The Industrial Pick and Place robot buyer's guide

Robotic arms ABCs

A robotic arm is an automated system designed to grasp and move objects quickly and precisely. While this may seem futuristic, assembly lines commonly use these robots day in and day out. Moreover, they can also aid other types of operations&#;such as logistics&#;if they&#;re fitted with the right mechanisms and programs. 

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Let's break down their key components:

• End-effectors: These are the gripping mechanisms that attach to the robot's arm and allow it to grasp and hold objects. Different types of end-effectors include vacuum grippers for smooth objects, force-controlled grippers for objects of various shapes and sizes, and magnetic grippers for ferrous objects with magnetic surfaces.
• Joints: These are the flexible connectors that allow the robot's arm to move and maneuver. The number and type of joints determine the arm&#;s range of motion and overall dexterity.
• Motors: They drive the robot&#;s movement, converting electrical energy into mechanical motion, enabling the robot to precisely position its arm and grip objects.

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What is an Industrial Pick and Place robot?

An Industrial Pick and Place robot is a specialized robotic arm typically mounted on a stable stand with end-effectors that allow it to grasp and move objects from point A to point B. 

These automated machines utilize end-effectors like vacuum grippers, force-controlled grippers, or magnetic grippers to grab items, and then maneuver them as needed. They can either operate on a fixed path or use sensors to adjust to varying positions. 

If you&#;re a logistics or manufacturing professional, you probably can give us a TED talk about the pick and place process. But, an Industrial Pick and Place robot can help you supercharge your workflow by operating fast, accurately, and around the clock.

Let&#;s take a look at how.

How can an Industrial Pick and Place robot help logistics? 

Robot arms have several advantages over human labor, such as: 

• Higher throughput and productivity because they can operate continuously without those pesky smoke breaks.
• Improved precision. Robots are fantastic at high-precision tasks and can place objects exactly where needed over and over again.
• Better use of space. An Industrial Pick and Place robot can reach areas that may be difficult or outright dangerous for humans. 
• They save time and money. Although at first, you may need to pay a pretty penny, you will save money in the long run due to reduced labor costs and increased efficiency. 

Furthermore, you can use an Industrial Pick and Place robot for a wide range of applications. These versatile systems can streamline your picking, packing, and palletizing processes to optimize productivity. 

If you&#;re looking to implement robotics in your workspace, understanding your options is essential to finding what works for you.

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Types of Industrial Pick and Place robots

There are several types of Pick and Place robots, each with its specialties and strengths.

Robotic arms: The most common type, used for basic single-plane pick and place tasks. Five-Axis arms handle standard tasks, while Six-Axis arms handle more complex ones.

Cartesian robots: Similar to Six-Axis arms but move in even more planes of motion, offering better positioning accuracy.

Delta robots: Equipped with advanced vision technology to identify and pick items based on size, shape, and color. Ideal for assembly and packaging applications.

Fast pick robots: Perfect for high-volume applications, picking up to 300 items per hour from a pool of up to 8 SKUs. Great at handling fast-moving items like promotional products or batteries.

Collaborative robots: Work alongside humans, optimizing routes and guiding associates through tasks, boosting efficiency and productivity.

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What can you use Industrial Pick and Place robots for?

While the most common use of Industrial Pick and Place robots is manufacturing, they have many possible applications. 

Their built-in versatility and precision make them perfect tools for various industries, such as: 

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• Assembly: Pick and Place robots are widely employed in assembly lines to streamline the process of joining components. They grab incoming parts from conveyors or designated locations and precisely position them for assembly.
• Packaging: These robot arms pick up products from incoming sources and place them immaculately in designated containers.
• Bin picking: Advanced vision systems enable industrial Pick and Place robots to identify, grasp, and extract specific items or parts based on their color, shape, size, or other distinguishing features. Then, these extracted items go on to further assembly or packaging. &#;
• Quality control: Pick and Place robots can precisely pick up products and meticulously scan them for flaws to remove any defective items from the production line.

On this blog, we often discuss industrial robots. For some people, robotic vocabulary may seem simple to understand, but for someone who is looking to buy their first industrial robot, it may be confusing. This article will give you the main vocabulary and a general overview of where to look when buying an industrial robot.

Industrial Robot Applications

First of all, you must know which application will be performed by the robot. This criteria will initially guide you when choosing which kind of robot you need to buy. If you are looking for a compact pick and place robot, you may want to choose a Scara robot. If you are looking more at placing small objects at a fast rate, a Delta robot will suit you best. If your application needs to be done alongside human workers, a collaborative robot should be your robot of choice.

