Ways to Select Small Assembly Robots for Robotic Automation

A glass vial in a lab needing a delicate touch and intricate parts demanding precision placement are perfect uses for small assembly robots. Robots have the reputation for handling dirty and dangerous jobs. In heavy manufacturing like auto assembly robots are used to move large parts, but small assembly robots can have gentle and reliable gripping and force sensing.

Small assembly robots create options for manufacturers of all sizes and for uses ranging from welding to packaging. Take a closer look at what sets them apart, how they function, and ways they can fit in your operation.

Choosing the Right Robot

Robots "shine" when used to assemble items that are intricate and complex, says says Alex Bonaire, Robotics Product Manager for Mitsubishi Electric Automation. In the article Small Assembly Robots for Big Gains he mentions today's phones as a piece that's becoming so complex that it's no longer reasonable or possible to assemble using people.

While robotic automation is the solution, choosing the right robot is key. A robot needs strength to handle the payload as mentioned in the article Optimizing Cycle Time: When Every Fraction of a Second Counts and not struggling to overcome inertia when it's accelerating.

A SCARA robot may be best for a tabletop application provided it can also handle the reach and there aren't issues with grippers and tooling. For flat conveyor applications a delta-style or parallel link robot is likely the better choice.

Footprint

Small assembly robots have multiple efficiencies, including the use of space. Considering a robot's footprint doesn't just have to do with the size of the robot but the design of the work cell. In the write-up Packaging and Palletizing Robots Solve Industry's Pain Points, a self-contained palletizing cell can be designed to meet demands for maximum cycle times and constraints on both budgets and space.

Payload

The right robot will also have the proper payload for the job at hand. The payload capacity of a small assembly robot extends up to 20 pounds. Manufacturers are filling demands for this robot niche and appealing to companies that may not have previously used robots. Nachi Robotics Systems says it's "lowering the automation threshold" for such companies.

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In the editorial Nachi Continues to Expand the World's Fastest and Lightest Compact Robot Series, the manufacturer describes how in 2015 the company introduced the MZ04 as the "world's fastest and lightest compact robot" and the MZ04E as a safe robot, with targets set on the 3-4 kg payload capacity segment of the compact robot market.

How about a robot with a 2kg payload? That size works for a client of TM Robotics in Elk Grove Village, Illinois as mentioned in Small Assembly Robots with Big Gains. The small parts assembly operation for an automotive manufacturer fits eight robots for its automated assembly line in a space that's six feet by six feet and only six feet high.

Material Handling and Ease of Use

Flexible robots are good at multi-tasking and handling products of varying shapes and sizes. They're becoming more popular with scientists working in laboratories where processes are conducted under regulations that demand cleanliness.

While a lab and traditional manufacturing shop are quite different, there are similar principles that come into play as noted in Robot-Scientist Collaboration (and Separation) in Lab Automation. Scientists in laboratories are like employees in small shops who need to do their jobs well but aren't going to take time engineering a robotics solution. They want "a robotic system that they can take out of the box, plug it in, and be able to operate it." Ease of use and the versatility to handle multiple shapes and sizes is the key to success.

Motors

Small assembly or compact robots have unique needs regarding their motors. Manufacturers Kuka and Kollmorgen worked on a project where the compact robots are suited for process automation in the packaging, electronics, food and pharmaceutical industries. In Kuka and Kollmorgen Co-engineer Optimised Motors for Compact Robots, the design of the synchronous servo motors was made to fit perfectly in the joints of the KR Agilus robots and made it possible to increase the high power density.

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