NC, CNC & Robotics

By S K Mondal

What is NC/CNC?
NC is an acronym for Numerical Control and CNC is an

acronym for Computer Numerical Control.

What is the difference between NC and CNC ?

The difference between NC and CNC is one of age and

capability.
The earliest NC machines performed limited functions
and movements controlled by punched tape or punch
cards.
As the technology evolved, the machines were equiped
with increasingly powerful microprocessors (computers)
with the addition of these computers, NC machines
become CNC machines.
CNC machines have far more capability than their
predecessor.
contd..

What is the difference between NC and CNC ?

Some of the enhancements that came along with CNC

include: Canned Cycles, Sub Programming, Cutter

Compensation, Work coordinates, Coordinate system

rotation, automatic corner rounding, chamfering, and Bspline interpolation.

Where did CNC get started?

1940 Jhon Parson developed first machine able to drill

holes at specific coordinates programmed on punch

cards.
1951 MIT developed servo-mechanism
1952 MIT developed first NC machines for milling.
1970 First CNC machines came into picture

Now-a-days modified 1970s machines are used.

Do all machines speak the same CNC

language
No, while there is fairly standard set of G and M codes,

there is some variation in their application. For example

a G0 or G00 command is universally regarded as the

command for rapid travel. Some older machines do not

have a G00 command. On these machines, rapid travel is
commanded by using the F (feed) word address.

What is a Conversational Control

CNC machine tool builders offer an option what is

known as the conversational control. This control lets

the

operator/programmer

use

simple

descriptive

language to program the part. The control then

displayed a graphical representation of the instructions
so the operator/programmer can verify the tool path.

Are CNC machines faster than

conventional machines?
Yes, No, Sometimes. When it comes to making a single,

simple part it is hard to beat a conventional mill or lathe.

CNC machines move faster in rapid travel than
conventional machines.

Are CNC machines more accurate

than conventional machines?
Yes, they can be. But like anything else it depends on

who is running the machine, how well the machines has

been maintained, quality of setup and so on.

NC/CNC Machines-Advantages
High Repeatability and Precision e.g. Aircraft parts

Volume of production is very high

Complex contours/surfaces need to be machined. E.g.

Turbines
Flexibility in job change, automatic tool settings, less
scrap
More safe, higher productivity, better quality
Less paper work, faster prototype production, reduction
in lead times

NC/CNC Machines-Disadvantages
Costly setup, skilled operators
Computers, programming knowledge required
Maintenance is difficult

NC/CNC/DNC
Direct Numerical Control is a system that uses a

central computer to control several machines at the same

time
Distributed Numerical Control (DNC): the central
computer downloads complete programs to the CNC
machines, which can be workstations or PCs, and can get
the information for the machine operations.
The speed of the system is increased, large files can be
handled and the number of machine tools used is
expanded.
12

Direct numerical control

13

DNC

14

Stepper Motor
The stepper motor is special type of synchronous motor

which is designed to rotate through a specific angle

(Called step) for each electrical pulse received from the

control unit.

Basic CNC Principles

Basic Length Unit (BLU)

In NC machine, the displacement length per one pulse

output from machine is defined as a Basic Length Unit

(BLU).
In the CNC computer each bit (binary digit) represents 1
BLU.
Bit = BLU
Example: If one pulse makes a servo motor rotate by one
degree and the servo motor moves the table by 0.0001
mm, one BLU will be 0.0001 mm.
The lead of a ball screw is related to the displacement
unit of the machine tool table.

Control Systems possible in CNC Machine

Point to point mode:

Point-to-point straight line mode

Co-ordinate system
All the machine tool use Cartesian Co-ordinate system.

The first axis to be identified is the Z axis, This is

followed by X and Y axes respectively.

Right-hand coordinate systems

5 axes CNC vertical axis machining centre configuration

Absolute and Incremental Coordinate System

Absolute Coordinate System

Incremental Coordinate System

The following are the steps to be followed

while developing the CNC part programs.
Process planning
Axes selection
Tool selection

Cutting process parameters planning

Job and tool setup planning
Machining path planning
Part program writing

Part program proving

 For a CNC machine control unit (MCU) decides cutting

speed, feed, depth of cut, tool selection , coolant on off

and tool paths. The MCU issues commands in form of
numeric data to motors that position slides and tool
accordingly.

