Several issues need to be addressed before there will be more widespread use of robotic screwdriving. Cost, robot design, training, culture and other factors must be considered by manufacturing engineers.
ASSEMBLY recently asked several leading experts to discuss the pros and cons of robotic screwdriving vs. traditional benchtop screwdriving equipment: Kevin Buckner, design engineer at Design Tool Inc.; Patrick Laughter, engineering manager at DENSO Robotics; Lisa Maitre, senior applications engineer at Kawasaki Robotics USA Inc.; and Neil Maniccia, global product group manager for ASG Precision Fastening, a division of Jergens Inc. Here’s what they had to say: