A robot must have a control system to operate its drive system, which is used to move the arm, wrist, and body of a robot at various paths. When different industrial robots are compared with their control system, they can be divided into four major types. They are: • Limited Sequence Robots • Playback Robots with Point – Point Control • Playback Robots with Continuous Path Control • Intelligent Robots
Limited Sequence Robots:
The limited sequence robots are incorporated with the mechanical stops and limit switches for determining the finishing points of its joints. These robots do not require any sort of programming, and just uses the manipulator to perform the operation. As a result, every joint can only travel to the intense limits. It is considered as the smallest level of controlling, and it will be best for simple operations like pick & place process. This type of robots is generally equipped with the pneumatic drive system.
Playback Robots:
The playback robots are capable of performing a task by teaching the position. These positions are stored in the memory, and done frequently by the robot. Generally, these playback robots are employed with a complicated control system. It can be divided into two important types, namely: • Point to Point control robots • Continuous Path control robots
Playback Robots with Point to Point Control:
The point to point robots are shortly called as PTP. It has got the capability to travel from one position to another. The desired paths are taught and stored in the control unit memory. These robots do not move from the desired location for controlling its path. It can be moved in a small distance only with the help of programming. This type of robots can be used for spot welding, loading & unloading, and drilling operations.
Playback Robots with Continuous Path Control:
The continuous path control is also known as CP control. This type of robots can