Selecting the Right Robot for your Application.

Selecting the correct robot to match your exact requirements should be considered carefully before arriving at a decision. The following factors will have a bearing on your final choice of robot: –

The type of environment the robot will operate under.

The loads the robot will be expected to lift.

The speed of operation to be achieved.

The accuracy to which the robot needs to perform to.

The operating space available.

Safety and guarding requirements.

The type of material the robot will be lifting.

Product head design in-terms of picking and placing items accurately.

Collaborative robots.

Collaborative robots are people-friendly and can work safely alongside humans without in some cases, a need for guarding. They tend to be cheaper, slower than their industrial counterparts and handle smaller payloads.

Collaborative robots are commonly used in areas such as pick and place, painting, polishing, dispensing, gluing and assembly.

Cartesian, (Also known as linear or Gantry) robots

They are generally made up of three sliding linear axes, X, Y, and the third, Z-axis height. This type of robot is a good choice for moving parts between trays and production areas. They have high positional accuracy and can handle heavy loads. There are limitations however, they are generally slower than other robot types and can only operate in one direction at a time.

Delta or Spider Robots

This type of robot uses three servo motors and jointed parallelograms to position a picking head within a designated work zone. These robots are very high speed and best suited for light-duty tasks. Most commonly used in high speed sorting and packaging in the food, pharmaceutical and electronic industries.

SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm)

This robot type consists of four axes of motion, three rotary axis, and one linear Z-axis, height. SCARA are usually faster than a comparable Cartesian robot. Using a single pedestal mount means they require a small footprint and provide an unhindered form mounting. They are however more expensive when compared to an equivalent Cartesian system. Used in high speed pick and place applications.

Articulated Robot

This type of robot normally comes in the form of six rotary joint arms. They are commonplace in most modern factories as they are a very versatile style of a robot. They can be mounted on walls, ceilings, internal steel frameworks, or even a linear rail to extend its working zone and provide an additional seventh axis of movement. One of the big advantages of using this form of a robot is that it uses rotary sealed joints as opposed to linear slides, meaning it can be used in either very dirty or very clean environments.

Capable of lifting high payloads, good operating speeds, and levels of accuracy. 

Typically used in welding, material handling, painting, packing, machine tending palletising, polishing, spraying materials applications.