{"id":15619,"date":"2020-02-20T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/?p=15619"},"modified":"2020-02-19T18:36:29","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T18:36:29","slug":"cobots-versus-industrial-robots-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/cobots-versus-industrial-robots-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Cobots versus industrial robots: what\u2019s the difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nigel Smith explains the crucial differences between these two robot types<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buying a new robot is a considerable investment for any business owner. Collaborative robots have been widely marketed as a cheaper alternative to industrial robots, but what\u2019s the catch? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upfront costs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s kick things off with the collaborative robot, or \u2018cobot\u2019 as they are commonly called. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term cobot has been coined to represent an unguarded, easy to integrate collection of robots that typically carry out repetitive or unsafe tasks while the human workforce performs higher-value manual tasks up or downstream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of upfront costs, most cobots are cheaper than traditional, industrial robots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These low costs have provided smaller businesses with accessibility to robots, which in itself is something to be celebrated. However, that doesn\u2019t mean all small businesses need to opt for a cobot to board the automation train. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alternative is industrial robots. Think SCARA, 6-axis or cartesian models. These are heavy duty robots with high payloads that can tackle dangerous, repetitive and heavy applications. These robots are commonly used for parts assembly, pick and place and palletising in many different industries \u2013 and they have been for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally, industrial robots cost more upfront but can provide entirely different levels of performance. Plus, there\u2019s much more to consider than the first financial transaction.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, pricing structures are changing, meaning industrial robots are now a becoming more viable option for small businesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TM Robotics\u2019 is a good example of this. The company\u2019s new pricing structure puts the company\u2019s range of Toshiba Machine SCARA robots<\/a> as the performance leader of the low-cost end of the market. The company\u2019s latest SCARA model for instance, the THE400, can provide manufacturers 40 per cent faster speed compared with competing models in this price range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using this model, the company can ensure small businesses and those that are new to automation, aren\u2019t priced out of the robot market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cost of ownership<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether we\u2019re discussing cobots or industrial robots, a challenge for small to medium sized manufacturers is determining the actual cost of ownership when investing in automation. These are the additional costs of maintenance, energy consumption and additional equipment requirements that enable the safe usage of the robot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a risk assessment may determine a cobot needs extra fencing, or force limiters, if it is to be used safely alongside humans. This is a very common occurrence for misinformed cobot purchasers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manufacturers would be forgiven to believe that cobots are automatically safe to use alongside humans, but this isn\u2019t always the case.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The risk assessment, and the heavy fees for additional safety equipment, can leave manufacturers thinking, \u2018why didn\u2019t we just buy an industrial robot for all this money we\u2019ve spent?\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cost of energy consumption also needs to be evaluated against the production output. As many cobots are relatively new inventions, many boast low energy consumption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, you wouldn\u2019t celebrate a cobot only using 800 watts of energy, if it only outputs one unit during that time. Similarly, you can forgive an industrial robot for using 3000 watts of energy in the same time period, if it outputs a large number of units.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, many industrial robots now have energy saving options. Toshiba Machine\u2019s latest line of cost effective and low-energy SCARA Robots, the THL Series, is ideal for price-conscious end-users, and system integrators looking to incorporate automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Programming<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to TM Robotics\u2019 Global Robotics Report<\/em>, 79% of robot distributors stated that simple programming was one of the most important things customers were looking for when purchasing a robot.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By nature, cobots are designed for ease-of-use alongside human employees. In fact, one of the most marketed features of these machines is ease of programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easy robot programming is not only an attractive feature for new users, but provides established users with reduced programming time. Growing demand for easily programmable robots is particularly evident in the rapid increase in sales of collaborative models. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cobots are known for their ease of use, some having intelligent hand-guided teaching ability, where the operator simply teaches a cobot a new program, by moving the robot manually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, industrial robots have developed an unfair reputation of being labor intensive, in relation to programming. That\u2019s not to say some<\/em> aren\u2019t, but when you test the usability of Toshiba Machines latest robots and programming software, it\u2019s clear to see this isn\u2019t always the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re witnessing a shift in behaviour from robot manufacturers in favour of easy to program industrial robots<\/a><\/strong>. This is particularly advantageous for small to medium-businesses that are perhaps new to automation, but don\u2019t have the expertise in house for complex programming.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s an argument for both industrial robots and cobots, but the decision on which to select depends on the application. While industrial robots are shifting some long-standing misconceptions on programmability and costs, the collaborative robot is also being held to higher standards in relation to return on investment and productivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s space on the market for both industrial robots and cobots. The question is, which one is worth your investment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nigel Smith, is president and CEO of Toshiba Machine partner TM Robotics<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nigel Smith explains the crucial differences between these two robot types Buying a new robot is a considerable investment for any business owner. Collaborative robots have been widely marketed as a cheaper alternative to industrial robots, but what\u2019s the catch?  Upfront costs Let\u2019s kick things off with the collaborative robot, or \u2018cobot\u2019 as they are …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[105],"tags":[226,437],"class_list":["post-15619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-design","tag-robotics","tag-tm-robotics"],"yoast_head":"\nCobots versus industrial robots: what\u2019s the difference? - Engineer News Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nigel Smith explains the crucial differences between these two robot types\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/cobots-versus-industrial-robots-whats-the-difference\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cobots versus industrial robots: what\u2019s the difference? 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