School Of Post Graduate Studies

Federal University of Technology

PMB 1526 Owerri.
An Assignment on
Course code: PTE 815
Topic: Uses of Robotics in polymer and textile
Industry.

Submitted to: Prof. Ohanuzue

Department: Polymer and Textile Engineering

Written By: Anene Uzoma Patrick

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 The Meaning of Robotics

Robotics is a branch of engineering that involves the conception, design,

manufacture, and operation of robots. This field overlaps with electronics,
computer science, artificial intelligence, mechatronics, nanotechnology and
bioengineering.

Definition of Robot

A robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move

material, parts, tools or specialized devices through variable programmed
motions for the performance of a variety of tasks: Robot Institute of America,
1979.

Word robot was coined by a Czech novelist Karel Capek in a 1920 play titled
Rassum’s Universal Robots (RUR). Robot in Czech is a word for worker or servant.

Types of Robots

There are many ways how you could possibly define different types of robots. As I
have seen the possible divisions vary widely. The main reason of these differences
is that different tutors often tend to have different views on what should be
taught under "robotics".

For example - some tutors that teach robotics usually focus mainly on industrial
robotics, neglecting service robots completely. Therefore when talking about
types of robots they usually talk about types of industrial robots. There is a strong
reason for this though - the vast majority of robotics engineers will have to deal
mostly with industrial robots in their careers.

Nevertheless, industrial robots are not the only ones. Therefore, as I see it when
dividing robots into types this division should be broad enough to include
everything that can be understood as a robot.

There are two possible ways how this could be done. First, you could divide
robots into types by their application and second - by the way they move (or
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don't). I acknowledge that there are other possible ways how to divide robots into
types but in my opinion these two are the best. Also, I prefer to use both these
classifications together. This way two questions about a robot would already be
answered - "What it does?" and "How it does it?"

Basic Components of a Robot

Power
Conversion Unit

Sensors Actuators

Controller

User Interface

Manipulat or
Linkage
Base
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Types of robots by application

Nowadays, robots do a lot of different tasks in many fields and the number of jobs
entrusted to robots is growing steadily. That's why in my opinion one of the best
ways how to divide robots into types is a division by their application.

There are:

Industrial robots

Industrial robots are robots used in an industrial manufacturing environment.

Usually these are articulated arms specifically developed for such applications as
welding, material handling, painting and others. If we judge purely by application
this type could also include some automated guided vehicles and other robots.

Domestic or household robots

Robots used at home. This type of robots includes many quite different devices
such as robotic vacuum cleaners, robotic pool cleaners, sweepers, gutter cleaners
and other robots that can do different chores. Also, some surveillance and tele-
presence robots could be regarded as household robots if used in that
environment.

Medical robots

Robots used in medicine and medical institutions. First and foremost - surgery
robots. Also, some automated guided vehicles and maybe lifting aides.

Service robots

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Robots that don’t fall into other types by usage. These could be different data
gathering robots, robots made to show off technologies, robots used for research,
etc.

Military robots

Robots used in military. This type of robots includes bomb disposal robots,
different transportation robots, reconnaissance drones. Often robots initially
created for military purposes can be used in law enforcement, search and rescue
and other related fields.

Entertainment robots

These are robots used for entertainment. This is a very broad category. It starts
with toy robots such as robosapien or the running alarm clock and ends with real
heavyweights such as articulated robot arms used as motion simulators.

Space robots

I’d like to single out robots used in space as a separate type. This type would
include robots used on the International Space Station, Canadarm that was used
in Shuttles, as well as Mars rovers and other robots used in space.

Hobby and competition robots

Robots that you create. Line followers, sumo-bots, robots made just for fun and
robots made for competition.

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Now, as you can see there are examples that fit into more than one of these
types. For example, there can be a deep sea exploration robot that can gather
some valuable information that can be used for military purposes.

Also, I have seen that a division into two types is used, accordingly - industrial and
service robots. However, I cannot see how a Mars exploration rover fits into one
of these general types. Therefore I have used "service robots" in a narrower
manner. In my version a term "service robots" serves as "others". This is basically
a type where robots that don't fit into other types should fall in.

