How a Cobot can help your business

Technological advances have led to a change in manufacturing workplace practices over the years. Manual human production lines have been replaced in part by large machines that can get the job done more quickly and with greater precision. 

Nevertheless, this kind of practice hasn’t been without its own set of downfalls. Notably, humans being replaced by machines in the workplace has led to fewer employment opportunities. Furthermore, these expensive machines have increased the divide between large manufacturing businesses and smaller ones that cannot afford to buy such equipment.

Yet, we now find ourselves at the dawn of a new era of manufacturing – one that works for all business sizes and allows humans and machines to interact in ways never seen before in the workplace. Welcome to the era of cobots.

What is a cobot?

A cobot is a collaborative robot. It is designed to work alongside human workers rather than replace them like traditional automated machines. 

Cobots are suitable for all kinds of manufacturing processes, as demonstrated by the wide variety available from Mills CNC.

What are the benefits of cobots?

Cobots are quickly becoming an important part of the manufacturing industry because they provide lots of benefits to both small and large-scale businesses.

Lower Cost

Although traditional manufacturing robots increased productivity within the workplace, they often came at a great cost. This led to a great divide between large-scale businesses that could afford to buy the machines and smaller businesses who relied on manual production methods. Cobots are a much cheaper alternative, meaning larger businesses will save money on equipment and smaller businesses can also make use of the technology.

Easy to Use

Cobots are designed to be easy to set up and configure. There is no need for specialist skills which means everyday employees can be taught to use them in a short amount of time.

Increased Productivity

Cobots work alongside human employees. Traditional machines require a human to program them before leaving the area while tasks are completed. Instead, cobots work in tandem with a human which leads to more production time and a greater yield. The added benefit here is that employment opportunities are not being wiped out, but instead being improved by humans and machines working together.

Flexibility

One of the problems with traditional robots is that they tend to serve just one purpose. Once installed, they’ll complete a single task repeatedly. On the other hand, cobots can be easily programmed to conduct many different tasks which means they’ll remain useful even as practices evolve over time.

Space Saving

Cobots tend to be much smaller than traditional machines which means their use isn’t limited to businesses with huge workspaces. 

Increased Safety

Cobots are designed to help human workers complete complex tasks but can also take over when things become dangerous. This leads to a safer work environment for human employees. 

Ultimately, cobots are the next step in the evolution of manufacturing processes. They make sense for both small and large businesses but the most exciting thing about them is that they have huge potential in the future. As cobots are so easy to program, they will be able to be updated over time to complete all kinds of tasks, meaning they have a large shelf life.

Collaborative Post