Collaborative Robotics Or Cobots For Industry

How can you use collaborative robotics or cobots to help your business develop and attain the status of industry 4.0. The article outlines the advantages of cobots and how businesses can benefit from their use to deliver better financial and quality performances.

Collaborative robotics

These are machines specially designed for production lines and can automatically perform a number of tasks. As the name suggests, collaborative robotics, also known as cobots, are designed to work with human beings. This is one of its particularities, compared to typical industrial robots which are not able to work with humans and only do the work that they have been programmed to do. However, cobots have a programming mode with a self-learning system. In other words, you don't necessarily need to reprogram cobots so that they can learn a new movement as they have the ability to memorize it and repeat it until a new change in task is required.

The other particularity of cobots lies in their great security. Indeed, if classic robots are equipped with a safety cage, the collaborative machine, for its part, does not have or need one. Approaching it therefore poses no risk to operators. Unlike conventional industrial machinery, it is able to stop automatically if it finds that its operation poses a risk to people operating nearby. Furthermore, the cobot is designed to be flexible, intuitive and convenient. These features allow cobots to be easily integrated into the work environment and meet user expectations.

The major common point between cobots and classic industrial robots is that they are both subject to the same standards. These are the EN ISO 10218-1, EN ISO 10218-2 and ISO/TS 15066 standards.

The benefits of collaborative robotics for industry

The integration of collaborative robotics in the production line can only be advantageous for industries, regardless of the sector of activity. These advantages include:

• Productivity: The robotic solution is to be preferred if you are looking to remain competitive in the field in which you work. This is due to its higher production capacity compared to that of humans. Cobots do not, for example, cause absenteeism. What's more, because of their flexibility, you can use them at any time. This saves you from having a lack of manpower;
• Time savings: Since the realization of certain repetitive tasks can be entrusted to the collaborative machine. This makes it possible to lighten the missions entrusted to employees and to assign them to other tasks that are more interesting for the company;
• Economy: Insofar as you do not have to re-hire if your customers demand the increase in productivity;
• Quality: With a cobot, the risks with faulty processing or handling are reduced. Product integrity is maintained during the manufacturing process.

The use of collaborative robotics is particularly common and effective in many sectors,such as the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics and electronics industries etc. Depending on the model, cobots can be used to carry out an assembly, a pick and place, the packaging of a product, etc. If you want to integrate collaborative robotics within your production chain, request a personalized quote via our form. Our teams will find the best possible offers and service providers relative to your specific needs.