BACK TO THE FUTURE
Mark Thompson , business development manager for Aycliffe-based Cobots Online , answers some of the questions around collaborative robots …
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was brought up in a generation where robots were things of science fiction and belonged in a fantastical future of automation , with R2-D2 & C-3PO in Star Wars or taking over the world like Skynet and the Terminator ! The thing is that robots and cobots are here now and represent a real opportunity for competitive advantage .
Since starting with Cobots Online , I have regularly been asked several questions which are worthwhile answering in this article .
What is a cobot ? A collaborative robot , or a cobot , is designed to work alongside people in a shared workspace . They are safe , efficient and perfect for handling repetitive tasks , accurate where required and capable of working 24-7 with little interaction . How much does a cobot cost ? They ’ re expensive aren ’ t they ? Typically , we ’ ve found that cobots will pay for themselves within the first year or two and have been proved to provide savings into the hundreds of thousands of pounds over a short-term contract period . If financed , they usually start saving money from year one . The question is , can you afford not to have one ? Are they hard to programme and use ? Like most things they are easy when you know how – which is where Cobots Online comes in . Having used cobots in our own factory and supplied them to some of the biggest organisations in the world , we understand how they work and are committed to helping our customers get the most from them too .
COBOTS AREN ’ T FOR ME , THEY ’ RE THE STUFF OF THE FUTURE ! BUT ARE THEY ?
Are they safe ? Looking at their ‘ big brothers ’, the industrial robots , working furiously away , you would be forgiven for thinking a robot would stop at nothing to get the job done , which is why they are locked away in their safety cells / cages . Yet , in the case of a cobot , they are equipped with sensors which will slow or stop the cobot when people get too close – thus allowing them to work alongside ( and making them safer than ) co-workers . What can you do with a cobot ? Cobots come with a wide range of tools attachments so projects we have been asked to do include depalletizing , assembly , machine tending , welding , sanding and lots more . They can be as accurate as placing a chip on a circuit board to prepping and welding huge structures . They can work all day and night and be used in environments not suitable for humans . What if I want to do more than one task in more than one location ? Surely that would be complicated ? No problem ! Cobots can be programmed for multiple tasks with rapid tool changes and can be provided with locatable bases to allow multiple tasks on multiple machines with only one cobot . This ensures achieving the best utilisation and return on investment .
The running costs will be expensive and they ’ ll not last long – surely ? Cobots are efficient to run and have very reasonable servicing requirements ( depending on the environment ) and have been proven to last in excess of nine years . How do I know whether a cobot would be a good investment for my company ? Ask ! Our Cobots Online business is borne from realising that people need help in choosing the operation to automate , creating the best fit and setting up the solution . We have first-hand knowledge of doing that and are very keen to help .
Hopefully , the answers above help to clarify that a cobot would be good for you and , at the very least , allow you to bridge the gap between “ Sci-Fi ” and today ’ s competitive advantage .
If you believe a cobot would be a good investment for your business , please get in touch at sales @ cobotsonline . co . uk or give us a call / leave a message and , wait for it … “ I ’ ll be back !”
Mark Thompson Business Development Manager , Cobots Online T : 01325 313377 E : sales @ cobotsonline . co . uk W : cobotsonline . co . uk
8 | Aycliffe Business