How to Choose Between Collaborative Robots and Industrial Robots?

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  With the rise of collaborative robots, end users now face a new set of questions. Previously, they only needed to determine the most suitable industrial robot for a given application. Now, they must decide whether an industrial robot or a collaborative robot is best suited for the task. Advances in safety technology now allow industrial robots to be used in collaborative operations, offering many of the same benefits as cobots—plus higher payload capacity, greater speed, and lower cost compared to traditional automation. Every automation application in a human-occupied workspace requires a risk assessment, and collaborative applications demand a suite of safety mechanisms to ensure the safety of human workers.
  
  

  Advantages of Collaborative Robots:

  * Can typically share workspace with employees;

  * Lower initial integration costs and reduced production downtime if safety fencing is not required;

  * Relatively simple programming and integration;

  * Return on investment (ROI) is often achieved in less than one year.

  Disadvantages of Collaborative Robots:

  * A risk assessment is required to define necessary safety measures, which may still necessitate safety guarding;

  * Safety precautions can result in very low operating speeds or frequent stops. Additional required safety measures can significantly increase integration costs;

  * Limited reach, payload capacity, speed, and accuracy.

  Collaborative robots can serve as an ideal “first step” into automation for processes that don’t require safety guarding. Cobots help “employees gain experience and become familiar with robotic systems,” as they “typically perform repetitive or ergonomically hazardous tasks—such as machine tending or palletizing—freeing up staff for higher-value upstream or downstream manual tasks.”
  
  

  Advantages of Industrial Robots:

  * Faster and more precise than humans, even at high payloads;

  * Fully automated production lines can quickly handle applications unsuitable for humans, removing operators from unsafe or unclean environments;

  * Powerful programming capabilities with extensive integration options;

  * ROI is typically realized within 12–18 months;

  * Can be deployed in collaborative applications when paired with appropriate risk assessments.

  Disadvantages of Industrial Robots:

  * High speed and throughput may not suit low-volume or batch processes;

  * Fixed workcells may require changes to factory layout;

  * Process changes are more difficult and may incur additional costs if external expertise is needed;

  * May require specialized personnel or external resources for setup, programming, and maintenance.

  If an accurate safety assessment is conducted upfront, companies can more effectively select the robotic features most critical to their application—often saving time and money while better meeting their automation requirements. SPEED Packaging Equipment recommends answering the following questions before purchasing any robot or automated packaging system:

  What are your automation goals (e.g., reduce labor on the line, increase output, improve quality)?

  Does your current work environment pose health or ergonomic risks to employees?

  Is your process fixed or highly variable?

  Do you want to support manual operations or automate an entire production line?

  How much floor space is available for automation equipment?

  What are your scalability requirements to support long-term growth?

  What are your specific requirements for payload, reach, precision, and cycle time?