Industrial Automation and Motion Control Blog | The Knotts Company

In today's high-paced, tight-fisted economy, cost savings and efficiency are keys to a company's success.  This is particularly true in manufacturing.  For many years pneumatic cylinders have been the staple of motion axes in machines; they are cheap, quick, and are capable of high force outputs.  

Editor's Note: This is a guest post from Jaimie Swartz, Co-President of FIRST Robotics Team 2554.

With the technology today in motion control and machine automation, there can be a large number of terms used that are unfamiliar.  This can lead to miscommunication or in the worst case, a machine that does not work.  Here's a short list of common components and terms that are commonly used with respect to machine automation that will hopefully help to reduce some confusion.

• Robotics can be very beneficial for product quality as well as more expedient production. Once programmed, a robot can perform an operation consistently with optimum accuracy and precision. Throughput speeds can increase dramatically through the implementation of robotics. And robots can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year if necessary – each time performing the same consistent operation with the same degree of accuracy and quality.
• Robots do require maintenance in order to keep them running and performing properly. But robots also provide a level of safety by handling operations where human hands or eyes could be put in harm’s way. The worker can be in a supervisory and maintenance role instead of handling intricate operations, potentially dangerous chemicals, or sharp tools.
• Finally, robotics can pay for themselves very quickly because they do not require all of the overhead that human workers require such as benefits and vacation time. It gives your company the ability to refocus your work force on your core competencies. 

When looking for robotics to supplement your production operations, contact the professionals at The Knotts Company for help in determining the best solution for your business.