Part Programming
FANUC CONTROLL
SIEMENS CONTROLL

CNC programming
Important things to know:

Coordinate System
Units, incremental or absolute positioning
Coordinates: X,Y,Z, RX,RY,RZ
Feed rate and spindle speed
Coolant Control: On/Off, Flood, Mist
Tool Control: Tool and tool parameters

Programming Key Letters

O - Program number (Used for program identification)
N - Sequence number (Used for line identification)

G - Preparatory function
X - X axis designation

Y - Y axis designation
Z - Z axis designation
R - Radius designation
F Feed rate designation
S - Spindle speed designation
H - Tool length offset designation
D - Tool radius offset designation
T - Tool Designation
M - Miscellaneous function

Table of Important G codes

Code

Meaning

Format

G00
G01

Rapid Transverse
Linear Interpolation

N__G00 X___ Y___ Z___

N__G01 X___ Y___ Z___ F___

G02

Circular Interpolation,
CW

N__G02 X__ Y__ Z___ R___ F___

Circular Interpolation,
CCW

N__G03 X___ Y___ Z__R__F___

G04
G17

Dwell
XY Plane

N__G04P___

G18

XZ Plane

G19

YZ Plane

G03

N__G02 X___ Y__Z__I ___J __K __ F __

N__G03 X__ Y__Z__I __J __K __ F __

Table of Important G codes

Code

Meaning

Format

G20/G70 Inch Unit

G21/G71 Metric Unit
G28

Automatic Return to Reference

Point

G40

Cutter compensation cancel

G41
G42

Cutter compensation left

Cutter compensation right

N__G41D__
N__G42D__

G43

Tool length compensation

(plus)

N__G43H__

Table of Important G codes

Code Meaning

Format

G44

Tool length compensation

(minus)

N__G44H__

G49

Tool length compensation

cancel

G80

Cancel canned cycles

G81
G90

Drilling cycle
Absolute positioning

G91
G92

Incremental positioning
Absolute preset, change the N__G92X__Y__Z__
datum position

N__G81 Z__R__F__

Rapid traverse: G00

G00:
to make the machine move at maximum speed.
It is used for positioning motion.

G90 G00 X20.0 Y10.0

End

G90:
absolute
coordinates

Start

(20,10)
(10,10)

(0,0)

Linear interpolation: G01

G01:
linear interpolation at feed speed.

G91 G0l X200.0 Y100.0 F200.0

G91:
incremental
coordinates

Y
End

100.0

Start

200.0

Circular interpolation: G02, G03

G02, G03:
For circular interpolation, the tool destination and the circle

center are programmed in one block

G02 is clockwise interpolation, G03 is counterclockwise
interpolation
G 02
R
G17
X __ Y __
G 03
I __
G 02
R
G18
X
__
Z
__

G
03

I __

F __;
J __

F __;
K __

G 02
R
G19
Y __ Z __
G 03
J __

F __;
K __

End
point

Circle center, radius

Circular interpolation: G02, G03

Y
X

R=-50mm

End

Specify R with
sign before it:
180 +R

Start

R=50mm

G91 G02 X60.0 Y20.0 R50.0 F300.0

G91 G02 X60.0 Y20.0 R-50.0 F300.0

>180 -R

Circular interpolation: G02, G03

Y

Specify Center with I, J, K

End

I, J, K are the incremental

distance from the start of

the arc;

X
Start
j

Center
i

Viewing the start of arc as

the origin, I, J, K have

positive or negative signs.

Circular interpolation: G02, G03

N0010 G92 X200.0 Y40.0 Z0 ;
N0020 G90 G03 X140.0 Y100.0 I -60.0 F300
N0030 G02 X120. 0 Y60.0 I- 50.0

G92:
To define working
coordinate

Or

N0010 G92 X200.0 Y40.0 Z0

N0020 G90 G03 X140.0 Y100.0 R60.0 F300
N0030 G02 X120.0 Y60.0 R50.0
G90:
absolute
coordinates

Y
100
60
40

R50
R60
X

90 120 140

200

Circular interpolation: G02, G03

Annotation for Circular Interpolation
I0.0, J0.0, and K0.0 can be omitted.
If X,Y,Z are all omitted in the program, that means

start and end of arc are same points.

N0020 G02 I20.0 (a full circle)
If I, J, K, and R all appears in circular interpolation

instruction, R is valid and I, J, and K are invalid

Tool Compensation
Tool-Radius Compensation
Left hand G41
Right hand G42

Cancel tool-radius compensation G40

Tool-Height Compensation
Positive G43

Negative G44
Cancel tool-height compensation G49

Tool-Radius Compensation
Tool-radius compensations make it possible to
program directly from the drawing, and thus eliminate
the tool-offset calculation

G41 (G42) D
D: the radius of tool to compensate is saved in a memory unit that

is named D
G41/G42 is directly related with direction of tool movement and
which side of part is cut.

