许多要求推动当今的工业运营。提高生产率并提供更灵活的推动力，加上持续的努力来提高效率，降低成本并提高质量。机器人可以帮助运营计划者实现所有这些目标。
These versatile machines are becoming easier to use, allowing them to meet rapidly-changing production requirements. This capability for easy integration is important as companies strive to become more flexible, producing a number of product types and variants instead of simply turning out high volumes of identical parts.
To date, robots chiefly have been used to reduce costs by performing highly repeatable actions at high speeds. Though a single robot can be configured to perform many different tasks, many systems are used only for a single task. Such limited use has prompted the misperception that robots are inflexible and relegated to performing one process or task. That’s definitely not the case; Robots can adapt to process changes and tasks, allowing for faster production changeover while often improving quality
三菱电动自动化产品经理Alex Bonaire说：“机器人平台本质上是灵活的。”“大多数行业都变得越来越竞争，寿命较短，迫使公司更快地上市。还需要更多的自定义，因此更多的人希望在机器人方面做更多的事情。”
3趋势促使新的看机器人
在组织过去可能没有想到使用机器人的地方，几种制造业趋势促使制造商重新考虑了他们的观点。
不断变化的编程格局.It’s becoming easier to integrate robots into existing facilities. They’re now far easier to program, so equipment can be commissioned in less time. Simplified programming continues to bring benefits throughout operational lifetimes. Robots can be set up for multiple tasks or operations allowing them to automatically change with the products, or moved to a completely different system without the need to change or edit the program..
“The limitations of robots are mainly what users can think of,” Bonaire says.
Commissioning has become simpler as simulations and 3D capabilities have improved. An entire production line, including robots, can now be simulated in 3D. Such capabilities make it easier to design production lines to meet changing production requirements. Robots connected with a vision system are able to determine what part they are working with and adjust operation accordingly, removing the need for costly, specific part presentation hardware. The programming tools for robots themselves have also improved, with more intuitive drag and drop tools, and networking capabilities allow for easier connectivity to multiple hardware platforms.
Tooling capabilities.Beyond programming, end of arm tooling is the other important aspect of a robot’s operating functions. These end effectors include painting heads, welding torches, and grippers and drills, to name just a few options. The ability to automatically change end of arm tools is a simple task. Similar to CNC tool changing, today’s robots can utilize automatic tool changes, which provides considerable flexibility for companies that want to use robots for diverse tasks.
这种适应性为传统生产设备提供了重大好处。当建立传统的生产线时，当产品达到生命的尽头时，设备通常毫无用处。使用机器人，您只需将工具调整为新产品，并在必要时修改程序。通过适当的维护，机器人可以继续提供比初始产品生命周期的投资回报率更长的时间。
Another benefit of a robot’s adaptability is the ability to be utilized as a flexible labor source. The manufacturing industry is facing a major skilled labor shortage, and viewing robots as another source of flexible labor allows manufacturers to shift workers into more skilled positions while still maintaining production levels.
Advances in safety and customization.在过去的几年中，机器人行业通过协作机器人扩大了其影响力。与传统的机器人不同，这些机器人被阻止人类远离，这些协作机器人旨在与人类紧密合作。例如，机器人可用于握住零件并旋转零件，以便人类可以在新位置的好处执行精美的工作。这一新一代协作机器人的出现通过让人们谈论新型产品来为行业提供重大的推动。
注意还集中在定制机会上。尽管协作机器人在许多环境中非常有用，但这些机器在其操作参数中具有固有的限制。Bonaire说：“当他们以最大的速度和/或承担最大的有效载荷时，他们必须以某种方式移动，以便在有联系的情况下不伤害人。”“现成的协作机器人永远不会像许多人期望的那样快速或有效。他们让操作员做事，但并非总是以最佳的方式做事。”结果，利息和功能 - 持续进行定制应用程序。
Adapting to the Demands of Modern Factories
Gone are the production needs of the past, as greater flexibility in output is required in addition to achieving speed and efficiency. One of the beauties of robots is that there are many styles that can be adapted to perform any number of jobs, from picking up light, fragile objects to carrying payloads of a ton or more. These versatile machines can also be adapted to do many tasks. A single robot could be used for pick and place one day and light welding the next.
这种灵活性，再加上精确移动以确保高度重复的质量的能力，有助于使机器人成为现代工厂必不可少的工具。
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