Collaborative robotics includes some of the most innovative industrial technology on the market, but it’s also experiencing fast growth among the segments of industrial robotics as a whole. This is largely because cobots are currently redefining how human workers interact with their mechanical partners. As a result of this “cobot revolution,” companies in different fields have brought cobots onto their teams. Your company may be thinking of making the same investment. So to help you decide, here are the 5 ways cobots can improve your assembly line.

5 Benefits of Including Collaborative Robots on Your Assembly Line

• Cobots are Easy to Program and Deploy.

Older machines could only be programmed by coding experts, who had to essentially learn a new robotic language every time they worked with a different machine. In contrast, an employee with zero experience in deploying robots can quickly learn to program a cobot thanks to intuitive software.

• Cobots Can Work Alongside Employees.

As automation becomes a rising technological trend, there has been much speculation as to whether robots will come to phase out human workers. Cobots are not meant to outright replace humans, however. Just as their names imply, cobots have been designed to collaborate with employees and free them up to perform tasks that only highly skilled workers can fulfill. Cobots can thus help address labor shortages in industries such as construction and agriculture. By taking over simple maintenance tasks or helping laborers achieve more accurate results, they can increase the efficiency of workers who are already in the field.

Cobots are also safe for humans to work with. Previously, workers could not enter the space of an active robot unless they commanded it to stop. The working space of a robot also had to be lined with barriers and sensors for safety. Nowadays, however, an operator can walk into a cobot’s working space and directly place a component within its reach. 

Interestingly, this collaborative workplace layout can also increase the speed of your assembly line. A 2010 study conducted by MIT researcher and professor Julie Shah showed that human idle time could be reduced by as much as 85% with robotic assistance, making a human-cobot team more efficient than a team made solely of either humans or robots.

• Cobots are Both Flexible and Scalable.

If operators can program a cobot without difficulty, they will also be able to reprogram the same cobot to fit into a different point of the assembly line without spending time and additional costs on external consultations. It helps that cobots are lighter and smaller than industrial robots, so they can be easily repositioned as well. They can also store previous programs and reuse them for recurring tasks.

• Cobots as a Company Investment Can Increase ROI.

Cobots have a much lower maintenance cost than robots since their priority is to aid and speed up production rather than take it on single-handedly. But cobots are not necessarily cheaper than traditional robots in general, as the cost of assembly line automation will still depend largely on facility requirements. 

However, several applications that invest in cobots do see a return on investment (ROI) in less than one year, even after accounting for human training and post-sales support. This increase in ROI partly stems from the efficiency of human-cobot teams. Not only do they finish tasks much faster, but they also save time and floor space by working directly next to each other. Even if operators have to reprogram a cobot and move it elsewhere in the facility every now and then, the whole process is still relatively fast and free of expense. 

• Cobots Can Safely Handle Tasks that are Both Dangerous and Complex.

Certain tasks may be too complicated for a traditional robot yet too dangerous for a human employee. The welding industry, for example, creates a working environment involving carcinogenic fumes, excessive heat, and UV light. A cobot deployed here can help reduce welders’ exposure to these health hazards. Cobots can also prevent human error in applications related to surgical tasks or laboratory procedures, steadying the motion of tools and canceling out unwanted motion. They can also spare a human operator from repetitive strain.

There are also work environments that either push human operators to their biological limits, such as blast furnaces and freezers and steel mills. A human-cobot team ensures that operations can continue smoothly even if the operator is unable to continue the work at some point. The cobot can simply take over and sustain the system while the operator recovers. 

Cobots can certainly improve your assembly line in several ways. These benefits all add up as well: should you choose to deploy a cobot, you can increase productivity, cut down on spent time and labor costs, and maximize floor space, all with cutting edge manufacturing technology. Understandably, companies view cobots as a very attractive investment. For the best possible outcome, however, you may ultimately want to consult with experts who can determine the ideal equipment for your business needs.

Stay tuned for the third and final post in the Cobot Basics series! Written especially for cobot owners,  the article will discuss the process of determining the best application for a new cobot.

Elixir Industrial Equipment, Inc. has been in the business of providing world-class manufacturing solutions alongside highly professional post-sales service. If you have been considering improving your production line by incorporating cobots, feel free to contact us, and we will help determine the most efficient options for your company.

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