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robotic arm construction

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jacksonian:
I am interested in using a large robotic arm for a specific application in my company.
I do not have any experience building robots, besides the small basic ones long ago in school. I'm wondering would it be more cost efficient to buy a used Robot, or try to learn and build a robot myself? I am fancying the idea of building one because I'd like to know how it works, but I may be way over my head, and it may cost more.

The Fanuc 430IL is a design similar to the one I am looking to have.

Thanks for any advice, and this website has been a great help in understanding robotics as a beginner.

Thanks!

Tommy:
I see very little crossover between industrial and hobbyist robotic arm construction or implementations,
be careful with used fanuc robots, they have a different  licensing agreement then manufacturing machines
with fanuc controls I believe.

Tommy 

rodstar:

--- Quote from: jacksonian on June 28, 2012, 03:26:29 PM ---... I'm wondering would it be more cost efficient to buy a used Robot, or try to learn and build a robot myself?
--- End quote ---

there are lots of variables to consider like: your current experience on it, knowledge, things missing to learn, budget, and mainly: available time until get it running.

As a reference, In my professional experience, I designed and built an automated robotic plant, based on 6 simoultaneous Kuka style robot arms. It was almost 4 years to get it producing. That's a lot of work. Basically the only I bought was the servo motors and bearings, all the rest was propietary developing. And here comes the point: To develop this it was necessary to:
It comes from high to low level design.

-Whole system concept & dataflow (myself)
-Mechanical (CAD) design (myself) & implementation (external),
-*External mechanical shop meetings & instructions () (myself)
-Boards design & implementation (external)
-Electric design & implementation (myself),
-Electronic design & implementation (myself),
-Embedded software design & implementation (myself),
-Control software design & implementation (myself),
-Data model communication design & implementation (myself),
-Whole system performance bench & quality tests (myself & help).
-Failproof tests (myself & help).
-Sync tests !!! (myself).
-Security & redundancy tests (myself & help).
-LOts of other tests of lots of other different scopes (myself & help).

... so that's about the things you should handle to develop what you want to.
So that's a quick & fast reference for you to take into consideration to take a desition.

*I don't know in english how they are specifically called, but it's where there are lathes, milling, cnc & stuff and they make the metallic pieces you specify then in mechanical plans like gears, axes, pulleys, structures & stuff.

newInRobotics:

--- Quote from: jacksonian on June 28, 2012, 03:26:29 PM ---I'm wondering would it be more cost efficient to buy a used Robot, or try to learn and build a robot myself?
--- End quote ---
This thread --> Why are Commercial Robotic Arms so Expensive? might answer Your question :)

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