7) Plastics and polymers production
The plastics industry relies heavily on industrial robots. Plastic injection molding machines produce parts at superhuman rates.
Here’s how:
- Robotic arms keep things flowing. Robotic arms load raw plastic pellets into the molding machines, maintaining a steady supply of material. Once the molding process is complete, robotic grippers extract the newly formed plastic pieces from the molds with precision.
- Robots also play a key role in polymer production. Polymers like nylon and polyethylene are made from petroleum products in a chemical reaction process. Robotic mechanisms carefully monitor and adjust factors like temperature, pressure, and mixing during polymer synthesis.
8) Aerospace component assembly
Robots are ideally suited for the precision assembly of aircraft components.
Here’s where they help:
- Wing and fuselage assembly: Robots assist in fitting wing sections onto fuselages and joining them together. This requires aligning massive components and making permanent bonds.
- Engine installation: Robots lift and guide aircraft engines into place for attachment to wings and fuselages.
- Riveting: Many aircraft parts are held together with rivets. Robots are adept at drilling holes and inserting rivets, especially in hard-to-reach areas. They can rivet at a fast, consistent pace.
- Welding: Robots handle the welding of aircraft frames and skins with their programmed precision and guidance systems. Their arms can reach tight spaces and weld in awkward positions as needed.
- Coating application: Robots spray specialized coatings like paint, primer, and sealants onto aircraft parts. They give an even, flawless coat and minimize overspray and waste.
9) Woodworking and carpentry
Industrial robots have also made their way into woodworking shops and carpentry businesses.
Here are some tasks where they shine (or make things shine, as in sanding):
- Cutting: Robots wield circular saws, band saws, and jigsaws to make quick, accurate cuts in wood. They can cut wood to precise measurements for carpentry and woodworking projects.
- Sanding: Robotic sanders can smooth and finish wood surfaces using programmed motions and grits. They produce an even, polished finish and reduce the health hazards of airborne wood dust for human workers.
- Routing: Robotic routers cut intricate designs, joinery, and edges in wood. Their precision results in flawless, artistic details that would be difficult to achieve manually.
- Assembly: Robotic arms are also adept at assembling wood pieces into furniture, cabinets, and other finished products. They can handle and join materials of various sizes and weights with super-human speed and accuracy.
10) Chemical manufacturing
Chemical plants rely heavily on industrial robots to handle hazardous materials and repetitive tasks.
Robots are very good at:
- Material transport: Moving raw ingredients, waste, and finished chemicals between processing areas
- Mixing and blending: Precisely combining chemicals according to strict recipes
- Packaging: Filling, capping, labeling, and palletizing chemicals for distribution
- Inspection: Monitoring equipment and processes for quality control and safety
Without robotics, many chemical production jobs would be just too dangerous or flat-out repetitive for humans.
11) Laboratory research and analysis
Robots have become invaluable assistants in laboratories and research facilities. Their precise movements and data analysis abilities let scientists perform experiments that would be out of the question with humans alone.
These include:
- Automated sample testing: Robots can systematically test hundreds of samples in a short amount of time with extreme accuracy levels. Things like running chemical assays, analyzing DNA or RNA, or testing new drug compounds are a perfect match for robotics applications.
- Dangerous materials: Robotic arms can manipulate dangerous substances like toxic chemicals, radioactive materials, or biohazards without risk to human researchers. They can transport, mix, separate, and analyze these materials while scientists operate them remotely.
- Microscope operation: High-powered microscopes often need very precise controls and adjustments to view samples. Robots can make subtle calibrations to focus on tiny details that would be difficult to do manually. They can also automatically scan samples to create high-res maps.
- Data recording and analysis: Robots don’t get bored or tired doing repetitive tasks like monitoring equipment readouts, tracking experiment progression, or compiling results. They can flag minute changes or anomalies in the data that humans may miss. Robots are also useful for crunching huge datasets to spot trends and patterns.
12) Construction and heavy machinery
Construction and mining are notoriously dangerous fields, so industrial robots are increasingly handling the most hazardous tasks.
Some examples are:
- Demolition bots: These specialized robots, often equipped with powerful hydraulic arms and attachments, safely dismantle buildings and structures, minimizing risk to human workers and allowing for more efficient demolition.
- Robotic excavators: These autonomous machines utilize robotic precision to dig, excavate, and move earth, improving the accuracy and speed of earthworks in construction projects.
- Autonomous loaders and haulers: These robots efficiently transport heavy materials like dirt, gravel, and debris across construction sites, reducing the need for manual labor and increasing overall productivity.
Summing up all these robotics applications
That was our rundown of 12 of the most common and impactful industrial robot applications out there today.
From building cars to exploring other planets, these bots are making a difference in practically every conceivable industry. Sure, they may not be able to small talk or crack jokes like us humans (that’s coming soon), but they're pretty good at what they do.
Next steps
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