In order to adapt to the rapid development of industry 4.0 and intelligent manufacturing, enterprises have begun to introduce automation equipment and intelligent robots to improve production efficiency and reduce labor costs. Inspection robot, as a kind of equipment that can carry out automatic inspection in complex and dangerous environment, has been widely concerned. However, in order to achieve the normal operation of inspection robots, stable and secure networking is an issue that enterprises should consider in the process of implementing automation transformation. This article will tell us the power of inspection robots, let's get started!

Ⅰ. What Is an Inspection Robot?

Inspection robot, is a kind of industrial robot, mainly performs automatic inspection tasks. They are widely applied in industry, energy, transportation and other fields. These robots are equipped with a variety of sensors, cameras, and even AI-powered software. They are capable of operating in complex and hazardous environments for environmental monitoring, equipment inspection, data acquisition and more. The use of inspection robots reduces the risk of manual inspection to a certain extent, and improves the efficiency and accuracy of inspection.

Ⅱ. Why Does Factory Automation Need Inspection Robots？

Factory automation relies on inspection robots to improve quality control, reduce downtime, improve safety, and reduce labor costs.

• Through the automatic inspection of the inspection robot, the product quality of the factory can meet the standard and reliable, and the overall production efficiency will be improved.
• Robots can provide continuous, precise inspections. It can find equipment defects and problems in time and feed back to the relevant management personnel to improve and solve, in order to prevent high maintenance costs caused by failures.
• Inspection robots can work in dangerous or extremely complex areas, greatly reducing the risk of manual work.

Ⅲ. How to Address the Needs of the Factory Automation?

Factory Automation Sore Point

• Improve Production Efficiency:

Through stable network connection, the continuous monitoring of the job site can be realized, and potential hazards can be found and solved quickly, thus improving work efficiency and reducing operating costs.
Using remote monitoring and management, reduce the workload of on-site operation and maintenance personnel and reduce labor costs.
At the same time, reduce equipment failures and security hazards, and reduce costs associated with security risks.

• Improve Network Security:

Ensure that the solution has a secure network connection and data transmission capability to ensure the normal operation of the inspection robot and avoid security problems such as network attacks and data leaks.

InHand Networks Solution

The inspection robot networking solution consists of inspection robots, InHand Networks industrial router IR315 and InConnect cloud services. The inspection robot is equipped with an industrial router IR315, which is connected via Ethernet. The router then transmits the operation data of the inspection robot through the 4G network or Wi-Fi, communicates with the data center in real time, and realizes the function of capturing and reporting abnormal phenomena.

The industrial router has a variety of industrial interfaces, which can be adapted to various inspection robot controllers, sensors, etc. It is fully industrial designed to adapt to various harsh environments. InConnect can provide a secure remote maintenance tunnel for inspection robots, and support operation and maintenance engineers to remotely debug, maintain, and upgrade field devices. This enables remote maintenance and remote monitoring in an unattended environment, improving O&M efficiency.

InHand Networks Solution------Router IR315

If you are interested in the Router IR315, you can click the below picture to know more details  and make a purchase.

Ⅳ. How Much Does an Inspection Robot Cost?

For different needs, the models of industrial robots required are not the same, and the price can not be consistent. The following is a rough reference cost for different inspection robot models.

• Basic inspection robots, which are used for tasks like visual inspections or monitoring standard equipment, typically start at $10,000 to $50,000. These robots may be equipped with basic sensors and cameras.
• More advanced inspection robots, equipped with device functions such as high-resolution imaging, thermal imagers, ultrasonic sensors, lidar or artificial intelligence analysis, range in price from $100,000 to $500,000. These are often used in industries that require high precision and safety, such as oil and gas, nuclear power, or aerospace.
• Robots designed for specific environments or tasks can be more expensive. The main reason is that it costs more in terms of custom engineering, adding additional sensors, or software development tailored to specific use cases.
• Large robots designed for harsh or dangerous environments, such as underground mines or underwater inspections, can also be more expensive. It could be more than $500,000, mainly due to the large size of such robots, the cost will naturally increase.
• It is also important to note that the ongoing investment costs of routine maintenance, software updates and support contracts can also increase the total cost of robot use. Depending on the complexity of the robot, ongoing maintenance costs can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars per year.
• For certain industry specific requirements, industries such as offshore oil platforms, nuclear facilities or high voltage power lines often require rugged robots with professional certification and compliance, which also increases the cost of robots.

Overall, inspection robots range in price from $10,000 for basic models to more than $500,000 for complex specific models. On this basis, the cost of daily maintenance and operation also needs to be taken into account. If you are in doubt about the cost of the inspection robot you need, it is recommended to ask the supplier about the costs involved at the time of purchase.

Ⅴ. In Addition to Inspection Robots,What Is the Most Used of Industrial Robot?

In addition to the inspection robots mentioned in this article, the most commonly used industrial robots are articulated robots, especially six-axis robots. This kind of robot is multi-functional. It is like one of our arms, with high flexibility, high speed movement, and small footprint. It is suitable for a wide variety of tasks such as welding, painting, assembly, material handling and machine maintenance. Articulated robots are widely used in industries such as automotive manufacturing, electronics and general manufacturing due to their adaptability, precision and ability to perform complex tasks efficiently.

Brief Introduction of Types of Industrial Robots

Conclusion

Inspection robots combined with industrial routers to achieve intelligent networking is a major driving force for factory automation, which greatly improves the production and operation efficiency of the factory and reduces costs. If you want to learn more about networking for industrial devices, InHand Networks would be a good choice to find the ideal solution for you.

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