Manufacturing Technology: AUTOMATION II - Robots

Practice vocabulary flashcards based on the 'AUTOMOTION II - Robots' lecture, covering robot classifications, technical components, sensors, and safety standards in manufacturing.

robota

A Czech word meaning slave labour, from which the word robot originated in 1923.

Robot

An electro-mechanical machine with sensors and electronics, guided by computers, or an intelligent agent (physical or virtual) capable of performing tasks autonomously or with guidance.

Teach-playback mode

An operating mode where an industrial robot is manually taken through tasks to record positions, which it then plays back during operation.

Serial robot

An industrial robot with a fixed base and links/joints connected sequentially, ending in an end-effector; characterized by a large workspace and high reachability.

Parallel robot

A robot with more than one loop and no natural end-effector, where errors in one chain’s positioning are averaged with others rather than being cumulative.

Degrees of Freedom (DOF)

The number of joints on a robot arm where it can bend, rotate, or translate, determining its overall capability; arbitrary tasks in $3$-dimensional space typically require $6$ DOF.

SCARA robot

A specific type of robot, usually with $4$ DOF, commonly used for electronics assembly.

Actuator/Drive (Power Supply)

The system that provides and regulates the energy required to operate a robot, such as electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic sources.

Electric Power Supply

The most common robot power source, using AC or DC motors and gear reduction mechanisms to develop the torque needed for lifting heavy payloads.

Hydraulic Power Supply

The least common power supply, using pressurized fluid entering cylinders to cause retraction or extension.

Pneumatic Power Supply

The second most common power supply, where pressurized air is transformed into mechanical work through cylinders.

Manipulator

The robot’s arm, consisting of segments jointed together with axes capable of motion to perform work, simulating human arm, shoulder, elbow, and wrist motions.

End effector

Custom-made devices attached to the wrist of the robot arm to carry out specific tasks, such as grippers, welding torches, or spray guns.

Controller

The “brain” of the robot that initiates, terminates, and coordinates motion sequences, and manages driving devices based on environmental inputs.

Teach Pendant

A manual, on-line device used for robot programming to take the robot through specific tasks.

Active sensors

Sensors that derive information from the environment’s reaction to the robot’s actions, such as bumpers and sonar.

Passive sensors

Sensors that act as observers only, such as cameras and microphones.

Proprioceptive sensors

Sensors that provide information on the robot’s internal state, such as joint position measurement via shaft decoders.

Range finders

Sensors used to measure the distance from a reference point to a set of points in a scene, including lasers, GPS, and whiskers.

Proximity sensor

A sensor that indicates the presence of an object within a fixed space near the sensor without requiring physical contact.

Interlocked Barrier

A guarding method that prevents access when a gate is closed and stops all automatic operations if the gate is opened.

Presence Sensing Devices

Safety equipment like pressure-sensitive floor mats or light curtains that stop robot motion if a worker enters a protected zone.

Electrostatic painting

A painting method where particles are given an electrostatic charge and sprayed by applying a voltage difference between the paint and the part.

Repeatability

A technical selection criterion measuring how close a robot can return to a previously taught point.

Accuracy

A technical selection criterion measuring how close a robot can move to a specific given point.