Cancel Tool Compensation: G40

Note the difference between two ways
N0060 G40 G01 X2.000 Y1.700 M02

ramp off block

N0060 G01 X2.000 Y1.700

N0070 G40 M02

effective to the end point

Tool-Height Compensation
G43 (G44) H
H: specified memory unit used to save height
compensation of tool.
Positive compensation (G43):
real position = specified position + value saved in H
Negative compensation (G44):
real position = specified position - value saved in H

Tool-Height Compensation
Example:
N0010 G91 G00 X12.0 Y80.0
N0020 G44 Z-32.0 H02

G91:
incremental
coordinates

If we put 0.5mm into H02,

real position = -32.0 - 0.5 = -32.5

Cancel tool-height compensation: G49

Table of Important M codes

M00 Program stop
M01 Optional program stop

M03 Spindle on clockwise

M04 Spindle on counterclockwise

M05 Spindle stop

M06 Tool change
M08 Coolant on

M09 Coolant off

M10 Clamps on
M11 Clamps off

M02 or M30 Program stop, reset to start

Rules for programming

Block Format

N135 G01 X1.0 Y1.0 Z0.125 F5

Sample Block
Restrictions on CNC blocks
Each may contain only one tool move
Each may contain any number of non-tool move G-codes
Each may contain only one feed rate
Each may contain only one specified tool or spindle speed
The block numbers should be sequential
Both the program start flag and the program number must be
independent of all other commands (on separate lines)
The data within a block should follow the sequence shown
in the above sample block

Example of CNC Programming

What Must Be Done To Drill A Hole On A CNC
Vertical Milling Machine

Top
View

Front
View

O0001
N005 G54 G90 S600 M03
N010 G00 X1.0 Y1.0
N015 G43 H01 Z.1 M08
N020 G01 Z-.75 F3.5
N025 G00 Z.1 M09
N030 G91 G28 X0 Y0 Z0
N035 M30
M30

End of Program

APT Language
APT (Automatically Programmed Tools)
The APT language consists of many different types of
statements made up of the following valid letters, numerals
and punctuation marks.
Letters:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Numerals: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
/
A slash divides a statement into two sections. eg.,
GO/PAST,
,
A comma is used as a separator between the elements in
a statement generally to the right of the slash.
= An equals is used for assigning an entity to a symbolic
name, e.g., P1 = POINT/25,50,30.

Words
The words to be used in the statements are built up from

one to six letters or numerals with the first one being a

letter. No special character is allowed in the words.

The complete APT part program consists of

the following four types of statements
Geometry
Motion
Post processor
Compilation control

Other Part Programming Languages

ADAPT (ADaptation APT) was the first attempt to adapt APT

programming system for smaller computers

AUTOSPOT (AUTOmatic Sytem for POsitioning Tools) was
developed by IBM and first introduced in 1962
EXAPT (EXtended subset of APT) was developed jointly in
German in about 1964 by several universities to adapt APT for
European use. It is compatible with APT and thus can use the
same processor as APT
COMPACT was developed by Manufacturing Data Systems, Inc.
(MDSI)
SPLIT (Sundstrand Processing Language Internally Translated)
was developed by Sundstrand Corporation, intended for its own
machine tools
MAPT (Micro-APT) is a subset of APT, to be run on the
microcomputers
58

APT Language
Additional statements:
MACHIN/DRILL, 2

COOLNT/

For example: COOLNT/MIST COOLNT/FLOOD COOLNT/OFF

FEDRAT/
SPINDL/
For example: SPINDL/ON SPINDL/1250, CCLW
TOOLNO/
TURRET/
END

59

Point (POINT)
PTA = POINT/ 3,4,5
y
(3, 4, 5)
PTA

Point (POINT)
PTB = POINT/ INTOF, LIN1, LIN2

LIN2

PTB

LIN1

Point (POINT)
PTD = POINT/ YSMALL, INTOF, LIN3, C1
PTD = POINT/ XSMALL, INTOF, LIN3, C1
PTC = POINT/ YLARGE, INTOF, LIN3, C1
PTC = POINT/ XLARGE, INTOF, LIN3, C1

