Rotary turntables can be pivotal components in a robotic setup. They enable you to precisely maneuver workpieces into an optimal position for operations.
With a rotary turntable, you can streamline various robotic applications like welding, drilling, machining, and many more. Adding this extra Degree of Freedom to your system can improve the flexibility of the robot cell, reduce the need for human operators, and increase productivity.
Which of your automation tasks could benefit from adding a rotary turntable?
In this article, we look at some practical uses for rotary turntables in robotic manufacturing. We also provide questions you can ask yourself to assess if you need a turntable for your application.
How Rotary Turntables Fit In a Robotic Setup
When used with a robot, a simple way to think of a rotary turntable is to consider it as an extra Degree of Freedom (DoF).
However, this is not the whole story.
Rotary turntables are usually very precise. This is due to the worm gear mechanism that drive them and their high reduction ratios, often 90:1 or 180:1. The cost of this high precision is often slow speed.
When you are programming your robot and turntable, it’s important to take the maximum speed of the turntable into account. For example, if the turntable moves at a slower speed than your robot joints, you might choose to orient the workpiece slowly with the turntable and make all faster movements with the robot.
5 Incredible Uses for a Rotary Turntable in Robotic Manufacturing
Many robot applications can benefit from adding a rotary turntable.
Here are 5 examples of incredible uses for a rotary turntable in robotic manufacturing:
1. Rotary Welding Positioner Turntable
This application involves using the rotary turntable to orient a part for robotic welding. In this way, the robot can access different angles without having to halt the welding operation.
If the rotary turntable supports continuous rotation, you can combine its motion with the robots for long, continuous weld lines.
2. Rotary Table for Drilling Rig
In drilling operations, rotary tables can be used to position entire drilling rigs. This makes it possible to reach the workpiece from all sides without stopping the operation.
For robot drilling, a rotary table can improve the consistency of drill holes made around a circular path.
3. Arcing and Circling for Milling
Rotary turntables can also help to create precise arcs and circles in a robot milling process.
By incrementally adjusting the turntable’s position, the robot can create complex geometrical curves easily. This reduces the need for complicated programming steps that might otherwise be required to create such shapes.
4. Indexed Machining Operations
An elegant use of rotary turntables is to use their indexing function. This is where the turntable moves a specific amount between operations.
One example of this feature in use is when milling slots in a circular pattern. For each slot, the rotary turntable moves the required amount, then the robot mills the slot.
5. Quality Control and Inspection
Rotary turntables can also be used for end of line operations, like inspection.
Robotic inspection systems use robots to position quality control sensors relative to the workpiece. A rotary turntable can precisely align the workpiece for inspection, extending the view of the robot.
15 Questions to Identify If Your Task Needs a Rotary Turntable
Only some robot applications will benefit from adding a rotary turntable. Whether your application is one of them will depend on a variety of factors specific to your situation.
To get an idea of whether you should consider a rotary turntable, here are 15 questions you can ask yourself:
- Does your operation require high precision?
- Will the workpiece be handled at multiple angles?
- Are you producing complex geometrical shapes?
- Do you need consistent indexing between operations?
- Is your project focused on multi-faced machining?
- Do you need consistent depth control in drilling?
- Are there space constraints on your workbench?
- Is your current workflow limited by the linear movement of your robots or conveyors?
- Does your task involve high variability in part orientation that affects quality or speed?
- Is floor space in your manufacturing area limited, making linear conveyor systems less feasible?
- Are there steps in your process that require very fine adjustments to part orientation?
- Would reducing manual handling and part reorientation time increase overall efficiency?
- Is your current robotic system struggling to reach all necessary points on a part without additional movement?
- Would investing in a turntable be more cost-effective than installing multiple robots or conveyors?
- Would a turntable system allow for easier reconfiguration of your production line?
- Does the robot struggle to keep correct orientation due to the robot’s reach or dexterity limits?
- Do you need to perform milling operations on parts with complex geometries that require repositioning for each cut?
- Would rotating the part on a turntable help ensure even paint or surfacing distribution and reduce the likelihood of missed spots?
- Would a turntable allow for smoother transitions between accessing different surfaces or angles of a part?
- Would integrating a rotary turntable into your workflow provide a competitive advantage in terms of productivity, flexibility, or product quality?
These are just some example questions, which may or may not be applicable to your situation. Hopefully, they will spark ideas about what are the right questions for you to be thinking.
How to Boost Your Robot’s Flexibility Further with a Rotary Turntable
Whatever your application, you can make sure that you get the most flexibility from your rotary turntable by choosing the right programming environment.
RoboDK supports various rotary turntables and external axes, which are available in our Robot Library.
Just load your chosen model into the simulation — or create your own with our custom mechanism wizard — and add the turntable to your simulation.
With the right rotary turntable, you can enhance the flexibility and precision of your robot application further than you could have imagined!
What application would you use your turntable for? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or in the RoboDK Forum.. Also, check out our extensive video collection and subscribe to the RoboDK YouTube Channel
