Future Industrial Robotics: Diversity on Factory Floors

Manufacturers around the world make use of intelligent robots to boost productivity, safety and speed in their operations. The elegant and powerful robotic arms we are all used to seeing in the media today were the stuff of pure science fiction just a couple of decades ago, but the push towards greater productivity and competitiveness has spurred forward-thinking companies into action, and they are intent on using every tool in the 4th Industrial Revolution playbook to maintain their advantage in a crowded global market. There is no doubt that robots’ roles in our factories will only expand as new robotics research improves and allows them to perform tasks they’ve never been able to tackle before. We can already see it happening with the sheer diversity of designs that industrial robots are available in today, each one specialised to the specific needs of its job.

The robotic workforce of the future

The robotic workforce of the future is populated with both robots working alone and robots working collaboratively with people. It’s a future in which a richer human-robot interaction is possible, and assembly lines are elevated to new levels of speed and efficiency. Here are just a few of the models you are likely to come across on forward-thinking factory floors in the coming years.

Robotic Painters

Painting and powder coating are hazardous to human workers and require a level of precision that is difficult to attain. Since robots designed specifically for the job (like the Yaskawa MOTOMAN MPX Series) are able to maintain a perfectly even distance between the gun and the part being painted, a uniform coverage can be achieved every time. They are also supremely flexible around contours and in hard-to-reach areas.

Robotic Palletisers

A robot designed to automate one of the most strenuous, dangerous and repetitive jobs in any industry. Powerful and nimble 4-axis models like those that comprise the Yaskawa MOTOMAN PL Series are able to move heavy packages with care and precision, with payload capacities of up to 800kg and repeatability of 0.5mm. These are an indispensable member of the workforce in today’s manufacturing and food industries, but are just as efficient at moving heavy objects like stone and building materials.

High-Speed Sorting, Sorted.

The Delta robot was first conceived in Switzerland after a visit to a chocolate factory inspired a researcher to develop a machine that could package small and light objects (in this case, pralines) at high speeds.

The Delta design has allowed us to develop robots capable of working at impressive speeds (up to 200 cycles per minute while maintaining a strict position repeatability of 0.1mm) for a variety of picking and handling needs. This is particularly useful in the packaging, pharmaceutical, medical and food industries, where models like the Yaskawa MOTOMAN MPP Series combine the speed of the Delta design with a payload capacity of up to 3kg.

Expert Robotic Welders & Laser Cutters

Associated with a number of health and safety risks like burns, exposure to dangerous fumes and repetitive stress injuries, welding is one of the industries most quickly adopting robotic automation due to its clear advantages in speed, quality and cost.

Six-axis welding robots like those in the Yaskawa MOTOMAN AR Series can be programmed to accurately trace intricate weld paths with a wide variety of welding equipment, ensuring consistency and reliability. This means greater productivity, more consistent welds, and a faster, more efficient route to market for manufacturers.

In the world of laser cutting and welding, where high precision is necessary models like the Yaskawa MOTOMAN MC are able to position laser heads wherever necessary to perform a laser cut or deposit a laser weld seam.

Barmen & Baristas

With a renewed focus on restaurant hygiene and contactless transacting thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, robots are entering the customer-facing workforce, with applications in the hospitality and food service industries offering an exciting glimpse into the future of dining out. Serving drinks, brewing perfect coffee, and even cooking and serving entire meals are all possible with some creative application. The Yaskawa MOTOMAN GP Series are designed as general-purpose robots aimed towards maximum flexibility and adaptability while maintaining the speed and repeatability that we have come to expect from robotic automation.

Our New Colleagues

Gone are the days when robotic workers needed to be ring-fenced against the possibility of injuring one of their human colleagues. Collaborative robots are designed specifically for close contact. The Yaskawa HC Series for example, features 6 integrated sensors and is able to operate without additional safety measures, saving floor space with its sleek frame.

For jobs requiring human flexibility but robotic precision, smaller and more agile robots like the Yaskawa MOTOMAN SIA Series and SDA Series offer great potential. With 7 and 15 axes respectively, they provide human-like flexibility for jobs like assembly, inspection, part transfer, packaging and machine tending.

In all their various shapes and sizes, robots are saving us from the strenuous and repetitive tasks of our day-to-day working lives, and helping businesses overcome both the mental and physical limitations of human workers. In the coming years, these devices will be so sophisticated that automation will have a tremendous impact on all areas of business, government and society.