CONTROL & AUTOMATION
COLLABORATIVE ROBOT SAFETY
TM ROBOTICS
When cobots are preferable to robots — and when they aren’t
Results from the Global Robotics Report
2019 identified that 79 per cent of
automation distributors do not believe
their customers understand the safety
requirements of installing a collaborative
robot. As one of the fastest growing sectors
of the robot market, this lack of knowledge
could be dangerous. Nigel Smith, managing
director of Toshiba Machine partner
TM Robotics, quashes some common
misconceptions about collaborative robot
safety.
Industrial robots have long been used
to relieve workers of the repetitive and
heavy- lifting work of packaging and
palletising. However, there’s a new type
of robot in town. Collaborative robots, or
cobots, describe machines that can work
harmoniously alongside human employees.
Cobots have been heavily marketed as
unguarded and easy to integrate machines
that can work seamlessly alongside human
workers. However, this doesn’t necessarily
make these machines exempt from the
safety regulations associated with regular
industrial robots.
One of the key selling points of cobots
are their ability to work alongside humans.
Therefore, manufacturers often assume
that all cobots are automatically safe for
use next to employees. Actually, this can
only be determined by thorough risk
assessment.
While there are significant differences
between cobots and their industrial
counterparts, the industry does not
acknowledge cobots as a separate entity.
As far as safety is concerned, cobots are
subject to the same stringent regulations
One of the key selling
points of cobots are
their ability to work
alongside humans.
as traditional robot variations — that’s your
SCARA, six-axis and Cartesian models.
However, unlike traditional variations,
cobots are often lightweight and portable.
Therefore, these machines are ideal to
be used for various tasks within a factory.
In this instance, it is imperative that the
plant manager assesses how the safety
may be compromised when the cobot is in
transit. For instance, being moved from one
section of the production line to another.
In addition, an assessment is required for
every separate activity and task the cobot
will perform.
Ultimately, plant managers want improve
speed and productivity on their production
line — and automating picking, packaging
and palletising is an ideal place to start.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean
that the newest breed of robot, the cobot, is
the correct option for this application.
In these instances, it is worth considering
whether a cobot is what you really need
or if a traditional robot might be more
suitable. Six-axis robots, for instance, have
long been used to increase productivity
in packaging applications. For many of
these packaging and palletising tasks,
there’s no real need for human interaction
with the robot. As a result, enabling this
collaboration through investment in a cobot
doesn’t assist productivity or output.
There’s no doubt that cobots have their
place in the factory. In fact, reports suggest
that the global cobot market will grow to
a huge $3,811.483 million by 2021 — and
we’re not surprised.
The huge growth in the cobot market
represents the view that cobots can be
an ideal first step towards automated
processes. However, as the results of the
Global Robotics Report 2019 suggest,
understanding of these machines and
their safety requirements is lacking. To
avoid hazards in the factory — and poor
investments from end users — greater
clarity of what makes a cobot is required.
For further information, please visit www.tmrobotics.co.uk
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PECM Issue 43