In the present day, industrial robots are working in an extensive range of industries, from automobiles to healthcare, metal forging, plastics processing, etc. Almost every repetitive operation is now performed by robots, especially if it’s difficult or dangerous to employees.
Robots have been utilized for high-volume operations for many decades. But now, the tremendous technological advances and the decline in the cost of industrial robots have also opened gates for medium and small-sized operations.
Many robotics companies are offering efficient industrial robotics to both small and large scale industries of every sector including, facilitate health care, aerospace, automotive, chemicals & materials, electrical & electronics, food & beverage, mining & oil & gas, retail & e-commerce, logistics & warehousing, packaging and other industries.
Some companies only sell and promote robotics equipment of different brands, including Fanuc, ABB, KUKA, and many other top companies.
These industrial robots have allowed manufacturers to address important challenges, including safety, global market competitiveness, and a tight labor market.
The year 2022 has marked 60 years of the world’s first industrial robotics. From the concept of robotics in 1937 to the present day, there have been numerous changes in the ideas, functions, and appearance of industrial robotics.
Let’s look into how industrial robotics has revolutionized from its early ages to the modern era.
The early ages of industrial robot date back to the year 1937; the first crane-like device was built by Griffith Bill P. Taylor, an Australian- Canadian citizen who was a professor of civil engineering in Australia for most of his life.
Taylor’s robot was powered by a single electric motor comprised mostly of Meccano parts. It was the first automation device capable of stacking wooden blocks with the help of pre-programmed patterns and was published in Meccano Magazine in 1938.
They were simple programmable machines and could not control the modality of task execution. They were provided with low-tech equipment, did not have servo-controllers, and performed basic loading and unloading or simple handling operations.
The turning point of the robot industry was due to George Charles Devol, an American engineer who designed “Programmable Article Transfer,” which was the base of the first true robot in history.
In 1956 George partnered with an entrepreneur named Joseph F. Engerberger to form Unimation, the first company to manufacture industrial robots. The robots developed could transfer objects from one place to another within a maximum height of 12 feet.
In 1962, after several testing, Unimation released the first industrial robot, “Unimate,” which was installed in one of the new plants of General Motors factory, one of the largest automotive manufacturing companies. It was used for material handling, die casting, and spot-welding applications. After the successful performance of the first robot, the company purchased over 60 units for their plants.
Ford, General Motors, and a few other automotive companies started considering the need for automation for smooth manufacturing operations. Therefore, several robot manufacturing factories were established during these years.
AMF Corporation was one of the companies that manufactured a new robot, i.e., Versatran, a cylindrical-shaped robot that Ford utilized for its plant in Ohio, U.S.A. It was the first robot installed in Japan in 1967.
In 1969, Victor Scheinman introduced Stanford Arm at Stanford University. It was the first 6-axis robot arm solution and was completely an electric robot. The robot performed more sophisticated functions, such as arc welding and assembly, with accuracy.
In 1969, there was a significant increase in the utilization of robots in Japanese companies. Kawasaki was allowed with the license to produce robots for the Japanese and Asian markets by Unimation. Hence Kawasaki-Unimate 2000 was developed, which was the first industrial robot ever built in Japan.
The robotic industries started advancing rapidly in these years, and many manufacturers entered the market. One of the companies that entered in the robotic market was KUKA robotics, a German firm that introduced “FAMULUS,” the first articulated robot with six electromechanically driven axes in 1974.
KUKA is still one of the best robot manufacturing countries and works in collaboration with various technological and robotic selling companies, such as Carter Robotics, one of the best robotics company in Indiana.
A year later, Victor Scheinman designed Silver Arm Robot in his company named Vicarm, and it was designed for assembling small parts.
Silver Arm was a special innovation as it could utilize pressure and touch sensors for feedback during operations and was managed and controlled by a mini-computer. Later, Victor sold his design to Unimation.
In the same year, ASEA and a European company introduced their first micro-processor-controlled robot built with the first chipset of Intel. 6
Unimation, in collaboration with General Motors, designed PUMA (Programmable Universal Machine for Assembly). This robot was designed from the design inspired by Victor’s Silver Arm robot. It was commonly used in assembly line productions.
In 1974, another milestone took place in the robotic industry. Yaskawa, an American company, introduced Motoman L10, a five axes robot. The robot was designed to lift 10kg weight with its gripper.
In 1979, Nachi, a Japanese company, invented the first servo gun technology for spot welding applications. Later in the same year, the first line of arc welding robots was introduced by OTC Japan.
The era from the 1980s is considered the modern era, as much huge advancement has taken place in the robotic industry. The first robot was developed with motors installed in its arm joints. Takeo Kanade developed the robot, and the robot’s arm joints were said to bring great improvements in accuracy and speed in the robot.
In 1988, Yaskawa introduced Motoman ERC Controller. The control system was capable of controlling up to 12 axes. It was the highest number of axes controller robots of that time. Later FANUC designed its prototype to introduce its first intelligent robot.
FANUC is a Japanese group of companies that provides automation products and services such as robotics and another computer numerical control wireless systems. FANUC robotics is widely available with several robotic selling companies such as Carter Robotics, one of the best robotics company in Indiana.
Later, Yaskawa upgraded the ERC controller, which could control up to 21 axes, and in 1998 it increased the number to 27.
It also designed an ERC controller capable of synchronizing up to 4 robots per controller. In addition, Kawasaki also introduced the UP series of simpler robotic designs of many models that are still available today, including Motoman UP5 0N.
In the early 2000s, many robotic companies began to expand further with the introduction of cobots. KUKA was one of the first major companies to release a cobot market with their LBR 3.
In the early 2000s, robotic companies began to further expand the application of robots with the introduction of cobots.
In 2004, KUKA was the first major manufacturer to release a cobot. Several manufacturers, such as FANUC, Universal Robots, and ABB, developed the cobot series in the following years.
Cobots changed the robotics industry and provided various industries to allow humans and robots to work collaboratively.
Carter Robotics is one of the best robotics companies in Indiana, with over 25 years of experience with robotics and automation.
It offers various industrial robots to facilitate health care, aerospace, automotive, chemicals & materials, electrical & electronics, food & beverage, mining & oil & gas, retail & e-commerce, logistics & warehousing, packaging and other industries.
It deals with robotics and robot instruments of different brands, including Fanuc, ABB, KUKA, and many more. For more information visit the website or contact us. We are just a call away.
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