29th International Symposium on Robotics Preparing for the new millennium in automation: SCARA robot design considerations, the next generation

摘要

SCARA (Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm) robots were first introduced to the industrial marketplace in the early 1980's. SCARA mechanisms have been traditionally used in high-speed assembly or material handling applications. One of the significant automation innovations at that time was the use of integrated vision to enable the SCARA robot to "see" parts to be handled. As those industries employing automation solutions continue their technological expansion, and transition into the next millennium certain design criteria will become mandatory to satisfy the manufacturing industry's new global requirements. This paper will review and project some specific design requirements that the global factory of tomorrow will demand of SCARA robotic systems. Some of these design criteria include safety, serviceability, simulation, speed, and ease of integration on the factory floor. For example recent EU regulations now mandate that industrial robots meet strict CE compliance standards. In addition smart sensor based connectivity in the work place for peripheral integration combined with statistical processing and off-line virtual programming will be key elements in the factory of the future. Multiple mechanism control, and force sensing as well as compactness of robot mechanism design to minimize work place layouts are additional considerations that will reduce costs and ease integration.