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by Stephanie Neil, MA Editorial Staff Posted on Friday, November 03, 2006 3:10:08 PM   | Abstract: | Manufacturers are finding new uses for smarter, faster, more flexible robots across industry sectors. |
Remember the days when the word "robot" conjured up the image of a wild-armed android wheeling around in circles bellowing "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!" from a Lost in Space episode? Well, despite the fact that robot technology has undergone a remarkable evolution since the 1960s, manufacturers have yet to come to depend upon them as much as Will Robinson did. Until now, robots have been embraced within the automotive and semiconductor industries for simple assembly applications. But even the inroads made within these sectors have not always brought the reliability and productivity enhancements expected from a robotic sidekick. That's why, when capital-budget cutbacks affect manufacturers, robots are often the first to go. But that's about to change. New technology in the form of 3-D positioning systems, tight integration with motion control, smaller footprints, and built-in intelligence are positioning robots as the perfect companion in material handling, palletizing, and packaging applications. The technology enhancements make robots a good fit for environments where human safety is an issue, laying the groundwork to propel robots out of the traditional spot-welding tasks in the automotive space and into a variety of industries including food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and paper. [Click to continue] |