Types of robots by locomotion and kinematics

As you can understand, robot's application alone does not provide enough
information when talking about a specific robot. For example an industrial robot -
usually, when talking about industrial robots we think of stationary robots in a
work cell that do a specific task. That's alright, but if there is an AGV (Automated
Guided Vehicle) in a factory? It is also a robotic device working in an industrial
environment. So, I propose to use both these classifications together.

So there are:

 Stationary robots (including robotic arms with a global axis of movement)

- Cartesian/Gantry robots
- Cylindrical robots
- Spherical robots

 SCARA robots
-Articulated robots (robotic arms)
-Parallel robots.

 Wheeled robots
-Single wheel (ball) robots
-Two-wheel robots

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 -Three and more wheel robots

 Legged robots
-Bipedal robots (humanoid robots)
-Tripedal robots
-quadrupedal robots
-hexapod robots

 Other number of legs

 Swimming robots
 Flying robots
 Mobile spherical robots (robotic balls)
 Swarm robots
 Others

General Uses of Robots

Some of the general uses of robots include;

 Jobs that are dangerous for humans: an example is the decontaminating

robot used for cleaning the main circulating pump housing in the nuclear
power plant.

 Repetitive jobs that are boring, stressful, or labor-intensive for humans: a

good example is the welding robot.

 Menial tasks that human don’t want to do: The scrubmate robot.

Robotic Laws

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 Asimov proposed three “Laws of Robotics “and later added the “zeroth
law” as follows:

Law 0:

A robot may not injure humanity or through inaction, allow humanity to

come to harm.

Law 1:

A robot may not injure a human being or through inaction, allow a human
being to come to harm, unless this would violate a higher order law.

Law 2:

A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such
orders would conflict with a higher order law.

Law 3:

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not
conflict with a higher order law.

Robot Applications in the Polymer Industry

Industrial robot arms can be used on plastic and polymer production:

Industrial robots can be used across all areas of plastic and polymer production,
including: de-gating, PCB loading and unloading, and pick and place projects.

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Plastic and polymer manufacturing requires high flexibility since different
materials require different processing (other temperature ranges etc.).

Multiple stages in production can be automated – even when there is no one

around. Robot arms reduce employee exposure to noxious gases given off during
the production of plastics and polymers. They also increase safety since they
protect employees on the production lines from plastic shavings and the handling
with sharp objects. Collaborative robot arms are also good at reducing repetitive
work for employees while being able to extend production capabilities.

There are several types of plastics and polymers with different production
processes. When plastics are made, production needs to change often. With robot
arms, you can increase or decrease production in a company without having to
adjust staff levels.

Robots arms are usually lightweight, space-saving and easy to re-deploy to

multiple applications without changing your production layout. It is fast and easy
to move the robot to a new process – this gives you the agility to automate
almost any task – including those with small batches or fast change-overs in
plastic and polymer production and other areas.

Robotics for melt-blowing to form shaped/molded fabric structures

The production of nonwoven and tailored 3D structures for protective garments

(such as those worn by fire fighters) using robotics and melt blown technology is
under development by the researchers. In particular, the integration of robotics
and a small-scale melt-blowing unit is also possible. The researchers are
developing the framework and general motivation of the model which shows the
novel 3D-fiber application system developed using a seven-degree of freedom
system. This system will be used with control algorithms developed at the NCRC
to improve uniformity of the shaped fabric structure.

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Injection moulding by collaborative robot arms

Rapid and accurate handling of injection moulds for prototyping and short-run
manufacturing relieve injection-moulding machinery operators from physically
demanding, repetitive work and eliminate the risk of injuries. UR industrial robots
can be used across all areas of plastic and polymer production, including injection
moulding applications. They are able to run most applications autonomously,
allowing your business to handle moulding even when employees have gone
home.
For added connectivity and flexibility, Euromap 67 (including the cable connection
to the injection-moulding machine) is an available option for all UR robots. With
Euromap 67 you get user-friendly templates ensuring easy & fast programming as
well as communication signals between the robot arm and injection-moulding
machine.

 Taking a robot out of its safety cage allows unmatched automation

flexibility. If the robots come into contact with a person, our patented
technology limits the forces at contact. The robots can also be programmed
to operate in reduced mode when a human enters the robot’s work area
and resume full speed when the person leaves.
 It requires superhuman abilities to dose exactly the same quantity of a fluid
constantly. However, the UR3 can maintain consistent pressure at all times.
By deploying the robot, you can ensure uniform quality, reduce production
costs and optimize your operation.
 Easy programming and a short average set-up time make Universal Robots’
robot arms ideal even for small-volume productions, where rearranging
large-scale facilities wouldn’t be lucrative.
 Moving the injection moulding robot to new processes is fast and easy,
giving you the agility to automate almost any manual task, including those
with small batches or fast change-overs. The robot is able to re-use
programs for recurrent tasks.

