The introduction of the assembly line in the manufacturing sector has served to revolutionize the industrial world has it has led to the growth and expansion of the automobile market. Assembly line robots have served to increase the extremes that can be reached in the production process as they not only increase the output quality and production speed but also lead to consistency and uniformity of output.

Despite the fact that human workers are afraid for their jobs, manufacturers are adapting the use of assembly line robots at an increasing speed due to the numerous benefits they bring to the businesses. Not only do they work at a higher speed and precision than humans, the robots can also be reprogrammed easily to carry out different tasks.

Types of Assembly Line Robots

Assembly line robots can be put into different classifications depending on the vision and force sensing technology incorporated into the roots. The vision system enables the robot to pick up a specific part from many parts. It also gives the robot the ability to join two parts in the assembly process correctly. The ability to quantify force gives assembly line robots the ability to measure how much force is required to fit two parts together without damaging any of the parts.

Application of Assembly Line Robots

Assembly line robots are mostly in the automotive industry in the fixing of motors and gear boxes. They are also used widely in the electronics industry as well as the assembly of home appliances. Assembly line robots are ideal for assembling parts that are too small and intricate to be handled by human workers. They are also used in execution of tasks that require high levels of precision as well as speed such as application of adhesive and fixing of sealants.

Benefits of Using Assembly Line Robots

• Saving on space

Assembly line robots can easily be reconfigured by a simple reprogramming set up to carry out different tasks. This means that manufacturers do not have to acquire different robots for various tasks which can be carried out by one robot. Each assembly line robot can be programmed to meet the specific needs of the manufacturer. This leads to the saving of space in the work place which can be dedicated to other processes.

• Increased quality

Application of assembly line robots in the production process assures the manufacturer of increased quality of output as not only do the robot produce unified output they are consistent as they don’t tire or fall sick. Assembly line robots are able to work at higher speeds that human workforce leading to increased productivity which can yield higher returns for the enterprise.

• Safety

Assembly line robots can be used to automate tasks that are considered to be toxic and dangerous to human workers. This enables the company to reduce the injuries caused to the workers in the course of working. Robots also take over the repetitive and dull jobs giving the workers ample time to focus on other crucial tasks.

• Increased production efficiency

The application of robots in the assembly line leads to efficiency in the production process as it leads to reduced operational costs. They are able to deliver output at a lesser time than manual workers leading to lesser costs and increased revenues. In addition, the expected rate of returns associated with assembly line robots is considerably low allowing enterprises to start benefiting from the application of robots sooner.

• Reduced damage costs

The robots used in the assembly line are now equipped with laser and cameras which enables them to accurately identify the specific item that they should be handling. This has led to the reduction of costs associated with rejoining parts that were earlier fixed wrongly. The force sensors incorporated in the robots enable them to quantify the amount of force that they should apply in the assembly of different parts preventing the damage of those parts.