Overview |
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The articulate or jointed arm robot (or sometime called Anthropomorphic arms) closely resembles the human arm. The mechanical structure has at least three rotary joints which forms a polar coordinate system. The Figure shown an articulate robot with 6 degree of freedom. The basic three rotary joints able Arm swap, shoulder swivel and elbow rotations. Additional 3 revolute joints (Roll, Yaw, Pitch) and one prismatic joint allow the robot to point in many directions, and then reach out some radial distance.
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| This structure is very flexible and has the ability to reach over obstructions. It can generally achieve any position and orientation within the working envelope. As such articulate robots are used for a wide range of applications including paint spraying, arc and spot welding, machine tending, etc. For examples, the articulate robot allows the welding torch to be manipulated in almost the same fashion as a human being would manipulate it. The torch angle and travel angle can be changed to make good quality welds in all positions. Articulate robots also allow the arc to weld in areas that are difficult to reach. In addition, articulate robots are compact and provide the largest work envelope relative to their size. |
| Typical articulate robots have five or six free programmable arms or axes. As mentioned, the flexibility of the articulate robots make them well suit for a wide variety of industrial application. But, it is not easy to control. When driving these robots in their natural co-ordinate system (joint space) the motion of the robot from one point to another can be difficult to visualise as the robot will move each joint through the minimum angle required. This means that the motion of the tool will not be a straight line. |
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Application |
With different payload capability, reach and design, articulate robots are designed to employ in the following applications:
- Arc welding
- Spot welding
- Assembly
- cleaning/spraying
- Cutting
- Deburring
- Die casting
- Gluing/sealing
- Grinding/polishing
- Injection moulding
- Machine tending
- Material handling
- Packing
- Palletizing
- Picking
- Pre-machining
- Press brake tending
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