Collaborative Robots on the Rise

By Gary McCoy

Imagine robots working side by side with humans, and without a safety cage. That’s the reality for some spring manufacturers, who have begun using collaborative robots (cobots) in their manufacturing operations.

“Collaborative robots are complex machines which work hand in hand with human beings. In a shared work process, they support and relieve the human operator,’’ according to the German trade association IFA.

The Robotics Industries Association reports that cobots provide manufacturers with safe, versatile, easy-to-use automation that supports human laborers. “Ergonomically-designed machines serve a wide variety of human needs and offer a broad range of capabilities. Cobots are actually improving working conditions and empowering humans to have more fulfilling jobs in manufacturing industries.”

According to Eron Harvey, a sales engineer at RR Floody in Rockford,

Photo courtesy of RR Floody/Universal Robots

“Cobots ... are used on more mundane tasks, like machine tending or pack-out applications that have high turnover or are affected by labor shortages.”

Illinois, cobots came on the scene about 10 years ago, and the adoption rate has risen in recent years.

“The prevalence of cobots has definitely increased,” explained Harvey. “That goes all the way from the largest corporation to the smaller mom and pop shops.”

According to the “World Robotics 2020” report from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the adoption of human-robot collaboration is on the rise. IFR’s most recent data saw cobot installations grow by 11 percent.

Cobots Versus Traditional Robots

“Cobots are not faster or more accurate than traditional robots,” said Harvey. “They move at a rate similar to human cadence. They are used on more mundane tasks, like machine tending or pack-out applications that have high turnover or are affected by labor shortages.”

Harvey says traditional industrial robots, those that are caged off to protect workers, are faster and more precise.

“If you are looking for increased cycle times, then the cobots are not the way to go,” he explained. “Cobots are more valuable for consistency of production.”

According to the publication “Collaborative Robotics Trends,” industrial robots are typically large, fixed equipment designed for high-volume, extremely highaccuracy and high-speed production. Because of the speed of the robot’s arm movement, industrial robots can present

“Cobots are ideal for manufacturers with low-volume, highmix production or who need to safely automate processes alongside human workers,” said the publication. “That might include automating a repetitive task and handing a part off to a human for inspection, or to complete a complex assembly process.”

safety risks to human workers, so they usually require safety measures such as a cage to keep humans out of the robot’s work envelope. The integration of the robot and its safety caging can drive costs up substantially, as can the need for professional services to program these complex robots and integrate them with other production equipment and machines.

“Cobots are ideal for manufacturers with low-volume, high-mix production or who need to safely automate processes alongside human workers,” said the publication. “That might include automating a repetitive task and handing a part off to a human for inspection, or to complete a complex assembly process.”

It should be noted that cobots are limited based on their reach. Manufacturers offer a wide variety of sizes to accommodate multiple reach options.

End configuration options are almost endless, including welding, gripping, threading, tapping and even inspecting. Speed is also variable, depending on the amount of reach required for a particular application.

For those concerned about safety, cobots come equipped with safety sensors along the body of the cobot. To immediately prevent damage or injury, the sensors will shut-off if the cobot comes into contact with someone or something.

Cobot Costs

Cobots typically have lower upfront costs and are easy to program with no previous experience, so they offer a fast ROI. Harvey says it typically costs between $30,000 to $50,000 per cobot.

He says most cobots do not require the use of a third-party integrator. Harvey says if you do need to utilize an integrator for things like parts presentation, linking the robot to machinery or sensors/ conveyors, then the total cost can double.

“Many of our customers are so strapped for time that they hire an integrator to get the work done in a timely manner,” commented Harvey.

Overall, Harvey says the total cost of ownership for a cobot is typically much less than an industrial robot.

Flexibility

Cobots are small and lightweight enough that they can be easily moved and redeployed to automate different processes throughout a manufacturing facility. Programming a cobot is much simpler than a traditional robot.

As Harvey explains, “A lot of them are initially programmed by physically moving the arm and pushing a button.”

He gives the example of moving a part off a conveyor and into a box. “You move the arm to the part at a pick location on the conveyor and push a button to close the gripper on the part. Then you move the arm to the drop location in the box and push a button to release the gripper and place the part in its final location. What you are doing is laying down the rudimentary part of the program. You can fine tune the desired movement with the software, but it’s very simple to walk through it just by manually manipulating the arm.”

Regarding cobots and their application to spring manufacturing, Harvey says it could be as simple as having the spring coiling machine send a signal to the cobot when it’s done making a spring. The machine tells the cobot to unload the part and put it into a box or bin. This type

©iStockphoto.com/Thomas-Soellner

of function does require some programming, so the cobot is integrated to the machine.

A much simpler application is having the robot pick up the box full of springs and placing it on a pallet.

One of the newer technologies being deployed is the usage of bin picking cameras, which are tied directly to the cobot. It basically gives eyes to the cobot to precisely pick a part and place it in a bin. Harvey says there are limitations with the camera when it comes to picking flat parts.

The Future

Cobots are here to stay and are already helping springmakers. Look for the adoption rate to continue to grow, where cobots can be used to perform monotonous activities that free up employees to take on more challenging tasks.

With the user-friendliness and affordability of the cobot, and its compact size and mobility, even the smallest companies in the spring industry will begin to take a look at bringing this technology to their shop floor. n

Are Robots Taking Jobs?

As robot installations become more common on the production floor, more plant workers worry about their job security. However, with the proper training and education, these workers could learn new skills and move on to a more advanced position within the company, rather than being outright displaced.

That is the thesis of a white paper, “Robots Aren’t Taking Jobs: Uncovering The Real Crisis In Manufacturing” from the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). The paper argues that automation creates jobs and examines the myths on the use of robots in manufacturing.

To download a copy of the white paper, visit: https://www.a3automate. org/a3-white-paper-robots-arent-taking-jobs-uncovering-the-realcrisis-in-manufacturing