Publisher's Synopsis
Volume 1 : An industrial robot is an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes. The field of industrial robotics may be more practically defined as the study, design and use of robot systems for manufacturing (a top-level definition relying on the prior definition of robot). Typical applications of industrial robots include welding, painting, ironing, assembly, pick and place, palletizing, product inspection, and testing, all accomplished with high endurance, speed, and precision. The most commonly used robot configurations for industrial automation, include articulated robots, SCARA robots and gantry robots. In the context of general robotics, most types of industrial robots would fall into the category of robot arms. This book is a springboard for readers of all backgrounds including students taking robotics as a subject, graduate students preparing to specialize in robotics Volume 2 : The purpose of this book is to present an introduction to the multidisciplinary field of automation and robotics for industrial applications. The book initially covers the important concepts of hydraulics and pneumatics and how they are used for automation in an industrial setting. It then moves to a discussion of circuits and using them in hydraulic, pneumatic, and fluidic design. The latter part of the book deals with electric and electronic controls in automation and final chapters are devoted to robotics, robotic programming, and applications of robotics in industry. A companion disc is included with applications and videos. It features: begins with introductory concepts on automation, hydraulics, and pneumatics; covers sensors, PLC's, microprocessors, transfer devices and feeders, robotic sensors, robotic grippers, and robot programming; and, companion DVD has applications and videos from industry. Volume 3 : Robotics brings together several very different engineering areas and skills. There is metalworking for the body. There is mechanics for mounting the wheels on the axles, connecting them to the motors and keeping the body in balance. You need electronics to power the motors and connect the sensors to the controllers. At last you need the software to understand the sensors and drive the robot around. This book tries to cover all the key areas of robotics as a hobby. When possible examples from industrial robots will be addressed too. You'll notice very few exact values in these texts. Instead, vague terms like small, heavy and light will be used. This is because most of the time you'll have a lot of freedom in picking these values, and all robot projects are unique in available materials. This book is a core-text of industrial engineering undergraduate studies a well referenced, attractively presented, comprehensive users guide to robotics for industrial applications. Beyond that, is the demonstration of the engineering approach to systems development in complex environments (e.g. business) that has a far wider application.
