The above sections presented a case study on surface grinding using industrial robots. As is seen, much considerations are needed to automate a machining process using industrial robots. As a result, the decision on whether to robotize a particular machining process or not is often tough for decision makers. Generally, a robotized machining process will typically expect to have the following benefits:

• Minimum operators
• Increased throughput
• Continuous operation
• Cost-effective

However, such benefits are only possible if robotic implementations are introduced in phases rather than all at once.
In the beginning, feasibility studies should be done to determine if the current process is suitable for robotization. A stable process that is robust will ensure a higher chance of success, and focus can be put on the other development work. However, if the current process is not suitable for robotization, a new process study will be required. Cases like the absence of suitable tools for robots can be showstoppers. Other issues like alternative automation solutions, return of investments, as well as legislative requirements may also affect the overall implementation decision.
Existing manual labors are usually apprehensive to adopting new technologies that require new skill set. In particular, having to operate in a virtual environment rather than the physical one takes getting used to. Such people are important in the initial development as they know the process requirements and the required output and their inputs are essential to improving the overall implementation. Getting them to be the users of such machines will be ideal, but there is a need to ensure that they are comfortable to operate the system to a level where they are comfortable imparting their process experience as motions of the robot.
Only when a small-scale implementation is completed can an overall assessment of the robotization success be determined. If the automation is able to de-skill a worker, it makes sense to progress forward to consider larger-scale implementations.
In summary, this chapter first presented an overview of the state of the art of robot programming methods for modern industrial robots. Off-line programming with the focus on contact-type operations was then discussed in detail. To assist readers during the implementation of robotic systems for machining processes, practical issues and some highlighted solutions were presented. We believe that the work presented here is very useful for those who are trying to automate existing machining processes using modern industrial robotic systems.

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