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  All Universal Robots’ robot arms are certified IP-54. They will need
protection when working in corrosive liquid environments.

Coating Robots
Robot painting produces top quality results. Once properly programmed,
an industrial painting robot can apply material without leaving behind drips,
inconsistencies, overspray, etc. Paint and/or coating are applied precisely and
consistently.

Industrial painting robots can provide exceptional part accessibility. Not only are
robotic arms slim and far-reaching, but robots can be installed in a number of
different locations (wall, shelf, rail) allowing for even greater flexibility.

Robotic painters also protect workers. The painting application is a hazardous and
taxing job. Workers can be exposed to unsafe VOCs, isocyanides and carcinogens.
Painting robots, on the other hand, are better equipped to handle the dangers of
this particular work environment. Built with explosion-proof arms, these robots
remain safe in the midst of combustible gas.

Anti-collision software makes it possible for multiple robots to work in close

proximity to one another. With more robots working together, throughput and
cycle times improve.

Robot technology for Metal spinning

Metal spinning is a plasticity forming process that forms a metal sheet or tube
by forcing the metal onto a rotating mandrel using a roller or a paddle tool. It is
widely used for producing round hollow metal parts and products, e.g.
tableware, kitchenware. Metal spinning appears to be a suitable task for an
industrial robot for several reasons. In manual metal spinning, the various
senses of the worker, particularly force feeling via the tool, play an important

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role. Metal spinning needs much smaller forming force than other plasticity
forming techniques, on the order of kilograms instead of tons, because it is
based on local deformation. It involves many control parameters and needs
dexterous motion with multiple degrees of freedom. It is suitable for limited
production of a wide variety and is a process of high added value, which we can
see from the fact that even manual production can be viable as a
manufacturing business. Thus it is expected that the profitability of a force
controlled industrial robot can be high. Here the metal spinning is more flexible
and intelligent, by introducing robot control technologies, such as force
control, into the forming process. The forming conditions are modified in real
time based on feedback of the forming status to avoid forming defects and to
obtain high-quality products.

Conventional robot tasks are mainly composed of moving an object. In

contrast, this research encounters the novel aspects of transforming an object.
We expect that challenging research subjects may develop from this research
while utilizing the potentials of robot technologies developed so far.

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Robot-based automation of die casting processes

Robots eliminate weak spots in the foundry process chain by providing increased
productivity, flexibility, and quality & workplace safety.

ABB Foundry robots are completely sealed and have a two-component high-
resistance enamel surface and IP67 certification. These robots are ready to meet
the challenges of hot metal spits, heat and lubricants found in modern die-casting
foundries.

ABB robots provide reliable automation for applications such as : Spraying,

Extraction, Insertion & Ladling. Installed on top of the die-casting machine the
robots can save space, leaving the machine accessible and shortening cycle times.
Placed next to the die-casting machine the robot handles extraction & insertion
and provides the user with flexible installation and optimal utilization.
In some special cases one robot placed close to the injection system can be used
for ladling directly liquid metal on die casting machine.

Robot Applications in the Textile Industry

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Fiber manufacturing automation has been beneficial to the industry because of
the heavy emphasis placed on product uniformity and standards.
Automation has been critical for the dyeing process, because even a milligram of
variation of recipe can change the shade of a fabric. Automation controls dyeing
parameters accurately, thus improving the quality of the dye with programmable
process control.

Yarn forming has advanced with automation due to new methods of spinning.
Cotton mixing automation allows several bales to be drawn and mixed together,
forming a homogenous mixture of cotton, which reduces batch variation.
Autoconers have splicing and yarn fault detection, ensuring better yarn quality
and less unevenness. Ring spindle speeds have increased, and spinning machines
can produce yarn 20 times faster with the benefit of automation.

Weaving technology has advanced with automatic shuttle looms, providing higher
productivity and superior quality. Knitting machine processes include automatic
pick repair, automatic warp breakage locator, and computerized machine
control.

