Criteria for Selecting a Robotic Arm

Robotic arms are machines preset to execute a certain job or task accurately, efficiently, and quickly. Generally, they are motor-driven and often used for the consistent and rapid performance of highly repetitive processes over extended periods and are especially valued in the industrial assembly, machining, manufacturing, and production sectors.

A typical robotic arm comprises a sequence of articulations, joints, and manipulators that functions together to closely be like the functionality and movement of a human arm.

A configurable robotic arm can be a whole machine in and of itself, or it can function as a stand-alone machine part of a bigger and more complex piece of equipment. Today, a couple of smaller robotic arms used in various industries and workplace applications are mounted on bench tops and manipulated electronically.

Larger robotic arm versions can be mounted on the floor, but either way, they tend to be made from durable and sturdy metal such as cast iron or steel. In addition, they will most likely have between 4 – 6 articulating joints.

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Again from a mechanical viewpoint, the main joints on robotic arms were designed to look like the key parts of its human equivalent, including the elbow, forearm, shoulder, and wrist. But, first, let’s look at the criteria for selecting these complicated machines.

How Do You Pick the Correct Robotic Arm?

The structure of a robot arm is based on its human equivalent, which means its highly flexible and mobile for you to use in a couple of applications such as gripping, palletizing, testing, or welding robots in various industries.

Robotic arms are available in a couple of designs; their most crucial feature is the degree of freedom, also known as the axes of movement. 4 – 6 axes are common, and to have a better range, robotic arms can also be fixed on a linear axis.

Seven-axis robots are more similar to the human arm; they are so agile that they can virtually reach around corners. So how do you pick the ideal machine for you?

Define the Task

The correct robotic arm for a certain application depends on a couple of factors. The first crucial criterion is the task it’s supposed to execute; it is about handling several components. Based on this standard notion, cycle time, load, range, or speed are the main features.

Pick the Correct Range

To find out the ideal length of the robotic arm, it’s necessary to analyze the application on-site or take a couple of criteria into account. The criteria include questions such as

1. What is the kind of app? How many and which positions have to move to finish a task.
2. Should you operate one machine/workstation or several? For instance, to enhance the use of a robotic arm, it can be situated between two or more similar machining tools in order to eject the components manufactured by them.
3. How far apart are these positions?
4. Have the sizes of peripherals such as conveyor belts and shelves been determined?
5. How many positions does the robot comprise to complete a task?

At this point, the required motions that the robotic arm must make with the component are determined. For instance, should it be rotated to 180 degrees? It’s also crucial to determine whether the arm can shift directly to the respective position or whether it has to circle around a component. The outcome of these considerations leads to the number of axes needed.

Compute the Load Properly

When considering the load, you should ensure that not only is the weight of the component being considered but also the weight of the required gripper.

It’s also vital to check the position of the center mass with regard to the attachment to the robotic arm. If the CoG (center of gravity) is relatively far, picking a robotic arm with a bigger payload makes sense to allow for a dynamic and trouble-free process.

Required Speed

Another criterion is to determine the desired or required cycle time. How fast should the arm be in finishing a task? This is especially important if the arm performs handling or processing steps alongside the machine. This is because the machine’s processing time sets the framework within which the robotic arm will do its work.

Another crucial determinant is the positioning precision the robotic arm achieves. While it’s not vital for packaging jobs, accuracy has to be high when the robot places parts in machine tools.

Program or Teach The Robotic Arm?

When deciding on the robotic arm to buy, pay attention to setting it up. Is there a staff member in your company acquainted with programming robotic arms? If not, the robot system you pick should have a ‘manual’ option for teaching it motion sequences.

In such an instance, the robotic arm is guided to the respective position by hand. What’s more, you can fund robotic arms with cutting-edge software for applications that comprise changing tasks and small quantities. As a rule, you don’t need experts to have them up and running.

Accessories and Peripherals

Finally, you need to consider which accessories are available for a given robotic arm. These include camera systems or grippers. Safety equipment should also be a crucial determinant; it depends on where the robotic arm is situated and the risk it poses to people.

The periphery within which a robotic arm operates and which alongside it forms the overall application is also vital. The periphery spells out which comm. Interfaces the robotic arm must have in order to exchange info with other components. In addition, it specifies to what extent the robotic arm can be incorporated into a higher-level control framework.

The ROS (robotic operating system) framework has established itself as a vital standard for controlling various hardware interfaces. In fact, most robotic arms that can be utilized in R&D (research and development) or industrial automation are compatible with ROS, and therefore they are relatively easy and flexible to use.

Final Thoughts

Robot arms are perfect for repetitive operations and require a high level of accuracy. Robotic arms are exact, fast, and reliable and can be planned to an infinite range of operations. When buying robotic arms, consider the criteria illustrated above, and you should be okay.