Articulated arm robots for flexible product manufacturing

Details: Released: 24.02.2021; Last updated: 07.05.2024; Hits: 9380

The Melfa Industrial robots series of Mitsubishi Electric includes among others Articulated. Thanks to their high-performance motor and amplifier, they are suitable for applications that require high precision and speeds. Besides, they are Industrial robots can be combined with other devices from the manufacturer such as one SPS or with one Servomotor. Below you can find out what's new in this area and how the articulated-arm robots can be used.

Contents

Robotic arm in the age of digital transformation
Articulated arm robots cut time in test bench for exhaust gas turbochargers in half
Handling robots for efficient forklift add-on parts production
Articulated robot with Atex certification impresses inspectors
Flow stacker with articulated arm robot for sensitive components
Robot finds parts and boxes based on 3D images
Frequently asked questions

Robot arms in the age of digital transformation

May 06.05.2024, XNUMX | Mitsubishi Electric presents its new articulated robot Melfa series for the Digital transformation in automation. The robot arm combines advanced hardware, intelligent software and seamless integration into the digital manufacturing environment.

A higher one load, more Reach, a larger portfolio across all price segments while maintaining consistent industry standards. Intuitive software and tools for a safe introduction to digitalization as well as an option with Artificial intelligence: The new Melfa robot arms from Mitsubishi Electric offer all of this.

The Melfa RV-12CRL is a vertical articulated robot with a reach of 1,504 mm and a payload of 12 kg. Integrated functions to simplify commissioning and increase safety go hand in hand with less downtime. The cost-effective CR series meets the high industry standards with less variety.

Intelligent programming software

The RT-ToolBox 3 is an intuitive software for online and offline programming with simulation. It enables easy programming, flexible customization and seamless communication with other systems.

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Asset portal for digital networking

Massive amounts of data are waiting to be used. The prerequisites for a successful digital transformation were created with the Asset Portal, which facilitates digital networking.

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Articulated arm robots cut time in test bench for exhaust gas turbochargers in half

24.02.2021 | Hahn Automation has succeeded with a new development, the test procedure for the inline testing of Automotive components to cut in half. This requires three Articulated, which test turbochargers overhead in a test stand. When it comes to robotics, the company relies on compact solutions with the 6-axis articulated arm robot from the Melfa series from Mitsubishi Electric.

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Handling robots for efficient forklift add-on parts production

07.02.2020/XNUMX/XNUMX | the Durwen mechanical engineering GmbH manages this because it has implemented a high degree of automation in its production. In making his Attachments for forklifts For example, the control of the CNC milling machines communicates directly with the 6-axishandling robots from Mitsubishi Electric and does not need a higher-level master.

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Articulated robot with Atex certification impresses inspectors

10.05.2019/XNUMX/XNUMX | "Melfa" articulated robot from Mitsubishi Electric are used for a wide range of handling tasks. They are also suitable for Explosive areas. That is why the articulated-arm robots are now available with the corresponding individual certification. Because no technical modifications are required for the proof of conformity, the articulated robots can also be delivered without major delays.

Approval of technical devices for potentially explosive atmospheres in accordance with the European Union directive 2014/34 / EU (Atex product directive) requires the individual acceptance of each product for the specific application environment.

In response to customer demand, Mitsubishi Electric recently had two 6-axis articulated robot of the RV series with a maximum load capacity of 7 kg and protection class IP67 as standard by the explosion protection specialist AEP Zimmer from Mannheim: The RV-7FRM-D Ex3G robot achieves explosion protection class II 3G c IIB T3 Gc.

“The inspectors were highly impressed by the product because no modifications were necessary to the standard devices,” says Michael Finke, Product Manager Robots at Mitsubishi Electric. "Only the operating instructions had to be expanded to include a chapter that contains special information on the use of industrial robots in potentially explosive areas."

Because the articulated robots have their Ex-suitability ex works - including the possibility of creating negative or positive pressure in the housing - this industrial robotics can be delivered at short notice with Atex certification.

“The current devices were designed for 2 Zone (gases, vapours) certified,” says Michael Finke. Typical areas of application for Atex robots are paint shops and handling tasks in areas where explosive atmospheres can occur.

Robot finds parts and boxes based on 3D images

02.11.2017 | Exhibited at Motek 2017 Isy's vision the completely revised version of his application Mikado ARC - Adaptive Robot Control before. The 3D vision system on a Mitsubishi Electric RV-4FLM articulated robot communicates in real time with the associated robot controller. The system is designed for continuous operation and can be adapted extremely quickly to new workflows thanks to the software.

