to improve productivity and win the final competition in the market, it is very important to get rid of this misconception. Robotics cannot improve productivity alone, but in many cases it can help improve overall productivity. Market response time, increased productivity, simple operation, flexibility, repeatability, reliability, precision, controllability and long-term use are all strong reasons to adopt robotics.