PTC

LIN3
C1
PTD

Point (POINT)
PTE = POINT/ YLARGE, INTOF, C1, C2
PTE = POINT/ XLARGE, INTOF, C1, C2
PTF = POINT/ YSMALL, INTOF, C1, C2
PTF = POINT/ XSMALL, INTOF, C1, C2

C1
PTE

PTF

C2

Point (POINT)
PT7 = POINT/ CENTER, C6
y
C6

PT7

Line (LINE)
LIN1 = LINE/ P1, P2
y
P2

P1

LIN1
x

Line (LINE)
LIN4 = LINE/ PT6, 15, -30, 3
y
PT6

L4

(15, -30, 3)

Line (LINE)
L12 = LINE/ PT4, ATANGL, 20, XAXIS
L14 = LINE/ PT1, ATANGL, 40
L15 = LINE/ 32, -3, 2, ATANGL, -15, XAXIS
L16 = LINE/ PT3, ATANGL, 40, YAXIS
y
PT3

L14

40

L12

PT1

L16

PT4

40

L15

20
15

(32, -3, 2)

Line (LINE)
LIN = LINE/ POINT, ATANGL, ANGLE (in degrees), LINE
y
LINE2

P1

30

LINE1

LINE2 = LINE/ P1, ATANGL, 30, LINE1

x

Line (LINE)
LIN = LINE/ SLOPE, SLOPE VALUE, INTERC, MODIFIER, d
where the slope value is y/x. The modifier options are [XAXIS,
YAXIS], and d is the corresponding intercept value on the selected
axis (i.e., modifier).
y

LINE1

LINE1 = LINE/ SLOPE, 1, INTERC, XAXIS, 6

x

(6,0) Point of X-Intercept

Line (LINE)
LIN = LINE/ ATANGL, DEGREES, INTERC, MODIFIER, d
The modifier options are [XAXIS, YAXIS], and d is the
corresponding intercept value on the selected axis (i.e., modifier).

LINE1

LINE1 = LINE/ ATANGL, 30, INTERC, d

= 30

Line (LINE)
The LEFT & RIGHT modifier indicates whether the line
is at the left or right tangent point, depending on how
one looks at the circle from the point.

L1 = LINE/ PT51, LEFT, TANTO, C11

L1
C11
PT51

Line (LINE)
L2 = LINE/ PT51, RIGHT, TANTO, C11
L3 = LINE/ PT40, RIGHT, TANTO, C11
L4 = LINE/ PT40, LEFT, TANTO, C11
L3

Right

PT40

L1
Left
Left

L4

PT51
Right

L2

Line (LINE)
L6 = LINE/ LEFT, TANTO, C3, LEFT, TANTO, C4
L6
C4
Left

C3
Right

L8

L9

L7

The descriptive words LEFT and RIGHT are used by

looking from the first circle written towards the
second circle.

Line (LINE)
L6 = LINE/ RIGHT, TANTO, C4, RIGHT, TANTO, C3

L6
Right

C3
Left
L8

L9
L7

C4

Line (LINE)
LN3 = LINE/ PNT6, PARLEL, LN15
LN4 = LINE/ PNT5, PERPTO, LN13
y

PNT6

PNT5

LN3
LN4

LN15

LN13

Line
LN5 = LINE/ INTOF, PLAN1, PLAN2
LN5

PLAN1
PLAN2

Plane (PLANE)
PLAN10 = PLANE/ PT6, PT12, PT15

PLAN10
PT15

PT6

PT12

3.0

PT4
z

PLAN14

Plane (PLANE)
PLAN14 = PLANE/ PT4, PARLEL, PLAN10
PLAN14 = PLANE/ PARLEL, PLAN10, YSMALL, 3.0
PLAN10
PT15
y

PT6

PT12
3.0

PT4
z
PLAN14

Circle (CIRCLE)

C1 = CIRCLE/ 3, 6, 5, 4.3
C1 = CIRCLE/ CENTER, PT3, RADIUS, 4.3
y
C1

4.3
PT3
(3,6,5)

Circle (CIRCLE)
C3 = CIRCLE/ CENTER, PT6, TANTO, LN4
C7 = CIRCLE/ CENTER, PT8, PT5
y

LN4
PT5

PT6

PT8
C7

C3

The Machining Plan

Contouring:
Part surface: the surface on which the end of the

tool is riding.
Drive surface: the surface against which the edge of

the tool rides.

Check surface: a surface at which the current tool

motion is to stop.

