Another boon to flexible automation has been the advent of more-sophisticated robot arms and manipulators. Early robot arms had almost no adaptability, and they were very difficult to maintain. Furthermore, programming was comparatively primitive, requiring an interface through a means like punch cards. By contrast, today's robot arms are much more dependable because they are driven by more-reliable electric servo drives in all but the largest applications. Encoders keep track of positioning, enabling the end effector to be positioned precisely and consistently.
Users can interface directly with the robot through a control pad or computer terminal.
Flexible automation also has been aided by the proliferation of mechanical devices on the market. Today, many vendors sell equipment such as linear actuators, ball-screw drives, and belt drives, so a staff with technical training can put together a basic automation solution fairly easily. Even the most complex machines and configurations are far less expensive than they were just a few years ago. Key Although developments in hardware have made automation more flexible, software tends to be the more critical aspect of the system. Much of the flexibility of today's systems comes from the reprogrammability of devices such as tools and material-handling equipment.