Flexible Automation: Short-Term Relief or Long-Term Solution

At Automate 2022, robots were performing various pick-and-place jobs, playing chess, welding, painting, and other activities. Despite the fact that the robots were programmed to do one thing for the purposes of the event, they can be deployed in a variety of ways with reprogramming that’s as easy to operate as a smartphone, complete with GUI interface and manual manipulation options for ease of use. It's a far cry from the time when robot design and function were set in stone. This flexible automation can allow the same piece of equipment to screw in screws, drill holes, sand, weld, insert rivets, and spray paint with just a few adjustments.

“We want to have a flexible solution that can operate on any type of manufacturing floor. We want to fit the customer’s needs rather than the other way around,” said Kristian Hulgard, General Manager at OnRobot. “With our whole value proposition, flexibility is a big part. It gives the user a longer-term investment.”

Depending on the application, collaborative robots, or cobots, are robots built to work securely alongside people without a safety cage to keep the two sides apart. Because they can move independently of human interference, workers are freed up to do other activities.

Robots are safer and simpler to run autonomously because of technological advancements including 3D vision cameras, sensors, and GPS tags. The improvement of automation, which is essential for manufacturing, depends on these developments. The technology developments make it simpler for businesses and employees to adopt the strategy. For practical advice on getting your team on board with cobots, download this handy cheat sheet of suggestions. 

The employee will become an essential component of the operation of the business by being given a new position that is more demanding and less routine. This is important to consider when Control Engineering’s recent Engineering Career and Salary survey indicated that the leading criteria for job satisfaction are technical challenge, feeling of accomplishment, followed closely by financial compensation.

Although some manufacturers are looking to robotics to rectify short term issues like labor shortages thanks to the pandemic, collaborative robots are also flexible in the sense that they can provide short-term relief for those types of issues but also provide long term benefits, such as creating a safer work environment and increasing production line efficiency.

Benefits of Collaborative Robots

Greater Efficiency and Robot-Human Interaction: In a conventional assembly line setup, human employees load the essential parts onto mechanical robots, and the robots handle the rest of the task. If human intervention is necessary, either the entire manufacturing process must be stopped, or it will take a while for the machines to complete the production. Efficiency is considerably boosted because people and robots work together in the same place while using collaborative robots. Cobots can cut down human idle time in manufacturing by 85%, according to numerous studies!

Suitable for Small-Scale and Mid-Scale Production: For cost-saving reasons, small and mid-sized enterprises typically remain with manual labor whereas larger industries with higher production volumes choose a robotics-centered solution. The situation is no longer the same with cobots. The majority of collaborative robots are versatile enough to adapt for various outputs and don't need a lengthy setup process. For tasks including cutting, shaping, sanding, polishing, lifting, sorting, and packaging, cobots are frequently used and are just what a small or mid-sized enterprise might want.

Greater Return on Investment (ROI): After installing cobots, industries have higher efficiency, flexibility, and production capacity. Higher ROI is thus inherently guaranteed. Cobots may be easily positioned wherever they are needed and moved whenever necessary, therefore eliminating any unproductive actions during the working hours. Overall, this raises ROI. A larger profit margin is achieved through the reduction of labor and maintenance expenditures. Calculate your ROI using our free online tool.

Safer Workplace: Because cobots are created with human interaction and collaboration in mind, each one is extensively inspected for safety as soon as it leaves the assembly line. Cobots make the workplace safer because they can take over and complete activities without making mistakes in situations when human error could slow down progress, such as during medical operations.

Manufacturers can benefit from the robotics, automation technologies, and concepts—often linked by Industry 4.0 and Big Data. But in the end, it will come down to the one essential component of manufacturing: the people who will always form the backbone of the business. Contact us today to learn more about how collaborative robots can support your business or sign up to attend our next cobot open house.

Sources: https://www.controleng.com/articles/flexible-automation-robotics-at-automate/; https://www.controleng.com/articles/control-engineering-career-and-salary-survey-2022/; https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/article/2017/11/benefits-of-collaborative-robotscobots/11041#:~:text=Cobots%20ensure%20a%20safer%20work,automation%20in%20production%20is%20inevitable