What is a Cobot?
A Cobot is a Collaborative Robot. This means that the robot is able to work alongside people. They differ from industrial robots, which tend to be large robots that work for example in the car manufacturing industry. These robots carry out work such as welding and spray painting. They are secured in place and are surrounded by safety guarding to protect workers from the large and heavy arms that carry out the work.
Advantages of working with Cobots
Cobots are smaller and are more easily deployed in a wide range of manufacturing industries, not just the metal industry. They are less heavy and have built-in safety features that enable them to work alongside humans. This means that the Cobot not only has an emergency stop button but its robot arm can also be stopped using only your hand.
As they are smaller than most industrial robots, they are a compact solution. This makes them suitable for work areas where there is not much space available. You can for example mount the Cobot on the ceiling.
Fast payback period of a Cobot
The Cobot costs much less than a large industrial robot, because safeguarding is not needed. Depending on its application and for how long it is used each day, it is possible to earn back the investment in the Cobot in just 195 days. If you would like to know exactly what your payback period would be, please use the ROI calculator.
Consistent quality
The work that a Cobot carries out is always the same. The Cobot works constantly with the same force and along the same route you have programmed. This means that the quality is always the same. So if consistency in production is important to you, a Cobot is a good choice.
Work flexibly with a Cobot
Another advantage of the Cobot is its flexibility, which can be seen in the following:
- Easy to program. You can program the route the robot arm has to follow by taking the arm and leading it through the desired path.
- Lightweight, making it easy to move. You can for example put the Cobot on a trolley and so use it in various places in your workplace.
- By placing a different gripper on it and then reprogramming it, you can easily use it for a different application. A Cobot may, for example, screw together apple crates in the morning and then in the afternoon fill them with apples.
Effect on personnel and work
Workers who have to carry out a lot of repetitive work can suffer from various complaints such as RSI. The Cobot has been developed partially with this in mind. When the weight that has to be handled increases, so too does the physical strain for the worker. The Cobot can repetitively handle products up to 10 kg or more in weight, and so relieve workers from physical strain and reduce absenteeism from work.
The “idle” time of workers can also be resolved. If, for example, a worker is loading a CNC machine, the worker often does not have much to do. A Cobot can take care of loading the CNC machine, freeing the worker up to do other work such as inspections or further processing.
Work can be carried out more efficiently when using a robot. If screws need to be fastened during the assembly of a product, the Cobot can take over this task, freeing the worker up to assemble the next product. The result is a significantly higher production than if the worker had to not only assemble the product on his own but also fasten all the screws.
Sometimes it can be difficult to find workers to carry out certain jobs. In such cases a Cobot is also an ideal solution. This solution can be a permanent one, but if you prefer a temporary remedy, then you can rent or lease a Cobot.
