The 2023 Robotics Manufacturing Report was created to enable you to be up to date, understand the complexity and depth of robotics and to help you gain specific insights into the current status of robotics manufacturing. 

Over the five articles of the report, we will examine the core technologies that make up a robotics project and shed light on the trends and challenges in creating them. Read the introductory chapter here.

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Industry 4.0 and robotics manufacturing

For over a decade, the manufacturing sector has been undergoing a rapid digital transformation as sensors, internet-connected devices and cyber-physical production systems (CPPS) are increasingly deployed on the shopfloor. CPPS systems are considered the main driver of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) in manufacturing. They digitise physical processes and enable their optimisation by means of cutting-edge technologies like big data, artificial intelligence, and the development of powerful digital twins.

This rapid shift has significantly impacted how products are manufactured, and in some cases lowering the barrier to entry for smaller original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and reducing investment costs. This is a benefit for the development of robotics where smaller teams can now more competitively compete against traditional larger players. 

In this chapter, we examine the cutting-edge systems and technologies that   enable the acceleration of the robotics industry. We look at how digital manufacturing is accelerating the industry through its ability to offer increased accessibility to the manufacturing processes necessary to advance robotics including 3D printing, CNC machining, and injection moulding. 

Industrial robotics as innovation driver

Industrial robots are one of the most prominent types of CPPS systems. They comprise physical parts that carry out field automation processes, yet they are controlled by digitally enabled data-driven applications.

Industrial robots are usually deployed to automate the following two types of manufacturing tasks:

• Repetitive tasks, such as painting, palletizing, and product assembly. Industrial robots are faster and more efficient than humans in performing such processes. This is because the corresponding manual tasks are usually tiring, cumbersome and error prone.
• Hazardous tasks, such as materials handling, arc welding, and CNC monitoring. Such tasks require human workers to work in harsh environments, to perform dangerous tasks, or even to deal with hazardous substances.

Industrial robots are contributing to more flexible, scalable, and efficient production processes. Contrary to human workers, they work 24×7 in fast, safe and cost-effective ways. Nowadays, they are commonly deployed to support many different automation processes on the factory floor. 

Industrial robots are also perceived as one of the most powerful ways to automate and build flexible production lines that enable customised production models like made-to-order and engineering-to-order. The latter model leads to mass customization i.e., the ability to produce highly customised products with only marginal increase in production cost. 

Industrial robots can automatically reconfigure production lines to produce alternative product variants with limited, or even zero, human intervention. Nevertheless, this flexible manufacturing approach is gradually reaching its limits, as radically differentiated products require changes, not only in the configuration of the production line, but also on the machinery used, especially when there is a need to manufacture a new product. Designing the production system of a new product requires efforts that are orders of magnitude higher than producing a variant of an existing product. 

The need to overcome this barrier drives a novel use of industrial robots: using manufacturing robots to produce a new machine in order to achieve unprecedented scalability and efficiency in production. During the last couple of years, industrial robots are increasingly used to build parts of machines or even entire industrial machines from scratch. To this end, industrial robots leverage digital models of the machines and emerging technologies like additive manufacturing.

Manufacturing as a service: when the machine makes the machine

A key enabler of the advancement of robotics innovation is the leveraging of digital models to enable the manufacturing as a service (MaaS) paradigm. MaaS or digital manufacturing platforms offer access to various manufacturing processes, such as 3D printing, CNC machining, and injection moulding, and provide an easy transactional experience by allowing customers to upload their part designs to quickly get quotes for manufacturing costs and lead times. Digital manufacturing opens access to cutting edge manufacturing processes for design teams of any size, with low investment costs, transparent lead times and design and iteration support. 

• Robotics-based manufacturing models deliver:
• Flexibility, as it can enable the development of diversified machines with minimal human involvement. 
• Resilience, through easing production repurposing and facilitating the development of effective manufacturing responses to fluctuations in demand, as well as to supply chain disruptions.
• Scalability, as it helps alleviate the bottleneck of developing new machinery.
• Supply chain efficiency, through enabling supply chain stakeholders to access data models of machines or of their parts instantly.

Key manufacturing processes delivered through digital manufacturing: 3D printing, CNC machining, and injection moulding

3D printing enables manufacturers to build parts by joining materials layer by layer based on a computer aided design (CAD). Within robotics manufacturing, 3D printing has created new ways of designing that allows for rapid, affordable prototyping and design iterations using end-product materiality for accurate testing. 3D printing also edges closer to a method of deploying robotics at scale and on-demand. 

3D printing offers endless possibilities regarding geometries and materials that other services potentially can't provide, making it an excellent match with the development of robotics projects. 

Why 3D printing for the robotics industry?

• Ability to deliver unique design features
• Quick prototyping
• Design versatility
• Complex geometries, including lattice structures 
• Significant weight reduction over other manufacturing processes with the same material 
• Waste reductive process (additive rather than reductive) 

3D printing can be particularly useful in the the design and manufacture of cameras, motors, sensors, microcontrollers, manipulators, and robotic arms. Further discussed in the materials section, the materials available for 3D printing are expanding. Once limited to a narrow range of plastics, 3D printing is now available in metals, ceramics, and flexible materials. 

The potential manufacturing process of a robotic arm. Image credit: Protolabs. 

CNC machining, which includes both milling and turning, is a valuable manufacturing process for robotics development and end manufacturing. Ideal for prototyping and low volume production, automated CNC machines enable robotics developers to order and receive parts, sometimes within just days. CNC also offers tighter tolerances than other services, and its 5-axis process provides high complexity and variation, important for applications that demand precise, repeatable movements. Finally, the service allows for controlled surface finishes, which are needed for low-friction components in interactive parts. These aspects make CNC machining perfect for the highly customised parts at low volumes that robotics often requires.

