With June being the National Safety Month, we encourage companies to get involved and be active in seeking improvements made in their industry’s safety standards.  There are several resources to reach out to for information on meeting safety guidelines and requirements, as well as various safety equipment options available for improving your system.

Safety is especially important in the field of robotics.  When dealing with a robotic cell, it’s imperative to keep the system maintained properly and KC Robotics, Inc. can provide you with a variety of options for safety fencing, safety mats, light curtains, area scanners, etc.

The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) is responsible for creating the safety standards in the robotic industry and these can be retrieved by simply visiting their website listed below!

Robotic Industries Association (RIA)

We’ve all been hearing stories, whether on the news, in magazines or books, about the exciting role robots will have in medical field.  I stumbled across an article written by Frank Tobe, from The Robot Report, who attended Stanford University’s Conference on Medical Robots last month.  A lot of great information was given on the hopeful progress of robotic use in surgery.

Mr. Tobe pointed out several future projections that were given for medical automation, including two that many would find rather important.  First, that the role of surgeons would change from compartmentalized to nearly transparent.  Second, that there will be more devices used which will perform surgeon’s functions autonomously.

It’s really quite interesting to read more on the growth of the healthcare field and how robotics will integrate into such an important field.   ough Mr. Tobe’s article is certainly worth the read!

Check it out:

http://www.everything-robotic.com/2010/04/6-projections-for-future-of-surgical.html

According to the Robotic Industries Association, the first quarter of 2010 has shown great growth for robotic sales in North America.  For manufacturers, when compared to the first quarter of 2009, reports show an increase of 30% in dollar sales alone.  That number is even greater against the last quarter of 2009.  For the increase in unit sales, material handling maintains the largest application for new orders, accounting for nearly 60%.  RIA has estimated that roughly 196,000 robots are currently being used in U.S. factories, coming in only second to Japan for robotic use.

Jeff Burnstein, RIA President, points out that even though companies are aware that business in 2009 was severely weak overall, we’re all still hopeful that the growth we’re currently seeing will continue to steadily increase.  This attitude spans across America, as we are all pushing for continued success and survivability.

Read the full article for more details:

Robot Orders Post Strong Gains in First Quarter of 2010

With the amount of manufacturing plants that have closed within the last year or two, there’s been an influx in the number of large auctions being held to purge equipment.  However, there is a lot to take into account when you are considering purchasing used robots from an auction.  Here are a few things to remember:

• Cost – Most companies are drawn to auction robots firstly because of the reduced cost.  These robots do, of course, come at a cheaper rate.  However, while you may pay less at an auction for a used robot, there always the unknowns that arise after you have purchased the robot and you attempt running it.  Always factor in extra costs into your budget for these robots, in case of necessary repairs.

• Downtime – The robots that are being auctioned may have been sitting without running for a significant amount of time.  It’s important to consider the affect this may have on the condition of the robot.  For instance, if it were not in production for a prolonged length of time, there may be problems with grease breakdown, dead batteries, removed software or corruption, etc.

• Learning Curve & Support – Take into consideration that when you’re not purchasing directly from a reseller, chances are you’re also not going to have immediate access to the technical support and expertise that most resellers offer.

We suggest going directly to a reseller or distributor because of the total value in the purchase.  KC Robotics, Inc. offers robots that have been fully reconditioned and maintained properly, a 13 month robot parts warranty, and support from skilled service technicians!

Have you ever wondered where the use of industrial robots first originated?  Well I certainly have, so I did some research of my own.  I stumbled across something quite interesting, as I had no idea such a thing even existed – Robot Hall of Fame (website referenced below).  In 2003, a robot was inducted into this hall of fame, called the “Unimate,” the very first industrial robot.  This new robot was introduced by its creators, Joseph Engelberger and George Devol, into a General Motors plant in 1961 and was used in heated die casting.  This large robot arm, with all of it’s versatility, was used for autobody welding.

Once this proved the strength and positive turn-arounds a robot had, the hype caught on.  As a result, the wide-spread use of industrial robots in factories and plants began.  Once companies tested their capabilities, these robots were quickly being used for applications such as loading or unloading.  As always, when time progresses, so does technology.  Today we see industrial robots being used for much more than that – material handling, welding, water jet, spraying, etc.   

 For pictures and more information on the first Unimate robot, please check out the link below!