The Reach into the parts box (Bin-picking) is ubiquitous in industrial assembly but notoriously difficult to automate. With a Mikado ARC control, gripping positions are no longer permanently taught or programmed, but the articulated robot finds the parts independently based on the 3D image. The sequence of movements for grabbing, driving and putting down is checked for collisions. Within the workspace, Mikado ARC can also find the supplied crates. The gripped parts are transferred to subsequent machines in the correct position or placed in blister packs, magazines or other receptacles.

Sensitivity of the gripping and movement process customizable

The sensitivity of the gripping and movement process in Mikado ARC can be adjusted: it pushes aside robust semi-finished products if necessary, and grips sensitive products without colliding. the 3D-Image Processing by Mikado ARC can also difficult, i. H. detect particularly dark or shiny metallic parts and is largely insensitive to extraneous light.

Mikado ARC provides straightforward tools for defining the robot cell. Workpieces are simply defined by taking over the existing CAD data. The path calculation and the finding and depositing of the parts then take place autonomously and unattended.

No special knowledge is required to set up the robot: where a programmer used to spend two days changing products, the production manager can now, for example, drag and drop parameterize what he considers the best picking solution for the process. Furthermore, the new system version enables simulation for risk-free error checking and optimization before commissioning. Adapting to the new workflow only takes ten minutes – visitors to the stand were able to see this for themselves.

Although designed as a universal system, Mikado ARC was designed for the Melfa robot developed "because Mitsubishi Electric supports its partners in an exemplary manner. What we can present here after only three years is an enormous success,” says Rene Purwin, project manager at Isys Vision. For Mitsubishi Electric, the image processing specialist has been a long-standing competence partner whose expertise and quality the company relies on. “With this offer, we help our customers optimize their production without unnecessary development effort,” says Wolfram Zielke, Key Account Manager at Mitsubishi Electric.

Flow stacker with articulated arm robot for sensitive components

01.06.2017/XNUMX/XNUMX | Mitsubishi Electric presented a tasty surprise at the Hanover Fair: Am GOT2000 operator terminal of the throughfeed stacker DS-800 from LTL Maschinenbau with compact robot cell RV-2FB-D1-S15 from Mitsubishi Electric, the visitor could select a chocolate coin in the tray and have it issued by the robot.

Automated stackers like that LTL mechanical engineering GmbH, a provider of cross-industry solutions for workpiece handling, play a key role as buffers and assembly aids in production. The supply and storage system filled with chocolate for items in reusable goods carriers (trays) is a type DS-800 flow stacker, which was specially developed for surface or contour-sensitive components such as in plastic injection molding and can achieve container change times of less than 5 s. Depending on the customer's choice, the parts are handled by a Cartesian 3-axis system or an industrial robot.

Scale Robots – off to digital transformation

In the application shown, a vertical Melfa RV-2FB-D1-S15 articulated arm robot is used. “The highlight of the Mitsubishi Electric robot is its mounting on the cell ceiling. This enables us to design the handling processes in an optimal and compact manner,” says a delighted Frank Dollner, CEO of LTL. The agile and 19 kg light robots are predestined for work in the tightest of spaces such as assembly, loading, palletizing and sorting. Their high positioning repeatability of ±0,02 mm makes them interesting even for joining tasks.

The long service life of the robotic solution requires a corresponding machine design. Here LTL offers a solid steel construction and cell windows made of safety glass. The handling specialist generally recommends equipping with a Melfa robot and gives several reasons for this: "The Mitsubishi Electric Robot has a particularly good price-performance ratio and offers all Melsec control with the GOT2000 touch panel as an integration kit for OEM customers, a one-stop solution. But above all, the colleagues from Mitsubishi Electric provide excellent support.”

Frequently asked questions

What is a 6 axis robot?

A 6-axis robot, also known as a 6-axis manipulator, is a type of industrial robot, which has six degrees of freedom. These degrees of freedom allow the robot to move in six different directions: three translations along the X, Y and Z axes and three rotations around these axes. This allows the robot to perform complex movements and work at different angles, making it versatile, e.g. B. in the automotive industry, manufacturing and assembly.

What is a Delta Robot?

A delta robot is a special type of Parallel robots, which is often used in applications that require high speed and precision, such as: B. Packaging, food production and electronics assembly. It consists of a stationary base and three or more parallel arms attached to movable platforms that move from top to bottom.

How many axes does a robot have?

A robot can do one Any number of axles, depending on its design and intended use. Typically, industrial robots have 4 to 6 axes, with 6-axis robots being the most common.

What are degrees of freedom in robots?

Degrees of freedom in robots are the number of independent movement possibilities that a robot has in a space. They determine how flexible the robot is able to change its position and orientation to complete different tasks. In short, they define the Movement of the robot.