The Machining Plan

Check surface

Drive surface
y

cutter

Direction of
cutter motion

Part surface

The Machining Plan

CS

CS

DS

TO

CS

DS

ON

DS

PAST

The Machining Plan

Motion commands:
GOLFT/

: Move left along the drive surface

GORGT/

: Move right along the drive surface

GOUP/

: Move up along the drive surface

GODOWN/ : Move down along the drive surface

GOFWD/

: Move forward from a tangent position

GOBACK/ : Move backward from a tangent position

GOUP

GOLFT

GOBACK

GOFWD
Present tool
position
GORGT
GODOWN

Previous
tool position

FROM/PTARG
GO/TO, L1, TO, PL2, TO L3
GORGT/L3, PAST, L4

Machining Specifications
Postprocessor commands for a particular machine tool are:

MACHIN/ : used to specify the machine tool and call the

postprocessor for that tool:
MACHIN/ DRILL, 3
COOLNT/ : allows the coolant fluid to be turned on or off:

COOLNT/ MIST
COOLNT/ FLOOD
COOLNT/ OFF

Machining Specifications
FEDRAT/ : specifies the feed rate for moving the tool along the
part surface in inches per minute:

FEDRAT/ 4.5
SPINDL/ : gives the spindle rotation speed in revolutions per
minute:
SPINDL/ 850
TURRET/ : can be used to call a specific tool from an automatic
tool changer:
TURRET/ 11

Machining Specifications
TOLERANCE SETTING: Nonlinear motion is accomplished in
straight-line segments, and INTOL/ and OUTTOL/ statements
dictate the number of straight-line segments to be generated.
INTOL/ 0.0015

OUTTOL/ 0.001

Machining Specifications
PARTNO: identifies the part program and is inserted at the start of
the program.

CLPRNT: indicates that a cutter location printout is desired.

CUTTER: specifies a cutter diameter for offset (rough versus finish
cutting). If a milling cutter is 0.5 in. in diameter and we have

CUTTER/ 0.6
then the tool will be offset from the finish cut by 0.05 in.

Machining Specifications
FINI: specifies the end of the program.

APT Language
Other Motion statements:
GO/{TO}, Drive surface, {TO} Part surface, {TO},

Check surface

Or
GO/{TO}, Drive surface, {TO} Part surface, {TANTO},

Check surface
And the same with PAST or ON instead of TO
GOLFT/
GORGT/
GOUP/
GODOWN/
GOFWD/
GOBACK/
For example:
GO/TO, L1, TO, PS, TANTO, C1
GO/PAST, L1, TO, PS, TANTO, C1

93

IES-2008
Name the four types of statements in a complete APT
part program. Prepare part program for geometry
description of the contour shown in the figure below:
Y
[15-Marks]
30

40

20

L2

L3
135

80

20

C1

L4
L1
C2
L5
P2

20

20

P1
X

IES-2007
Prepare part using APT language for milling the contour
shown in Fig. in a single pass.
110

C
B

[20-Marks]

R30
Q

110
120

E
R40

40

+ 40

100

P
Material : M S.
8 mm

Answer:
PARTNO CONTOUR
MACHIN/MILL, 2
CLPRNT
UNITS/MM
P0 = POINT/0.0, 0.0, 10.0
PTA = POINT/0.0, 0.0, 0.0
PTB = POINT/0.0, 120.0, 0.0
PTC = POINT/30.0, 150.0, 0.0
PTD = POINT/140.0, 150.0, 0.0
PTE = POINT/140.0, 40.0, 0.0
PTF = POINT/100.0, 0.0, 0.0
PTQ = POINT/30.0, 120.0, 0.0
PTP = POINT/140.0, 0.0, 0.0
LAB = LINE/PTA, PTB
LCD = LINE/PTC, PTD
LDE = LINE/PTD, PTE
LAF = LINE/PTA, PTF
CBC = CIRCLE/CENTRE, PTQ, RADIUS, 30.0
CEF = CIRCLE/CENTRE, PTP, RADIUS, 40.0
PL1=PLANE/PTA, PTB, PTC

Contd.
CUTTER/25.0
TOLER/0.1
INTOL/0.05
OUTTOL/0.05
FEDRAT/200
SPINDL/500, CLW
COOLNT/ON
FROM/P0
GO/TO, LAB, TO, PL1, TO, LAF
GOLFT/LAB, TANTO, CBC
GOFWD/CBC, PAST, LCD
GORGT/LCD, PAST, LDE
GORGT/LDE, PAST, CEF
GORGT/CEF, PAST, LAF
GORGT/LAF, PAST, LAB

