ELE4DFM - Concept Generation and Selection: Robotic Arm Design

This assignment presents a detailed exploration of robotic arm design, focusing on concept generation and selection for a pick-and-place robot. The project begins with an introduction to industrial robots and their classifications, emphasizing the objective of designing a convenient, reliable, and flexible robotic arm. The mission statement is to provide a reliable and accurate product. The assignment then outlines customer statements and needs, followed by a market analysis. Three concept sketches are presented, each detailing different designs with varying joints, materials, and bill of materials. The concepts are evaluated using a concept screening matrix based on criteria like production rate, maintenance cost, and reliability. Concept 3 is selected as the final design. The assignment concludes with references to relevant research papers. The project includes research and market analysis, concept sketches, a concept screening matrix, and a final design selection. This assignment showcases a structured approach to robotic arm design, incorporating customer feedback, design iterations, and a systematic selection process. The document details the design process, from initial concept generation to the selection of the final design based on a comprehensive evaluation matrix. This assignment is available on Desklib, a platform that offers past papers and solved assignments for students.

Concept Generation
And
Concept Selection
Robotic Arm
Submitted
By

Contents
1. Introduction................................................................................................................................3
2. Objective......................................................................................................................................3
3. Mission Statement.......................................................................................................................3
4. Customer Statements..................................................................................................................3
5. Customer Needs..........................................................................................................................4
6. Function.......................................................................................................................................4
7. Research & Market Analysis........................................................................................................4
8. Concept Sketches.........................................................................................................................4
Concept1:.....................................................................................................................................5
Concept 2:........................................................................................................................................6
Concept 3:....................................................................................................................................8
9. Concept Screening and Selection..............................................................................................10
9.1. Concept Screening Matrix..................................................................................................10
10. Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
11. References...............................................................................................................................11

1. Introduction
Many industrialists believe that our world is entering the second machine age Artificial intelligence and
other advancements has taken the pillar in the modern manufacturing techniques they even replicate
the need of a human in one place. Nowadays robots mimic human eyes, human minds and hands.
Robots are machines which are programmed in a step by step fashion to solve a problem or
manufacturing needs [4]. The robots are classified according to six major types such as SCARA,
Cartesian, polar, cylindrical, and the delta. Each of them is at various axes, also the robots can be
classified as per his or her number of axes such as 6 axes robot, 5 axes, 4 axes, etc. In the cylindrical
robots, the joints are connected by rotational joints which provide the movement of rotation for the
robot [1].
There is also a facility for linear motion in this kind of bots. The second one SCARA is the type of robot
which finds its application in assembly operations. The design is cylindrical and made for replication of
human hands [3]. The delta robots are commonly used in food industries and the pharmaceutical
industries. Generally used to replicate the human to move the part in the softest manner, the geometric
shape of this robot looks as if a parallelogram is connected to a particular unit base. In general industrial
robots commonly gets around six axes (six DOF: Degree of freedom) [2].
2. Objective
The objective is to design a convenient, reliable and flexible design of a pick and place robot for the
industrial application. Which consists of arms and claws and programmed well to do the task perfectly.
3. Mission Statement
The mission statement is to provide a reliable and accurate product which will meet the requirements of
the industries and satisfy our customers with the increment of production rate or decrement of the
cycle time of a process.
4. Customer Statements
Some of the statements that are made by the customers who use industrial robots are:
 “The maintenance cost is very high”
 “The rate of production lowers in a set of period of time”
 "The cycle time of the process takes longer as the product gets old"
 “The cost is high in order to afford”
 "The reliability of the machines are low as it tends to get malfunction at least twice a
year."
 “The safety considerations need to be regulated in a proper manner”

5. Customer Needs
Customer needs are laid out in a table in which the rank is done on the scale of 1 to 5. That is the higher
is the greater.
No. Needs Importance
1 Low maintenance cost 5
2 Reliability of the machine 3
3 Kinematic accuracy 3
4 Product rigidity 4
5 Environmental friendly material selection 3
6 Power saving options 5
7 High production rate 4
8 User-friendly 4
9 Production rate 2
10 A cycle time of per process 5
11 Operation able in all environmental conditions 2
12 Quick troubleshoot period 5
13 Modern design 3
14 Low initial cost 4
6. Function
The targeted function of this product is to pick a can of water and spill it inside the container in an
accurate manner.
7. Research & Market Analysis
The Research survey concludes that the customers are looking forward to a product with good accuracy
and low cost.

