On Mon, 29 Jul 2013 06:18:01 +0000, passerby
wrote:

replying to RogerN , passerby wrote:
regor wrote:
I've been looking at the smaller educational robots, it looks like I could

get something functional for less money than the industrial robots, and
they
are more shipping friendly.

That's just the thing! There's no way you can do much with a Fanuc in a
residential home - it's just too darn large, heavy, needs too much power
etc. I happen to have a Scorbot ER-VII, which is the smallest you can get
that's close to an actual industrial robot, and it's about 70 pounds. I
needed a truck with a lift gate to deliver it (palleted with controller
and linear stage), paid extra for residential delivery here and still
regret I bought it. Since everything you do in training is a simulation of
sorts, there's nothing that an ER-V (only about 24 lbs) can't do that
ER-VII can. I was lucky to have found an inexpensive ER-V+ for which I
could reuse the controller and the linear stage. The ER-VII sits on the
floor, a 66lbs boat anchor. I need my son's help to even move it when it
gets in the way, a waste of money.

So, if you don't have a space with a loading dock and some sturdy benches,
400A service etc., I would not even consider buying anything that's an
actual industrial robot. It may even be useful to start with a $150
Armdroid, LabVolt1000 or a similar TeachMover - almost toys but not quite
and very easy to handle. In fact, I think that the most useful set in a
house would be still a Scorbot but the smallest ER-2U (U stands for USB
controller, very important these days). It has all the software of the
slightly larger ones, same controller as ER-IV with some extra I/Os and
it's small enough to put on the desk, play with it, then put it back on
the shelf. ER-2U goes for about $300 with controller included on eBay
these days.

Many of the jobs I see where they want you to have robotics experience
specify ABB, Fanuc, or whatever brand(s) they use. That's why I'd prefer
a
brand of robot that is in demand in industry, I know that what I would
learn
on a Scorbot would apply to other robots but employers don't seem to
understand this.

I have never met an employer who would not want to hire a tech who's ready
to go right now, on any equipment they put in front of him. Most of the
time they're not ready to pay the wages such person would require, so
usually a compromise is found somewhere in between. You have to
demonstrate that you are "teachable", and having some experience with
small robots might help.

(Disclaimer: robots are a hobby for me, I never needed to bring my
robotics lab up in an interview. But I do have a lab with the equipment
that I do work with professionally and it does help to get the
conversation going)

Here's something that just appeared in my inbox that may be useful for
Roger, at least for him to know about:

===========================================
Yaskawa Motoman Offers STEM Platform for Education and Workforce
Development

Dayton, OH (July 2013) - Yaskawa Motoman has released a new STEM
Robotics Platform for education and workforce development. A
general-purpose platform and a welding education cell are available.

The new STEM Robotics Platform offers a selection of pre-engineered
robotic solutions that meet the requirements of secondary educational
programs focused on advanced manufacturing and robotics.
The standard configurations and available options provide a package of
leading technologies typically encountered in manufacturing
environments, including components provided by the Yaskawa Motoman
Education Consortium (YMEC). Educators can purchase a complete package
or components to build a custom education system that best fits
planned course work and classroom layout.

"We developed the STEM Robotics Platform to provide community
colleges, vocational schools and technical colleges with the best
possible equipment for teaching industrial robotics," said Erik
Nieves, technology director. "Students are excited about robotics. The
success of high school robot competitions like FIRST® and Vex make
students enthusiastic about robot programming, and each year, growing
numbers are looking for opportunities to learn more."

Instructors want course work to be relevant and directly applicable to
industry. The best colleges support their local community by preparing
students to be successful on Day 1 of their careers as technicians and
engineers in factories and other industries. To learn more about
Robotics for Education and Workforce Development, visit
stem.motoman.com.

Additional education tools are offered, including the Simple Education
System (SES) and customizable training programs. SES is a PC-based
robot simulator that allows customers to learn to operate and program
Motoman® robots in the virtual world while keeping their actual robots
in production.

About Yaskawa Motoman

Founded in 1989, the Motomon of Yaskawa Aman Robotics Divisierica,
Inc. is a leading robotics company in the Americas. With over 270,000
Motoman® robots installed globally, Yaskawa provides automation
products and solutions for virtually every industry and robotic
application; including arc welding, assembly, coating, dispensing,
material handling, material cutting, material removal, packaging,
palletizing and spot welding. For more information please visit our
website at www.motoman.com or call 937.847.6200.

============================================

--
Ed Huntress