While industrial robots have been around since the 1960’s, at that time they were mostly confined to the automotive industry, where they were designed to aid the manufacturing in assembly plants.
Things have come a long way since then, where industrial robots have become integral to many different industries and ways of working. Robots have also come to replace many of the daily operations that were primarily done by humans, from stock management to heavy lifting, there seems to be a robot for most things these days.
Types of industrial robots
While humans are still a vital part of many industries, there are types of robots that have been hugely popular in many different industries since the 1960’s. Here are the most common types that have been implemented in the workplace since then:
- Materials handling robots are designed to select, pack and move products. They can also be programmed to automatically move items from one place to the next which can reduce labour costs and replace oftentimes dangerous activities.
- Painting is an industry that is not often thought of to employ robots. However, it is quite practical to do so as it can promote the quality of the work and can be more reliable as well.
- Spraying, gluing, and sealing is often done by robotic arms which are programmed to spray products including glue and paint on items.
- Loading and unloading loose materials into machinery is a useful way that robots have been employed. This has lessened injuries and is often completed faster than when done by humans.
- Welding, including spot and arc welding, is a hugely useful job that has been passed down to robots. As welding can be an arduous and dangerous process, robots can replace common injuries and execute functions with a high precision and speed.