Contd.
RAPID
GOTO/P0
COOLNT/OFF
SPINDL/OFF
END
FINI

IES-2006
Prepare part program to machine the contour shown in
the figure using APT on CNC milling machine.
[15-Marks]
R30

R20

100 mm
80

50

60
200 mm

Material: MS

Thickness: 8.0 mm

Home Work
Write a complete part program in APT for machining
the product which is given in the diagram. Thickness of
the workpiece is 6 mm. All dimensions are in mm.
[15]

PARTNO CONTOUR
MACHIN/MILL, 1
CLPRNT
UNITS/MM
P0 = POINT/-25.0,-25.0, 25.0
P1 = POINT/0.0, 0.0, 6.0
P2 = POINT/117.0, 32.0, 6.0
P3 = POINT/117.0, -32.0, 6.0
C1=CIRCLE/CENTER, P1, RADIUS, 10.0
C2=CIRCLE/CENTER, P2, RADIUS, 12.5
C3=CIRCLE/CENTER, P3, RADIUS, 12.5

L1 = LINE/RIGHT, TANTO, C1, RIGHT, TANTO, C3

L2 = LINE/LEFT, TANTO, C1, LEFT, TANTO, C2
C4=CIRCLE/XLARGE, OUT, C2, OUT, C3, RADIUS, 62
PL1=PLANE/P1, P2, P3
REMARK POSTPROCESSOR STATEMENT FOLLOW
CUTTER/50.0
TOLER/0.01
INTOL/0.05
OUTTOL/0.05
FEDRAT/200
SPINDL/1000, CLW
COOLNT/ON

REMARK MOTION STATEMENT FOLLOW

FROM/P0
GO/TO, L1, TO, PL1, TANTO, C1
GORGT/L1, TANTO, C3
GOFWD/C3, TANTO, C4
GOFWD/C4, TANTO, C2
GOFWD/C2, PAST, L2
GOFWD/L2, TANTO, C1
GOFWD/C1, PAST, L1
RAPID
GOTO/P0
COOLNT/OFF
SPINDL/OFF
END
FINI

Robotics

What is an industrial robot?

A robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional
manipulator designed to handle material, parts, tools or
specialized devices through variable programmed
motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.

Advantages of Robots

Robotics and automation can, in many situation, increase

productivity, safety, efficiency, quality, and consistency of

products
Robots can work in hazardous environments
Robots need no environmental comfort
Robots work continuously without any humanity needs and
illnesses
Robots have repetable precision at all times
Robots can be much more accurate than humans, they may have
mili or micro inch accuracy.
Robots and their sensors can have capabilities beyond that of
humans
Robots can process multiple stimuli or tasks simultaneously,
humans can only one.
Robots replace human workers who can create economic
problems

Disadvantages of Robots

Robots lack capability to respond in emergencies, this can cause:

Inappropriate and wrong responses
A lack of decision-making power
A loss of power
Damage to the robot and other devices
Human injuries
Robots may have limited capabilities in
Degrees of Freedom
Dexterity
Sensors
Vision systems
Real-time Response
Robots are costly, due to
Initial cost of equipment
Installation Costs
Need for peripherals
Need for training
Need for Programming

What Can Robots Do?

Industrial Robots
Material handling
Material transfer
Machine loading and/or unloading
Spot welding
Continuous arc welding
Spray coating
Assembly
Inspection

Material Handling
Manipulator

Assembly
Manipulator

Spot Welding

Asimov's three laws of robotics

First law (Human safety):
A robot may not injure a human being, or, through
inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
Second law (Robots are slaves):
A robot must obey orders given it by human beings,
except where such orders would conflict with the First
Law.
Third law (Robot survival):
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such
protection does not conflict with the First or Second
Law.

