Collaborative Robots Bring the Efficiencies of Automation to Manufacturers of All Sizes

The automotive industry leads the pack in deployment of industrial robots, but in 2016, robot sales spiked for the North American food and consumer goods industry, which found use for new collaborative robot equipment in applications such as pick and pack and palletizing.

Collaborative robots continue to rise in popularity among smaller manufacturers due to their more compact size, application and programming flexibility as well as the relatively low cost compared to traditional robots. The use of collaborative robots, according to Jeff Burnstein of the Association for Advancing Automation, has typically included painting, welding, and materials handling. Today, we are seeing collaborative robots installed for more assembly processes. Burnstein also cites the fact that these new age robots use less space, require less safety guarding and are easier to program without a specialized programming knowledge as primary reasons for their increasing popularity. Maintenance costs are also less of a concern because the overall cost of robot ownership has come down in recent years due to less expensive replacement parts and components.

One such brand of collaborative robots, Universal Robots, uses a GUI interface with intuitive software that offers multiple options for activity programming. The robot arm can be configured completely from the user interface or by moving the arm around by hand. A variety of additional components are available for specific tasks and because of the light weight, the robot, which is available in three sizes, may be easily reconfigured and not only repurposed in one space but moved around a factory floor for maximum usage.

Sign up for our free Universal Robots workshop on April 26, 2017, by calling 215-997-5595 or email us here.