1: Introduction. - 2: Why use robots?. - Robot versus hard automation. - Robot availability purchase and viability. - Assessing the robot market. - 3: Which configuration?. - Specialized robots. - Robot capability. - Which programming method?. - Important elements in robot specifications. - 4: Calculation of cycle times. - Methods for calculating cycle time. - Parts trees. - Assessing workload. - 5: Grippers. - Sophisticated gripper versus simple gripper. - Compliance. - Types of grippers. - Gripper design. - Sensory control of grippers. - Gripper classifications. - Multiple robots. - Multiple arm robots. - Multiple grippers. - 6: The assembly process. - Assembly techniques. - 7: Product and process design for assembly. - Product compatibility. - Method of construction. - Fifteen design rules. - 8: Workstations. - The system. - Assembly line balancing. - Balancing a robot line. - Implementation of workstations. - 9: Material feeders. - Automatic feeders. - Feeding delicate items. - Component manufacture at site of usage. - Feeding consumable materials. - Conveyors. - Automated guided vehicles. - Prepackaged material control. - 10: Sensing and vision. - Sensors. - Selecting a suitable sensor. - Automatic inspection. - 11: Man-machine mix. - Interaction between man and machine. - Programming. - Man-robot systems. - 12: Safety. - Humans at risk from injury by robots. - Safety procedures and devices. - Procedural checks. - 13: Evaluation of a robot system. - Methods of financial appraisal. - Strategic and tactical justification. - Productivity ratios. - Robot versus manual cost per hour. - Resource graphs. - Cost groups. - The proposal. - 14: Economics of alternative systems. - Assessing costs. - Equilateral triangle. - Direct calculation. - Benefits and total expected savings. - Systems for a range of quantities. - Flexible and fixed aspects of automated assembly. - 15: Economics of robots and grippers. - The workstation. - The gripper design. - 16: The future. - The short-term outlook. - The long-term outlook. - References and bibliography. - Appendix: Assembly Robots Available in the USA and the UK. Language: English