Robot Assembly
Because of the extensive use of robotics in automobile assembly, robotic assembly is perhaps the most widely known application of industrial robotics. An assembly robot provides a substitute for human labor. Industrial assembly jobs suitable for robots usually have the following characteristics:
1. the operation is repetitive, involving the same basic work motions every cycle
2. the operation is hazardous or uncomfortable for the human worker (e.g., spray painting, spot welding, arc welding, and certain machine loading and unloading tasks)
3. the task requires a work part or tool that is heavy and awkward to handle
4. the operation allows the robot to be used on two or three shifts
Benefits of Assembly robots:
Higher quality output
Faster throughput
Fewer employee repetitive motion and heavy load claims
Lower employment costs (insurance, workers comp, unemployment, benefits)
Programmable manufacturing applications
New Developments in Assembly Robotics: The Humanoid Assembly Line Worker
Until recently, a number of industrial jobs were not suitable for a robot. For example, using a screw and nut as a fastening method is easily performed by manual laborers, but this operation is extremely difficult for a one-armed robot. New developments in robotics, however, changed this. General Motors and NASA have teamed up to build a robot assembly-line worker. Motoman has a similar humanoid robot. General Motors describes its human-like assembly worker, named R2, as a "faster, more dextrous and technologically advanced robot". The R2 features pivotal joints, fingers and opposable thumbs that allow it to use tools and perform intricate work.
Robotic Inspection
Inspection is another area of factory operations in which the utilization of robots is growing. In a typical inspection job, the robot positions a sensor with respect to the work part and determines whether the part is consistent with the quality specifications.