All robots have the following basic components:

1. Manipulators: the mechanical unit, often called the
"arm," that does the actual work of the robot. It is
composed of mechanical linkages and joints with actuators
to drive the mechanism directly or indirectly through gears,
chains, or ball screws.
2. Feedback devices: transducers that sense the positions of
various linkages and joints and transmit this information to
the controllers in either digital or analog Form.
3. End effectors: the "hand" or "gripper" portion of the
robot, which attaches the end of the arm and perform the
operations of the robot.
4. Controller: the brains of the system that direct the
movements of the manipulator.
5. Power supply

Wrist Configurations
Wrist assembly is attached to end-of-arm
End effector is attached to wrist assembly
Function of wrist assembly is to orient end effector
Body-and-arm determines global position of end
effector
Two or three degrees of freedom:
Roll
Pitch
Yaw

End Effectors
The special tooling for a robot that enables it to
perform a specific task
Two types:
Grippers to grasp and manipulate objects (e.g.,
parts) during work cycle
Tools to perform a process, e.g., spot welding, spray
painting

Grippers and Tools

Degrees of Freedom
The degree of freedom or grip of a robotic system can be

compared to the way in which the human body moves.

For each degree of freedom a joint is required.
The degrees of freedom located in the arm define the

configuration.
Each of the five basic motion configurations utilizes three

degrees of freedom in the arm.

Three degrees of freedom located in the wrist give the end

effector all the flexibility.

Degrees of Freedom (contd.)

A total of six degrees of freedom is needed to locate a

robots hand at any point in its work space.

Although six degrees of freedom are needed for
maximum flexibility, most robot employee only three to
five degrees of freedom.
The more the degrees of freedom, the greater is the
complexity of motions encountered.
The three degrees of freedom located in the arm of
a robotic system are:
The rotational reverse: is the movement of the arm
assembly about a rotary axis, such as left-and-right
swivel of the robots arm about a base.

Degrees of Freedom (contd.)

The radial traverse: is the extension and retraction

of the arm or the in-and-out motion relative to the

base.
The vertical traverse: provides the up-and-down
motion of the arm of the robotic system.
The three degrees of freedom located in the wrist,
which bear the names of aeronautical terms, are
Pitch or bend: is the up-and-down movement of the
wrist.
Yaw: is the right-and-left movement of the wrist.
Roll or swivel: is the rotation of the hand.

Types of Robot
Cartesian or Gantry
robot:
It's a robot whose arm
has
three
prismatic
joints, whose axes are
coincident
with
a
Cartesian coordinator.
Used for pick and place
work, application of
sealant,
assembly
operations,
handling
machine tools and arc
welding.

Types of Robot
Cylindrical robot:

It's a robot whose axes

form a cylindrical
coordinate system.
Used for assembly
operations, handling at
machine tools, spot
welding, and handling
at
die
casting
machines.

Types of Robot
Spherical or

Polar robot:
It's a robot whose axes
form a polar coordinate
system.
Used for handling at
machine tools, spot
welding,
diecasting,
fettling machines, gas
welding
and
arc
welding.

Types of Robot
SCARA robot
The

SCARA
acronym stands
for Selective Compliant Assembly
Robot Arm or Selective Compliant
Articulated Robot Arm.
It's a robot which has two parallel
rotary joints to provide compliance
in a plane
Used for pick and place work,
application of sealant, assembly
operations and handling machine
tools

Types of Robot
Articulated

or

Revolute Robot:
It's a robot whose arm
has at least three rotary
joints.
Used for assembly
operations, die casting,
fettling machines, gas
welding, arc welding
and spray painting.

Types of Robot
Parallel robot

One use is a mobile

platform
handling
cockpit
flight
simulators. It's a robot
whose
arms
have
concurrent prismatic
or rotary joints.

Joint Drive Systems

Electric
Uses electric motors to actuate individual joints
Preferred drive system in today's robots
Hydraulic
Uses hydraulic pistons and rotary vane actuators
Noted for their high power and lift capacity
Pneumatic
Typically limited to smaller robots and simple material
transfer applications

Robot Control Systems

Limited sequence control pick-and-place

operations using mechanical stops to set positions

Playback with point-to-point control records
work cycle as a sequence of points, then plays back
the sequence during program execution
Playback with continuous path control
greater memory capacity and/or interpolation
capability to execute paths (in addition to points)
Intelligent control exhibits behavior that makes
it seem intelligent, e.g., responds to sensor inputs,
makes decisions, communicates with humans

Robot Control System

Joint 1

Joint 2

Cell
Supervisor

Level 2

Controller
& Program

Level 1

Joint 3

Joint 4

Joint 5

Joint 6

Sensors

Level 0

Working Envelope

Robotic Arc-Welding Cell

Robot performs
flux-cored arc
welding (FCAW)
operation at one
workstation
while fitter
changes parts at
the other
workstation