Automation allows the textile industry to reduce labor costs, as well as increase
productivity in each of the textile manufacturing categories.

Bale Movement

After passing the receiving station each bale will be moved by the conveyor to a
loading station where it will be picked by robot and taken to storage. When bale
is selected for processing it will be removed from the ware house by a robot on a”
first-in, first-out basis”.

Auto Can Changing

In carding and draw frame process when a pre fixed sliver length is filled in can
Auto can changer actuated & rotates the arm by 120 degree then full can is
replaced by empty one without stopping the machine.

Yarn splicing at autoconer

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 Each time there is an end break or bobbin change, this join the yarn ends with a
splice which is virtually identical to the yarn.
The strength and elongation values of spliced joined are almost always
comparable (more than 90%) with those of the yarn itself. Latest automatic
splicer arm act like a robot and it offers better opening to the yarn ends and a
more favorable overlap in splicing zone.

Auto Cone Changer

It changes a full cone by empty one when the predetermined length is wound on
it & resumes the winding at lowest starting time automatically.

Auto Doffing at ring frame

It changes a full cop by empty one when the predetermined length is wound on it
& resumes the ring frame at lowest starting time automatically. Parameter
Manual Doffing Auto Doffing Time required 4 min 2.5 min Man power 1.76/1000
spindles 1/1000 spindles.

Garment folding and packing

In garment industry the garment folding and packing is carrying out by the robots.
They take the garments, fold it and then pack it. A new automated sewing system
is described, consisting of two robots handling the fabric on the table in a similar
manner as does a human operator during sewing.

To enable user-friendly operation of the system operation, particularly in the

phase of preparing new tasks, the original Multi-arm Robot Control (MRC) system
has been developed. P. Potluri and I. Porat Department of Textiles, University of
Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, Manchester, UK, and J. Atkinson
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manchester Institute of
Science and Technology, Manchester, UK

Measurement/ Testing
An individual skilled operator may achieve a reasonable degree of accuracy but
measurements vary from operator to operator. In the robotic test system, the
tests cycles are applied by the robot in addition to fabric handling. The fabric edge
is detected by the two infrared diffuse sensors. The digital status of each sensor is
communicated to robot controller through DI (digital input) ports. A fabric sample

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is aligned parallel to an edge or a clamping device through a series of translations
and rotations.

A compression test is conducted by a circular head attached to the robot arm the
fabric sample is compressed at a predetermined strain rate(typically 0.02mm/s)
until a preset pressure limit is attained. P. Potluri and I. Porat Department of
Textiles, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology,
Manchester, UK, and J. Atkinson Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, Manchester, UK

A bending test has been implemented using a cantilever method.  This test
requires fabric manipulation in a horizontal plane, compared to a pure bending
test which needs positioning of the sample in a vertical plane. The fabric sample is
drooped continuously as a cantilever and the fabric edge is detected by a bending
angle sensor. P. Potluri and I. Porat Department of Textiles, University of
Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, Manchester, UK, and J. Atkinson
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manchester Institute of
Science and Technology, Manchester, UK
With the help of robotics in uster tensorapid high working speed & accuracy is
achieved for measuring of single yarn strength & elongation.

Robotics used in Weaving Coordinate System

The approach point is a point indicated by a step immediately before the step
where weaving starts.

� Wall direction: Z direction of the robot axis

� Horizontal direction: The direction of approach point from the wall
� Advance direction: The direction which moves from the weaving start point
to end point.

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Conclusion:

Robotics can, in most situations, improve productivity, safety, efficiency, quality

and consistency of products parameters. They can work in very critical and
constrained situation, for example in hazardous environment without the need of
life support. Robots need no environmental comfort such as lighting, air
conditioning etc., even as they are more accurate than human operators.

As Intelligent and flexible systems, they consistently sustain the quality of the
final products, thus lowering the risk of products rejects. They can be
reprogrammed to handle different tasks within the production system, thus
improving process efficiency, speed, reliability and most importantly, good return
on investment.

Robots are being used in Polymer and Textiles industries today, even as
substantial developments are already being made. In spite of the initial cost
burden associated with the engagement of Robots in Polymer and Textile
Industries, the benefits far out ways the discomfort of cost; thus Since we operate
a free competitive enterprise economy, the future use of Robotics will continue to
develop as the economics of each area of manufacturing demands.

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