Automotive Industrial Robot - Selection C

GSJ: Volume 7, Issue 5, May 2019
ISSN 2320-9186 773
GSJ: Volume 7, Issue 5, May 2019, Online: ISSN 2320-9186

www.globalscientificjournal.com
Automotive Industrial Robot - Selection

Criteria for Body Assembly Application
Author Affiliation
Department of Manufacturing Engineering (Body)

Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional, Perak, Malaysia
Email : [email protected]
ORCID : 0000-0001-5615-1340
Rashidi Asari
In automotive manufacturing processes especially at Body Shop, industrial robots

are widely used to increase productivity while maintaining desired quality standard and design
specification in production line. The application are mainly on welding (spot / arc welding),
sealant / adhesive application and material handling. Therefore, the selection of the robot types
and brand are crucial in order to get best fit to the application at minimum cost.
Depending on area of application to the automotive body structure, generally, there are 2 types
of industrial robots - shelf and floor mounted types. The practical way in robot selection method
is by determining the robot specification that meeting process specification and requirement,
then, cost evaluation is done by using Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) method [1]. The
following table shows the comparison of robot specifications, initial and operational cost for
GSJ© 2019
ISSN 2320-9186 774
different robot's makers which gives general ideas on what to be taken into account during
robot selection processes.
Figure 1. Robot Specification Comparison
The robot's specifications as stated on the table are suitable for spot welding and material
handling applications. First thing to consider is process requirement on position's accuracy.
Process position's accuracy (tolerance) has to be matched with robot's repeatability. Then, other
specifications such as maximum robot's payload and 'reach work space' to be considered during
robot's selection process.
There are some robot's specifications that are usually neglected but quite important especially
when it comes into productivity and cost effective point of view. For example, for better
productivity, faster robot axis speed is required to complete the process. The following tables
shows the comparison of maximum robot axis speed for 3 different robot makers.
Figure 2. Robot Axis Speed Comparison
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For cost effective point of view, maximum center of gravity (COG) range in robot payload
diagram also quite important. The following table shows the comparison of robot payload
diagram for 3 different robot makers.
Figure 3. Robot Payload Diagram Comparison
Farther the effective range of allowable maximum payload in robot payload diagram, better the
tool's design flexibility and cheaper the tool's material cost. For example, if the designed tool's
weight exceed allowable effective range in robot payload diagram, there are 2 options available
for designer, either to select higher robot payload spec or to use lightweight material for tool's
fabrication. Both options may increase the robot initial or purchase cost [2].
Estimating the operational cost of a robot is quite difficult but possible and usually neglected
during robot selection processes. Other than robot mean time between failure (MTBF) value
and spare part cost, robot power consumption during operation also can be estimated. The
following tables shows the estimated robot power consumption comparison for 3 different
robot makers.
Figure 4. Robot Operational Cost Comparison
In conclusion, it is easier to select robot that suit to the process requirement. But, when
considering productivity and cost effectiveness, a lot of elements need to be considered during
robot selection processes. It is recommended to evaluate robot total cost of ownership
(TCO) before finalizing robot selection to get clear picture of overall cost that need to be spent
in robotic production line.
GSJ© 2019
ISSN 2320-9186 776
References
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_cost_of_ownership.
2. https://blog.robotiq.com/bid/70408/How-to-Choosethe-Right-Industrial-Robot.
GSJ© 2019

Automotive Industrial Robot - Selection C

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GSJ: Volume 7, Issue 5, May 2019

ISSN 2320-9186 773

GSJ: Volume 7, Issue 5, May 2019, Online: ISSN 2320-9186

Automotive Industrial Robot - Selection

Department of Manufacturing Engineering (Body)

In automotive manufacturing processes especially at Body Shop, industrial robots

Figure 1. Robot Specification Comparison

Figure 2. Robot Axis Speed Comparison

Figure 3. Robot Payload Diagram Comparison

Figure 4. Robot Operational Cost Comparison

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