We’ve seen collaborative robots used in packaging, additive manufacturing, and even in light manufacturing processes. Collaborative robots haven’t typically been used for heavy industrial manufacturing, however. That’s changing. Industrial collaborative robots are better, more capable cobots.
Dialing down our robots
One of the biggest differences between collaborative robots and industrial robots is that collaborative robots do not require safety barriers. This is also one of the biggest advantages of cobots. The reason that collaborative robots exist is that they are safe enough to deploy alongside human workers.
Of course, making robots safer means dialing down their capabilities. Industrial robots are big and brawny. They lift heavy loads and change positions in the blink of an eye. Collaborative robots, on the other hand, do not need to be powerful or lightning fast. We just need collaborative robots to lift a few pounds and and not crush us.
Turning up the volume
Moving from industrial robots to the first collaborative robots was like turning the volume down from 10 to 1. Now that we’ve seen collaborative robots are not only safe enough to work alongside humans, but they’re also improving efficiency, we’re starting to crank the volume up a bit.
We’re more comfortable implementing more capable collaborative robots. Instead of docile, mild-mannered cobots that just sort, load, and put things into packages, we have more capable industrial collaborative robots that can assist in heavy industrial manufacturing. In fact, industrial collaborative robots are now being used in automotive manufacturing.
Cobots can’t replace industrial robots
Collaborative robots are improving efficiency and reducing costs in manufacturing and packaging processes. This is great news for factory owners, but collaborative robots won’t replace industrial machinery.
Make sure that your industrial motion control system is ready for anything. Call 479-422-0390 for support or preventive inspection for your Indramat motion control system.