8. Concept Sketches
The first concept of the product is designed on the basis of lowering the initial cost, durability and other
factors in this particular assessment there will be around three concept designs and one among them is
chosen as per the ranking criteria [5].
Concept1:
In this concept the model designed to be having two links and three joints the parts include Link1, Link2,
Claw, and the base. The design is on the basis of the quick maintenance period and easy troubleshooting
process. The material that is selected to make the body of the Robot is chosen to be PE plastic.
Fig1. Concept1
Part Number Description Movements/DOF
1 Base Fixed
2 Link 1 Rotates around Y and Z axis
3 Joint 2 Universal joint axes

4 Link 2 Rotates around Z axis only
5 Claw Routes in X-axis and grabs can.
Bill of material Concept1:
ITEM NO. PART NUMBER QTY.
1 Servo Bracket - U Shaped 5
2 servo 5
3 Servo Mount - Horn
Frame 5
4 Servo Bracket - U Shaped
bis 4
5 Servo Bracket - Corner
Mount 1
6 arm 1
7 crawler 4
8 arm small 1
9 base 1
10 Gripper 1
Concept 2:
The second concept is modelled to deliver a stable and reliable operation but the disadvantage is the
weight and cost of the machine.

Fig2. Concept 2:
Part Number Description Movements/DOF
1 Base Fixed
2 Base joint Rotates around the Y axis
3 Link rod 1 Rotates around Z axis only
4 Link rod 2 Rotates around Z axis only
6 Claw Roates in X-axis and grabs can.

Bill of material:
ITEM NO. PART NUMBER QTY.
1 Servo Bracket - U Shaped 5
2 servo 5
3 Servo Mount - Horn
Frame 5
4 Servo Bracket - U Shaped
bis 4
5 Servo Bracket - Corner
Mount 1
6 arm 1
7 rgsargawergsdrgawer 4
8 arm small 1
9 base 1
10 Gripper 1
Concept 3:
The third concept is made in order to balance both the rigidity requirements and the operational
requirements of the product. The material selected for this body is ABS plastic.
Figure3. Concept3

Part Number Description Movements/DOF
1 Base Fixed
3 Base joint Rotates around the Y axis
6 Link rod 1 Rotates around Z axis only
4 Link rod 2 Rotates around Z axis only
2 Claw Roates in X-axis and grabs can.
Bill of material:
ITEM NO. PART NUMBER QTY.
1 Servo Bracket - U Shaped 5
2 Servo motor 5
3 Servo Mount - Horn
Frame 5
4 Servo Bracket - U Shaped 4
5 Servo Bracket - Corner
Mount 1
6 arm 1
8 arm small 1
9 base 1
10 Gripper 1

9. Concept Screening and Selection
9.1. Concept Screening Matrix
A concept screening matrix will be created and the concepts are screened according to the criteria. On a
scale of 1 to 10 Higher is better.
Criteria Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3
Production rate 7 6 8
Maintenance cost 6 4 5
Material cost 6 3 5
Environmental aspects 4 7 7
Reliability 4 5 8
Cycle time 6 3 8
Efficiency of machine 5 5 7
User friendliness 5 4 7
Modern Design 3 5 8
Score 46 42 63
Rank 2 3 1
10. Conclusion
It is concluded that the concept 3 is the best among the three concepts in case of all aspects as per the
ranking matrix and concept 3 is selected as the final design.

11. References
[1] Moravec, H. P. (2000). Robot: mere machine to transcendent mind. Oxford University Press on
Demand.
[2] Bogue, R. (2011). Robots in the nuclear industry: a review of technologies and
applications. Industrial Robot: An International Journal, 38(2), 113-118.
[3] Luk, B. L., Liu, K. P., Collie, A. A., Cooke, D. S., & Chen, S. (2006). Tele-operated climbing and
mobile service robots for remote inspection and maintenance in the nuclear industry. Industrial
Robot: An International Journal, 33(3), 194-204.
[4] Engelberger, J. F. (2012). Robotics in practice: management and applications of industrial robots.
Springer Science & Business Media.
[5] Lien, T. K. (2013). Gripper technologies for food industry robots. In Robotics and Automation in
the Food Industry (pp. 143-170).