For the following discussion, we will focus specifically on industrial robots. This kind of robot can suit a very large array of applications &#; from material handling to machine tending, as well as welding and material removal. These days, industrial robot manufacturers basically have a robot for every application. You just need to identify what you want to do with your robot and choose between all of the different models.

Robot Payload

The payload is the maximum load that the robot can carry in its working space. If you are looking to carry a part from one machine to another, you need to incorporate the part weight and the robot gripper weight into the payload. For further information on payload, you should take a look at the following article that explains the difference between payload and grip force.

Number of Axes

The quantity of axes on a robot is directly related with the its degree of freedom. If you are looking for a really straightforward application, such as pick and place from one conveyor to another, a simple 4 axis robot is enough. However, if your application needs to be executed in a small work space and the robot arm needs to twist and turn a lot, a 6 or 7 axis robot would be the best option. The number of axes is generally dependent on the application. You should take note that having too many axes is not a problem in terms of flexibility. In fact, if you will be moving the robot to another application in a couple of months, you may want to have more axes rather than not enough. The downside of having too many axes though, is that if you only need 4 axes, you will still need to program 2 supplementary axes for nothing.

Robot manufacturers tend to use slightly different nomenclature for the axis or joint names. Basically, the first joint (J1) is the one that is closest to the robot base. The following joints are called J2, J3, J4 and so forth, until we reach the wrist. Other companies such as Yaskawa/Motoman use a lettered nomenclature for their axes.

Industrial Robot Reach

When looking at your target application, you should know what maximum distance the robot needs to reach. Selecting a robot is not all about the payload &#; it also needs to reach a certain distance. Every company gives the work envelope of the robot, therefore you can determine if the robot is suitable for a specific application. The maximum vertical reach for a robot is measured from the lowest point that the robot can reach (often under the robot base) to the maximum height that the wrist can go. The maximum horizontal reach is the distance from the center of the robot base to the farthest point the wrist can reach horizontally. You should also take a look at the different motion range (expressed in degrees). These specifications are quite different from one robot to another and can be very limiting for certain applications.

Repeatability

Once again, this factor depends on your application. The repeatability can be described as the capacity of the robot to reach the exact same position each and every time it completes a routine. Most of the time, the robot can repeat inside 0.5mm and sometimes even more. For example, if your robot is needed to build an electronic circuit board, you may want to have a super repeatable robot. If your application is quite rough, the industrial robot doesn't need to be that precise. This measure is expressed in plus or minus &#;&#;±&#;&#; because of the 2D aspect. In fact, since the robot is not linear, the tool can be anywhere in the tolerance radius.

Speed

This criteria is relative to every user. In fact, it depends on the rate in which the job needs to be done. The spec sheets always express maximum speed, but you should know that all of the speeds can be reached between 0 and maximum speed. This motion unit is often in degrees/second. Some robot manufacturers incorporate the maximum acceleration rate. 

Robot Mass

Robot mass is an important factor when designing a robot cell. If the industrial robot needs to be sitting on a custom bench or even on a rail, you may want to know its weight to design the corresponding support.

Brakes and Inertia

Basically every robot manufacturer provides information on the braking system on their robot. Some of robots have brakes on all axes and others don&#;t. To have a precise and repeatable position in the workspace, you need to have a sufficient number of brakes. The inertia of certain robot segments can be provided by the manufacturer. In fact, for designing security features this would be a plus. You may also notice the different applicable torques on the axis. For example, if your manoeuvre requires a certain amount of torque to complete the job properly, you need to check if the maximum torque applicable on the axis is correct. If it is not correct, the robot may shut down due to an overload.

IP Rating

Depending on where you want your robot to work you may need to achieve a certain Ingress Protection rating or IP rating. In fact, if the robot works with nutrition related products, laboratory tools, medical tools or in highly flammable environments, the IP ratings will be different. This criteria is an international norm and you obviously need to verify if your application needs a certain protection or if you can use a local rating. Some manufacturers provide the same robot with different IP ratings depending on where the robot needs to work.

I hope this article gives you a few tips to consider for your next industrial robotic investment. We have put together different comparison sheets for industrial robots with payloads from 5 to 10 kg and for industrial robots with payloads from 20 to 50 kg. These grids only include the industrial robots that are specific to material handling, which means that there are no Scara, Delta or welding robots mentioned. I am sure you will find comparing the different robots interesting!

Contact us to discuss your requirements of 10kg stamping manipulator. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.