Materials for Robots

The term “industrial robots” refers to robots used to replace humans in performing a variety of tasks for automation and efficiency in factories and similar settings; among the varieties of industrial robots are vertical articulated robots, horizontal multi-joint robots (scalar robots), parallel-link robots, and orthogonal robots.

Of these, vertical articulated robots are the most commonly used today, with the dominant architecture involving a 6-axis structure comprising 6 joints. A key advantage of these robots is that their large number of joints enables complicated movements, with a wide range of motion relative to the area consumed by their installation. The highly general-purpose nature of these robots allows them to be used at multiple stages of production processes, including shipping, painting and welding, and product assembly.

Manipulators are nothing less than arms, and in fact are often referred to as robot arms. They are comprised of several parts: arms, corresponding to bones and skin; sensors, corresponding to eyes, tactile sensation, and other sensory functions; and actuators corresponding to muscles (as well as the motors and reduction gears from which actuators are formed). Until recently, the use of industrial robots required robots to be enclosed in protective barriers to establish a clear separation between human and robot workspaces. However, the ISO/TS 15066 standard, in effect since 2013, establishes conditions that, when satisfied, allow humans and industrial robots to work together in shared spaces. Robots designed to collaborate with humans in this way are known as cobots. Miniature cobots intended for human collaboration constitute a rapidly growing market sector.

In the past, the primary quality requirements for robot arm components were high speed and high precision, and such components were typically made from metals, which also offer excellent durability. However, metals have the disadvantages of being high in weight and entailing high manufacturing costs, including post-processing costs. This has led designers to consider the use of plasticss to cut manufacturing costs and improve safety by reducing product weights. Plastics are particularly well-suited to the manufacture of small-scale cobots for human collaboration.

* ISO/TS15066 is a technical standard regulating safety conditions for collaborative industrial systems and working environments. Other relevant standards include ISO10218, which specifies safety requirements for robots themselves.

The term service robot is a general-purpose label for a broad range of robots that are of use to humans, primarily in service industries.

Robots of this variety are expected to become increasingly common and widespread in the coming years. The ISO 13842 international safety standard, published in 2014, classified service robots into three categories.

All types of service robots are designed to collaborate with humans, and thus face common challenges, including the need for lighter weights and more freedom in shapes and configurations. Moreover, the increasing number of units being mass-produced places a priority on reducing manufacturing costs.