Robot Programming
Leadthrough programming
Work cycle is taught to robot by moving the

manipulator through the required motion cycle and

simultaneously entering the program into controller
memory for later playback
Robot programming languages
Textual programming language to enter commands
into robot controller
Simulation and off-line programming
Program is prepared at a remote computer terminal
and downloaded to robot controller for execution
without need for leadthrough methods

Leadthrough Programming
1. Powered leadthrough
Common for point-topoint robots
Uses teach pendant
2. Manual leadthrough
Convenient for
continuous path
control robots
Human programmer
physical moves
manipulator

Leadthrough Programming Advantages

Advantages:
Easily learned by shop personnel
Logical way to teach a robot

No computer programming

Disadvantages:
Downtime during programming

Limited programming logic capability

Not compatible with supervisory control

CAD
Computer Aided Design (CAD): Used for creating the
product database

Geometric Modeling

Engineering Analysis

Design Review and Evaluation

Automated Drafting

CAM

Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM):

Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP)
Computerized material Resource Planning (MRP)
NC part programming

Robot Programming
Computerized Scheduling
Computerized process control

Computerized Manufacturing Control by FMS

Shop floor control
Computer Aided Quality Control (CAQC)

Computer Aided Inspection

Automation

Automation is the process of following a predetermined

sequence of operations with little or no human intervention,
using specialized equipment and devices that perform and
control the manufacturing process.
Why go for Automation?
1. Increased productivity
2. Reduced cost of labour
3. Improved quality
4. Reduced in-process inventory
5. Reduce Manufacturing time
6. Increased safety
There are three types of Automation
1. Fixed Automation
2. Programmable Automation
3. Flexible Automation

Fixed Automation

Automation

It is also known as hard automation.

Used to produce a standardized product.
Used for very large quantity production of one or few

marginally different components.

Highly specialized tools, devices, equipment, special

purpose machine tools, are utilized to produce a

product.
Very efficient, high production rate , low unit cost.

Automation
Programmable Automation
Can change the design of the product or even change the

product by changing the program.

Used for the low quantity production of large number of

different components.
Equipment are designed to be flexible or programmable.
Used for batch production.

Automation
Flexible Automation
If is also known as FMS, and uses CAD/CAM
Produce different products on the same equipment in

any order or mix.

What is an FMS?

A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is a

manufacturing system in which there is some
amount of flexibility that allows the system to
react in the case of changes.
Two categories of flexibility
Machine flexibility, covers the system's ability to be

changed to produce new product types, and ability to

change the order of operations executed on a part.
Routing flexibility, which consists of the ability to
use multiple machines to perform the same operation
on a part, as well as the system's ability to absorb
large-scale changes, such as in volume, capacity, or
capability.

FMS Components

Most FMS systems comprise of three main

systems
Work machines (typically automated CNC
machines) that perform a series of operations;
An integrated material transport system and a
computer that controls the flow of materials,
tools, and information (e.g. machining data
and machine malfunctions) throughout the
system;
Auxiliary work stations for loading and
unloading, cleaning, inspection, etc.

FMS Goals

Reduction in manufacturing cost by lowering direct

labor cost and minimizing scrap, re-work, and material

wastage.
Less skilled labor required.
Reduction in work-in-process inventory by eliminating
the need for batch processing.
Reduction in production lead time permitting
manufacturers to respond more quickly to the variability
of market demand.
Better process control resulting in consistent quality.

Advantages of FMS
Faster, lower- cost changes from one part to another

which will improve capital utilization

Lower direct labor cost, due to the reduction in number
of workers
Reduced inventory, due to the planning and
programming precision
Consistent and better quality, due to the automated
control
Lower cost/unit of output, due to the greater
productivity using the same number of workers
Savings from the indirect labor, from reduced errors,
rework, repairs and rejects

Disadvantages of FMS
Limited ability to adapt to changes in product or product

mix (e.g., machines are of limited capacity and the

tooling necessary for products, even of the same family,
is not always feasible in a given FMS)
Substantial pre-planning activity
Expensive, costing millions of dollars
Technological problems of exact component positioning
and precise timing necessary to process a component
Sophisticated manufacturing systems

Reference Book
CAD/CAM: Computer-Aided Design and
Manufacturing By Groover
CNC Machines By B. S. Pabla, M. Adithan

Machine tool design and numerical control - By

Mehta
Computer Control Of Manu. Systems By Koren

Ch-11: NC, CNC, Robotics

Q. No
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Option
A
B
A
A
D
A
A
A

Q. No
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

Option
B
D
A
C
D
A
C
B
A