be made, and can recall other programs when a new material appears on the line. In arc welding, metal sheets are pressed together. Then a thin tungsten wire at the tip of and electrode is brought close to the surface. Current is passed through the electrode, creating a spark. The resulting heat, as much as 6,500 degrees Fahrenheit, melts the sheets together. Robots are used instead of humans because of the heat and flying sparks.Also, the robot must hold the electrode at the same height while welding. This is hard for a human to do hour after hour. MATERIAL HANDLING Material handling is the second largest industrial robot application. A common material handling task is palletizing parts as they come off a conveyor or depalletizing parts in order to put them on a conveyor. Pallets are platforms on which items are transported or stored. The robot must know if a pallet is filled, half-filled, or empty. Manufacturers use a bar code like the ones in supermarkets to tell the robot about the pallet. Also, some robots have two- dimensional vision that can recognize thepallet. The program tells the robot to place the parts in different positions. In depalletizing, the program tells the robot where to reach for and object and how to grab it with the correct force. Robots are now used in Hackettstown, New Jersey. They are used to pack M&M's and then weigh the package to see if the right amount has been packaged. The robots the place the packages in a box. MACHINE LOADING AND UNLOADING Machine loading and unloading robots pick up and transfer parts to and from machines. The die-casting industry uses robots to remove parts from die-casting machines. The die-casting process forms parts by pouring molten metals in molds which are cooled later. The working environment is unpleasant for humans because of the heat. Preparing molds is tiring and boring because the steps are repeated over and ...
