In today’s competitive world, you’re missing the goodies if you’re not on the cutting edge of innovation in your industry. By automating with collaborative robots (cobots), your company can be at the forefront of technology and reap the rewards from your business. Collaborative robots have become a staple of modern manufacturing, with applications in diverse fields such as the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries.
Cobots contribute immensely by working alongside human workers on assembly lines. They autonomously execute a task without human input when programmed accordingly. Many companies have realized this benefit and are now using cobots as part of their safety protocols.
Characteristic Features and Functions of Collaborative Robots
Cobots can perform tasks that require a high level of skill and precision, such as material handling, manipulation, and assembly. Ultimately, human operator doesn’t have to do as many tasks as they would with a traditional industrial robot. Collaborative robots can help with the following functions:
Machine Tending
As part of machine tending, cobots can perform tasks such as material handling and inspection that humans traditionally perform. As such, companies can reduce labor costs and improve the quality and efficiency of their production lines.
Monitoring
Cobots monitor production lines for quality issues or downtime affecting production output. The robots carry out data collection and troubleshooting when something goes wrong during production operations. As a result, the overall productivity levels on any given line or assembly area improve.
Applications of Collaborative Robots in Various Industries
Manufacturing
Collaborative robots build products that require high levels of precision. Once programmed, collaborative robots perform specific tasks with great accuracy, allowing them to weld, paint, smooth, and assemble parts. Collaborative robots also help complete tasks that are too dangerous for human workers. For example, they handle jobs involving heavy lifting or working with hazardous materials like paint or caustic chemicals safely and efficiently. Thus workers can focus on their primary tasks while the robot performs tasks such as welding and painting at high speeds.
Healthcare
Collaborative robots can assist doctors during surgeries and provide rehabilitative therapy for stroke victims. Cobots act as medical assistants by taking blood pressure or temperature. They assist in surgery by holding instruments and as patient care robots who assist patients with exercise equipment. They also help people with physical disabilities perform daily tasks like walking up the stairs.
Automotive Industry
Collaborative robots in the automotive industry thrive on tasks that human workers may not handle quickly or accurately. For example, they help in assembly lines, where they thrive in welding or painting per predetermined plans.
Construction
Robots help build bridges, skyscrapers, and homes. Collaborative Robots in the construction sector perform dangerous or repetitive tasks, including welding and cutting metal, lifting heavy objects, and installing doors and windows. They can assemble houses faster than humans and efficiently handle heavy loads of concrete or steel.
Aerospace Industry and Shipbuilding Industry
Collaborative robots perform tasks such as painting and assembling aircraft fuselages. The shipbuilding industry uses collaborative robots to build ships and large structures. The robots handle tasks including welding steel plates, painting hulls, and installing equipment. In addition, they help with welding, painting, and general maintenance, including cleaning windows or replacing parts on a ship’s decking planks.
Automaton Benefits of Collaborative Robots in Production
Collaborative Robots are an ideal solution for your business, especially when you need to perform repetitive tasks safely and efficiently.
Accuracy and precision
The accuracy and precision of collaborative robots increase productivity and produce better quality products. In addition, cobots are more accurate than humans and help decrease waste.
Faster Production
Collaborative robots don’t get tired, don’t make mistakes, and don’t need breaks or lunch breaks. In addition, since cobots can do multiple tasks simultaneously, they produce more parts in less time. That means less downtime while waiting for machine repairs or replacement.
Quality End Result
The precision of collaborative robots ensures that your product won’t be defective. Collaborative robots offer higher quality products due to their incredible speed and accuracy. With collaborative robots, workers can focus on higher-level tasks rather than depending on another person for their job functions. In addition, these machines work at faster speeds than human workers, which means they can complete more daily tasks without fatigue.
Easy Installation and Set Up
Cobots require minimal training to install and operate, which means you don’t have to invest in expensive human training. The cobot technology is easy to install and set up because you do not need costly programming experience. You only adhere to the instructions provided by the manufacturer or supplier.
Flexible
Collaborative robots can quickly move into place each time a new part needs production or moves around the factory floor. As such, implementation of new processes is real-time since cobots are easily deployable to new production lines.
Health and Safety
Collaborative robots provide a safe environment for workers by eliminating the need for dangerous tasks such as lifting heavy objects. They can improve safety by giving workers more time and space to work on tasks that require less skill. A collaborative robot uses sensors to detect objects and people in its workspace. If an object is in its path, it will stop to avoid it. If there is a person in its workspace, it will stop moving until the person moves out of the way.
Return on Investment
Collaborative robots are cost-effective in terms of salaries or benefits, and you won’t have to buy expensive software or hardware. These robots come with everything you need to operate them right away. They can help your company save money on labor costs by reducing the time it takes employees to do repetitive tasks. When you use a collaborative robot, you can get items out faster, which means that you can produce more products efficiently. It also reduces the amount of material waste.
Conclusion
Collaborative Robots are the new game-changers in the manufacturing industry. They increase productivity, reduce the cost of labor and make products more affordable for the final consumer. Collaborative robots increase efficiency and reduce costs in manufacturing, while in healthcare applications, they can facilitate patient safety and quality of care.
Collaborative robots help people work more efficiently and productively by reducing errors and downtime caused by human error. Cobots are also valuable for education and training purposes, particularly useful for fields requiring repeatable tasks like manufacturing or logistics.
