So You’re Thinking of Buying a Cobot
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Have you been exploring the potential value add of integrating a collaborative robot (aka cobot) into your operations? You’re in good company! Industry surveys suggest that approximately 88% of companies plan to integrate cobots into their workflows in the near future. At IRH, we want to ensure that you make informed decisions before selecting automation solutions. To help, we’re breaking down what you need to know about cobots.
How Do We Use Cobots?
First and foremost, we’re using cobots to enhance the efficiency and creativity of our human workforce. These machines have been developed to be collaborative (hence CObot), working alongside humans to execute repetitive tasks with increased degrees of precision, speed, and consistency (think picking and placing items, machine tending, packaging, dispensing or gluing, and quality inspection). The use of cobots for these tasks in turn enables workers to focus on the aspects of their jobs that require more complex, creative thinking and drive business growth. Moreover, streamlining processes with cobots can return increased production and decreased waste, also serving to bolster your bottom line.
Not only can cobots help boost production efficiency but they can also enhance workplace safety. Using cobots to complete tasks that require repetitive motions and/or lifting, for example, mitigates the risk of injury to human workers who would otherwise be completing the task, thereby creating a safer working environment for employees.
Cobots vs Industrial Robots
Unlike “traditional” industrial robots, collaborative robots have the potential to be used without safety enclosures. Most cobots are designed to limit power and force and have safety stopping mechanisms in place to protect human operators. Some cobots have sensors or scanners that trigger a safety mode, in which the cobot works at slower speeds and with decreased force, when a person is detected in its workspace. These can also trigger protective stops should a person get too close to a working machine. Industrial robots, which work with significantly more force and speed than cobots, are not equipped with these sensors and are not able to make responsive adjustments should they come into contact with a human.
It is worth noting that safety with robots, of all types, is variable. For example, if a cobot is holding something in its end of arm tooling that is unsafe, the whole system is unsafe. When incorporating cobots (or any type of robot) into your production processes, it is essential to conduct a safety audit to ensure that the machine you’re adopting is a good fit for its environment and that your updated workflow and space is as safe for operators as possible from the outset.
Compared to industrial robots, which require substantial knowledge and time to program, cobots often boast more user-friendly interfaces and intuitive programming. This can make them easier to install and simpler to program, and reprogram, minimizing production downtime and enhancing flexibility. The adaptability of cobots makes them particularly suitable for low-volume, high-mix production and enables manufacturers to keep pace with rapidly changing market demands.
What CAN’T Cobots Do?
There are a lot of applications that cobots can be useful for, however they are not a catchall solution. Cobots are not suitable for tasks that require high speeds, heavy lifting, or large movements due to their design limitations in size, payload capacity, and speed. For these tasks, as well as for high-volume and unchanging production processes, industrial robots remain the standard. Likewise, cobots cannot achieve the same levels of repeatability and accuracy as industrial robots. So if your application requires high precision movements, an industrial robot is the better fit.
Selecting the Right Cobot
It’s becoming increasingly clear that cobots will be leveraged as a tool for reshoring and/or keeping jobs local for small to medium-sized manufacturers who want to stay competitive. With so many options on the market, featuring a broad spectrum of capabilities and price points (current pricing for cobots ranges between $8,000 - $100,000 depending on manufacturer, software, and specificity of application), identifying if (and which) cobots are right for your business might seem overwhelming.
Industrial Robot Help is here to support you achieve your automation goals. At IRH, we offer brand agnostic automation consulting, meaning that we are dedicated to identifying the most suitable components, regardless of manufacturer, for your project. Our team of experienced engineers develops and deploys bespoke solutions that address your unique challenges and deliver results. From concept, to code, to controls - IRH will manage your automation so that your team can stay focused on what they do best.