Reference Link:

http://www.robothalloffame.org/unimate.html

European researchers are studying the capability of designing a system made up of a robot and smart sensors, to support elderly who are living independently.  The idea is to have the robot serve as an assisted living aid, with three goals for care.  First, a health monitor containing smart sensors, woven into undergarments.  The second is a health reporting system that includes an alarm; and third, a nutrition support system. 

So what is really cool about this?  Not only would this robot be linked with a way to monitor the health of an older person, but it would potentially have the capability of keeping up with communication.  This means, the person would be able to create shopping lists, maintain communication with friends or relatives, and others, all through voice recognition.  These researchers want to improve or enhance the lives of the elderly, making it possible for them to live independently for as long as possible.

Read the full article!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100324184558.htm

It appears that cockroaches are going to serve a purpose, as something other than a creepy-crawly insect most people run from.  In fact, they’re going to be used as inspiration for researchers at Oregon State University, in the design of running robots.

The researchers plan to use cockroaches to help design the first legged robot which will have the capability of running over rough terrain.  These particular insects were chosen because of their unbelievable ability to run, without expending nearly any energy at all.  In other words, they perform this instinctive action even without reflex control, and this is at the very heart of what the researchers are trying to accomplish.  Their goal is to create or design these robots with the capability of running, and to have them do so without exerting the amount of energy that humans do.

See the full article for all the details!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091228163304.htm

Take advantage of the Robotic Industries Association’s free webinar, “How Robots Help American Companies Compete in a Global Economy.”  This webinar is being offered on April 13, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. (EST), for one hour.  The information is generally directed for small and medium businesses, and is intended to give positive perspectives on how robots can essentially increase the amount of business a company produces, and how this can effectively help your company compete in a global economy.  There will be several speakers, each with a different expertise, to share their experiences with how the use of robotics can improve business opportunities. 

For more information, or to register, please visit:

http://www.robotics.org/events/event.cfm?id=72

There are many benefits to using enabled web portals when you have a system with multiple robots.  When a change is being made to a product, or there’s a requirement for a new fixture, manual adjustments were the typical way to fix the production line.  In other words, operators would have to halt the production, and manually adjust the program on each individual robot.  This process could take hours, and in some cases, days. 

Web portals are designed to manage and control the robot programs, and by using them, operators can re-adjust all of the robots, at once, within just a minute.  The portals also give workers the advanced capability of going back to review the updates, allowing them to ensure the accuracy of each adjustment.

Check out the full article to find all of the benefits this process offers!

http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-Feature-Article/Portal-to-Success:–Update-Multiple-Robot-Programs-in-a-Minute-or-Less/content_id/1994

It’s always interesting to speak with the people who work first-hand, everyday, with industrial robots and with all the different applications. So, I took it upon myself to sit down with a few of our technicians to do a quick ‘Q&A’ session, and here is the result:

Q: What is the most common problem you see while out in the field?
A: Teach Pendant and cable damage. Often times, cables get run over by forklifts in the factory or warehouse, splitting wires and causing loss of communication to the robot. Here at KC we see cables come in constantly for repair, which is typically an easy fix. If there is a problem with the cable, it’s possible that it will cause a ‘short’ to occur in the teach pendant, making it fail, as well.

Q: If there was one thing you could recommend to a customer, what would it be?
A: Stock spare parts. We also encourage customers to keep an extra robot on hand, in case the working robot goes ‘down’ and needs servicing. We believe maintaining an extra robot would prove to be cost-effective; for every hour or day that they’re system is down and not producing, the customer faces an economic loss, regardless of severity.

Q: What are the most common types of applications that businesses use robotics for?
A: Material handling, welding, and palletizing.

Q: Describe the most interesting system you have worked on.
A: A golf ball testing system. The robot held a driver and was programmed to swing and hit a golf ball. This system tested the swing patterns and the distance the golf ball would go.

Q: What is your favorite thing about working as a service technician in this industry?
A: Interaction with the customer and the variety of the applications we get to work with. It’s always gratifying to attain solutions for the customer.

Q: What do you, with your expertise, believe are the benefits to implementing a robotic system?
A: Implementing a robotic system really forces businesses to increase the quality and repeatability of their part throughout their entire process. The various applications are dependable and can run 24/7, which is only to their benefit.