Why CNC machining for the robotics industry?

• Precision parts (important because parts need to fit together perfectly – critical for the proper function of a robot)
• Strong, durable materials
• Can be used to create complex shapes – allows for greater design flexibility 
• Fast and efficient 
• Surface finishes – good for low friction parts required for interacting
• CNC machining is a good fit for the manufacture of gears, end effectors, custom fixtures, motors, and components among others. 

Injection moulding can be used for plastics, liquid silicone rubber, as well as overmoulding and insert moulding. It offers a repeatable option when larger-scale production is required. It can be a more cost-effective option for larger quantities as the same mould is used for each part, and the parts are consistent and precise. But new methods of injection moulding are also enabling prototyping and testing. While it is not the key process used for producing robotic components, it is commonly used for production of housings, frames, casings, gears and camera mounting frames. Further, the liquid silicone rubber (LSR) process is increasingly used with the introduction of soft robotics.

Why injection moulding for the robotics industry?

●    Precision components

●    Repeatability

●    Light-weight (plastic parts)

●    Scalability

●    Rapid prototyping

Digital manufacturing eases the deployment of hundreds of robots in the manufacturing shop floor, while facilitating their collaboration towards end-to-end automation. Furthermore, digital manufacturing enables scalable on-demand automation in-line with the pay-as-you-go paradigm.  At the same time, 3D printing and CNC machining lays a foundation for robotic machines to manufacture other robotic machines automatically and quickly. This is a starting point towards hyper-automated and scalable manufacturing systems that can build their own components based on the concept of “machines that build machines”.

Design for manufacture (DFM)

Advanced digital manufacturing platforms will provide manufacturing analysis with each quote. After uploading a 3D CAD model, a quote is generated that contains pricing information as well as valuable feedback from the quote to understand how your design impacts the manufacturability and cost of your part.

Report sponsor, Protolabs, offers this service. At the core of this feature is Protolabs' manufacturability analysis of part designs that are provided to ensure every robotics project gets well-designed parts ready for manufacture. Within the quote analysis, customers are able to access an interactive three-dimensional image of their part design, which allows review of part geometry and assess any potential design issues that are highlighted. Some issues will be identified in the required changes tab, and those changes will need to be modified before the parts can be made. Issues that are not critical to part production will be listed as advisories. Those advisories do not require change, but do indicate design considerations for optimal performance in the manufacturing process you choose.

Within the platform, you can move the transparency slider in in the 3D viewer to full transparency, so that you can to hide all of the areas of your part that do not need to be addressed, leaving only the important design considerations. It brings into focus any areas that need further review. Those may include undercuts, draft, surface finishes, wall thickness, and material flow.

Undercuts. The process supports simple undercuts in part geometry. A side-action can be built into part design to create a through-hole undercut feature, if needed. The maximum side-core dimensions are: 8.419 in. (width), 2.377 in. (height) and 2.900 in. (pull).

Draft. If the part has very little to zero draft, a required change or advisory may appear in your quote. Draft is recommended on all parts, and Protolabs recommends adding 0.5 degree of draft on all vertical faces, if possible. In most cases, applying 2 degrees of draft where possible is best for moulding, but is not required. If you choose to ignore a draft advisory, Protolabs will make your part as-is, without draft in the noted area, but issues can arise such as drag marks, distortion from ejection stresses, or other effects that can cause delays.

^{As a part of your quote, the view of your 3D CAD model, allows you to examine and manipulate the model. Image credit: Protolabs}

Surface finishes. Depending on the surface finish selected, additional draft may be suggested. With textured finish on parts, PM-T1 (light bead-blast) generally requires at least 3 degrees of draft, and PM-T2 (medium bead-blast) generally requires at least 5 degrees of draft.

Wall thickness. Uniform wall thickness is recommended on all parts to help minimise sink and warp, but if there are any features that are too thin or thick, Protolabs’ manufacturability analysis will pinpoint those issues in the interactive CAD model and provide a precise thickness measurement that those features can be adjusted to. If a feature is too thin, fill problems can occur; if it’s too thick, sink is possible. Note that recommended wall thicknesses vary by resin type.

Material flow. On certain parts, Protolabs will run a ProtoFlow fill analysis that shows an animated display of resin flow through the quoted part. Various colours represent the pressure field on an indicated scale. If the virtual resin flow is poor, adjustments may need to be made in either part geometry or material type.

Customers are also able to make adjustments to the surface finish, material, and delivery of your parts within your quote as well as modify sample and production quantities as needed. Because it is an interactive quote, total cost will update in real time to reflect any changes you make, and a quote remains active for 30 days. 

Read the full report now!

The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report

Introduction chapter: The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report

The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Materials

The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Robotic Projects and Tech Specs

The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Hardware

The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Manufacturing

About the sponsor: Protolabs

Protolabs is the world’s fastest digital manufacturing source for custom prototypes and low-volume production parts. We use advanced injection moulding, CNC machining and 3D printing technologies to produce parts within days. The result is an unprecedented speed-to-market value for product designers and engineers worldwide. Our end-to-end digital thread enables faster and more efficient product development in order to produce parts in as fast as 1 day as well as eliminating most of the time-consuming and expensive skilled labour that is conventionally required. With manufacturing facilities operating across Europe, we can balance production across multiple sites and produce parts where they are needed.