When companies think about automation with robots, what comes to mind is the exorbitant cost of purchasing robots and the extra space required to store them. However, collaborative robots make it easier for companies of all types to automate their production processes.
Why should companies consider acquiring collaborative robots for automation?
Cost
Collaborative robots are more affordable than traditional robots. The price of cobots ranges from $15,000 to $45,000. How much you pay depends on the features of the cobot you choose. Collaborative robots vary in size, weight, payload, and the amount of workspace they require.
The features you look for in a cobot depend on the type of materials you work with and the type of task you want to assign. If you want to automate tasks that involve lifting heavy items, you will need a robot with a large payload capacity. The higher the payload, the more expensive the cobot.
At their current price, manufacturers can recoup their investment in cobots in about two years to make investing in a cobot a profitable decision.
Size
Collaborative robots are small and suitable for small and medium entities that may have challenges with space.
Rent for factory space is too high for many small companies. As a result, they may have smaller warehouses that may not fit a traditional robot.
Cobots are compact and can fit anywhere. A small manufacturing company will benefit from purchasing cobots for their automation. Due to their small size and mobility, you can move them from one corner of the factory to another to perform different assignments.
Many may underestimate the cobot for its size. However, it performs as well as a traditional robot or any other robot for all assigned tasks.
Time-Saving
Purchasing a cobot ensures that the company saves time in its production process. For example having integrated steel process control with ai into your production process. A cobot carries out a task faster than a human being would. Early cobot adopters have shown how cobots take almost less than half the time it takes for a human being to finish an assignment.
Further, cobots can work round the clock without a break. They do not get tired or break down. In addition to saving time, cobots also enhance productivity in an organization that acquires it.
Easy To Work With
Collaborative robots are easy to understand, install new software, and use. You only need a few hours of training from an integrator, and you can start working with your cobot. They are easy to program from one task to the other. You only need to install the software for the different jobs in the robot. Then, when you want to change over to a new task, press the number corresponding to the task software, and it can start working.
Additionally, each task may have its external effectors. These are fixtures placed at the end of a robot’s hand to ensure it can perform a given task competently. For example, a suction end arm effector enables the robot to carry out pick and place tasks.
Solve Challenges With Staff
While cobots cannot fully replace human workers, installing a cobot on your factory floor enhances the human capacity. Many sectors have suffered labor shortages over the last two years. Collaborative robots have made it possible for manufacturers to continue with their work even with fewer people.
One cobot can handle the tasks of several people. For example, a single collaborative robot can work with four machines simultaneously. Therefore, machine handlers in the factory can be assigned other roles.
Flexibility
Collaborative robots allow factories to be more flexible in their production processes. With a robot, you can change product design quickly and produce a new product to meet customer needs.
With more flexibility, you can anticipate customer needs and make products that meet them. Additionally, you can manufacture customized products.
Safety
Traditional robots operate in cages due to their accident-prone design. However, collaborative robots do not have to be caged. They have a curved and smooth exterior as opposed to the sharp edges of the traditional robots. Therefore, bumping against it will not cause injuries.
Further, cobots have inbuilt intelligent safety mechanisms that can sense when humans are close to them. A collaborative robot will lower its speed when someone is near it. Therefore, reducing the chances of causing an accident or injury.
Eliminate Dangerous And Hazardous Tasks
Collaborative robots automate repetitive and dangerous tasks. Some tasks a robot can handle include handling hazardous materials and chemicals. Cobots have an outer surface that is rust-resistant and corrosion free. Therefore, if you work with harmful materials in your organization, you can leave them to the cobots.
Exposure to hazardous material can cause your employees to get sick. Consequently, you will spend more on the medical bills for your employees. Cobots will not get injured or cost you money for handling these materials.
Free Up Your Human Resource For Complicated Assignments
When you introduce collaborative robots in your factory, employees who worked on the tasks assigned to the cobot will be free. You can deploy them to other sections in the factory to work on complicated tasks robots cannot handle. These employees will gain additional skills to work effectively in their new roles.
Most factory workers fear that robots will take their jobs. However, there are many complicated jobs that robots cannot handle. You will allocate these jobs to employees whose jobs the cobots takeover. They will have to gain new skills to transition to these new tasks.
Accepted In A Range Of Industries
Cobots are already in use in a range of industrial sectors. You will find robots in automotive, pharmaceutical, food and beverages, real estate, hospitality, and medical industries.
Consult an integrator on how to solve any challenges you may have in your company with a cobot. You can determine the type of cobot suitable for your operations. A factory-specific cobot for your company should handle several tasks. It will ease your factory operations and improve the quality of your products. It will also help increase the profitability of your organization.
