Simulation based Feasibility Analysis of Autonomously Movable Robot Arm

Abstract

Abstract The use of industrial robots in production is rapidly growing. However, the vast use of industrial robots and implementation of new manufacturing technologies are mostly adopted by large industrial companies. It is due to the nature of the production volume, as robots have a lot of the same kind of work in one specific position in the production process. In smaller companies, where the robots often do not have enough workload in a single specific workplace, the process of robotization has not been so successful. SME-s need a solution where the robot can be moved from one workplace to another in order to utilize the resources like robot arm efficiently. This paper aims to analyse the feasibility for the usage of a robotic arm (a collaborative robot) to serve more than a single production cell intermittently. Production machines are located at particular distance and the movement of the robotic arm between the machines is carried out autonomously with the help of an autonomous mobile robot. Moreover, simulation and 3D visualization were used to conduct and analyse the two different scenarios. Utilization of production equipment assigns as a key performance indicator of the comparison.