Four Questions to Ask Yourself When Getting Started With Collaborative Robots

November 14, 2022

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Many businesses of all sizes turn to robots for the purpose of enhancing precision, speed, and consistency while minimizing expenses and downtime. However, many of them - particularly the smaller enterprises - are initially unsure of whether the payoff will be worth it.
At Omron, they provide a variety of robots to meet the specific needs of our customers. Whether you’re trying to automate highly repetitive tasks or shift some of the heavy lifting to machinery, Omron can help you choose the right technology.

Before chatting with an Omron robotics expert, it always helps to consider the following questions about your plans, needs, and expectations.

1. What are the underlying problems you’re looking to solve?

The types of issues that robots can alleviate generally fall into three categories: (1) concerns about employee safety, (2) concerns about precision and repeatability, and (3) a need for continuous productivity and uptime.

Robots can be great for eliminating manual tasks that are dangerous or that could lead to repetitive stress injuries. For instance, they can take over industrial welding activities that would otherwise put a person in harm’s way. Even tasks that don’t seem overtly dangerous, but that are highly repetitive, can cause problems for humans and are better performed by robots.

Tasks that require extreme levels of precision and repeatability are also right for automating with robots. If you’re in need of improving quality and consistency on tasks that don’t specifically require humanlike dexterity, robots can help you do this.

If you’re looking for round-the-clock productivity, robots can keep working on low-level tasks throughout the day and night without needing to rest, allowing the team to focus on designing new elements of the system and training the robots on new tasks when the need arises.

2. Do you need collaborative robots?

Traditional industrial robots are well-suited to moving heavy objects, but they’re much less flexible than another category of robots that’s making headlines today: the collaborative robot. With graphical programming, hand guidance, and intelligent vision, Omron TM cobots are designed to be easy and intuitive and can work safely alongside humans.

Collaborative robots can take care of a variety of requirements in assembly, palletizing, packaging, machine tending, pick-and-place, screwdriving, and other applications.

Want to learn more about collaborative robots? Read our Collaborative Robots Introduction Whitepaper.

3. What are the simplest tasks you can automate today?

When implementing robots for the first time, it can help to start small. Even handing over some of the most menial tasks to a robot can make a tremendous difference in your facility’s productivity and in the satisfaction of your employees.

Machine tending and pick-and-place activities are ideal for collaborative robots. These tasks are extremely repetitive and can sometimes be dangerous. Omron cobots include built-in vision so that you can incorporate inspection activities into your pick-and-place application without needing to install additional cameras or lighting equipment.

Robots can easily store the details of these tasks and repeat them in the future. They can also learn new tasks with just a simple training session.

4. How much extra space do you have available?

It may be that your facility doesn’t have enough space for large industrial robots. Due to the possibility for hazardous motion, these robots generally need to be sequestered in cages. This only adds to the space they take up, which can be around 3 to 5 square meters for each robot.

Collaborative robots, on the other hand, are well-known for being quite compact. In fact, they usually require just around one and a half square meters of space. That said, it’s still important to learn about collaborative robot safety risk assessment and consider the safety implications of your cobot and the collaborative workspace.

Want to know more about robotic solutions? Click here

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Put to the Ultimate Test – Part 1: Torsion Tests by HELUKABEL

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Cables and wires in industrial robots and other moving machine parts are often required to withstand extreme stresses caused by torsion. Constant repetitive movements put materials under considerable strain. At the same time, operators expect components to function perfectly and reliably throughout their entire service life to avoid disruptions, outages and safety hazards.

For this reason, at HELUKABEL, we simulate intensive and continuous torsion stresses under realistic conditions with our high-tech testing equipment in Windsbach. We have several types of apparatus for doing this because some of our customers, for example those in the automotive industry, have very precise specifications for how a torsion test is carried out. The tests show that our cables and wires withstand speeds up to 1,000°/s, accelerations up to 2,000°/s² and torsion angles up to 720°. Hence, we make sure that each product always meets our customers’ high standards, and that they receive the impeccable quality they rightly expect from us as a leading supplier of cables, wires and accessories for more than 40 years.

What Is Torsion?

To learn the answer, click here

30 Minute Live Webinar 2:30 PM ET January 19th, 2023

With PC-based automation, you can implement applications and solutions that far exceed the functions of a classic controller. SIMATIC PC-based products offer you a flexible, innovative platform with long-term availability that give you a home field advantage when meeting the challenges of the digital factory for your machines and plants.

Festo Didactic at the Forefront of Developing Canada’s Future Work Force

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With Canadian manufacturing suffering from a growing labour shortage, the participation of industry in skills development is emerging as a vital component in hiring and retention.

The needs are stark: The Canadian Exporters and Manufacturers Association says almost 40% of its members have jobs they can’t fill. Five years from now, 60% expect to be short-staffed, especially when it comes to skilled trades. Statistics Canada forecasts the country’s labour force growth rate will remain below 0.2% for the rest of the decade, below replacement levels.

This growing shortage is affecting companies of all sizes. Already, some manufacturers acknowledge losing out on contracts because they can’t find the manpower to fulfill them.

In reality, the challenge is two-fold: to replenish and expand the workforce to help close the gap between the number of job seekers and vacancies through 2030 when the last baby boomers reach age 65, and ensure workers get opportunities throughout their careers to upgrade or add to their skillset as current technologies evolve and new ones emerge. Festo, through Festo Didactic, one of the world leading provider of equipment and solutions for technical education, intends to help Canada meet this challenge on both fronts. In essence, the approach Festo has always taken is that the learning never stops.

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