Essential Manufacturing

20Reprogrammable Automation

This chapter looks in further detail at the reprogrammable automation mentioned in Chapter 18. There are many types of reprogrammable machines and systems used in industry and these include industrial robots, computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine tools and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). These will be described here beginning with the exemplar of industrial robots as they are widely used in manufacturing and they embody many of the aspects of reprogrammable factory automation.

20.1 Industrial Robots

Industrial robots are often found where a variety of products may be made with relatively short life cycles and regular product design changes, such as in the car and electronics industries. They can also be found in such diverse industries as aerospace, pharmaceutical and food production. The robots themselves come in a wide range of configurations and sizes. The International Standards office defines an industrial robot in ISO 8373 as: ‘An automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes, which may be either, fixed in place or mobile for use in industrial automation applications’. Thus, the robot, as well as being able to operate on its own according to previously given instructions, must also be able to have those instructions changed easily. In summary therefore, an industrial robot can be considered as a reprogrammable device used for the manipulation of components, materials or tools. ...