Collaborative robots, as the name suggests, are robots that can collaborate with humans on the production line, fully leveraging the efficiency of robots and human intelligence. This type of robot not only has a high cost performance ratio, but also is safe and convenient, which can greatly promote the development of manufacturing enterprises.
Collaborative robots, as a new type of industrial robot, have cleared the obstacles of human-machine cooperation and completely freed robots from the constraints of guardrails or cages. Their pioneering product performance and wide application fields have opened a new era for the development of industrial robots
It's hard to imagine what our lives would be like without technological equipment. Interestingly, humans and robots are seen as competitors. This "either this or that" mindset overlooks a more valuable third form of collaboration, which is becoming increasingly important in today's digital and Industry 4.0 era - this is the human-machine collaboration we are discussing.
After further research, we have found that this seemingly simple collaborative approach actually holds enormous potential, as it combines human experience, judgment, and flexibility with the power, endurance, and accuracy of robots. While reducing employee work pressure, it also improves production efficiency.
A major characteristic of human-machine collaboration is that when humans and robots work together, there is no barrier between them, but rather they work side by side, sharing the same workspace and processing the same batch of industrial components. This process of human-machine "peaceful coexistence" can be achieved through special lightweight robots - this is collaborative robots.
1. What are the advantages of collaborative robots
Unlike industrial robots designed specifically for specific tasks, collaborative robots are powerful and versatile. Their appearance and function make you think of human arms, so they are also called robotic arms. Collaborative robots are not only small in size and occupy less space, but also have a wide range of applications. They can undertake various tasks, especially those that are monotonous, repetitive, and can cause long-term problems and fatigue for employees, leading to an increasing error rate.
In this case, collaborative robots can play a helpful role, and Creative Revolutions from Miami is a good example. In the process of producing customer service paging systems for the hotel industry, this startup company used collaborative robots to successfully reduce the previously high scrap rate. They have transferred some work that requires extremely high precision to collaborative robots, and now the scrap rate is less than 1%. In addition, collaborative robots have an advantage as they can provide a large amount of data for predictive maintenance and other big data applications.
When humans and robots work side by side, measures are usually taken to ensure the safety of the workers. The DIN ISO/TS15066 standard provides detailed safety requirements for collaborative industrial robot systems and their working environments. In addition, the standard also specifies the maximum force that robots can exert when in contact with humans, and these forces must also be limited within a safe range.
To meet these requirements, collaborative robots need to be equipped with sensors using ultrasound and radar technology to detect people and obstacles in the working environment. Some collaborative robots are even equipped with touch sensitive surfaces that can "feel" contact with humans and immediately stop all activities that may be ongoing. In the process of human-machine collaboration, the safety of staff is of utmost importance.
2. Human Machine Collaboration Helps Ergonomics
Regarding human-machine collaboration, it is important to ensure that employees are not accidentally injured by robot "colleagues", but how to ensure the physical health of employees is even more important. Collaborative robots can replace humans to undertake tasks that require high physical requirements and do not conform to ergonomics. For example, at BMW Group's Dingolfing factory in Germany, collaborative robots assist in installing car side windows. Before installing the side window onto the vehicle, it is necessary to apply adhesive to the window, which is a very precise process. Previously, this task was manually completed by a worker winding around the car window. Nowadays, this monotonous and ergonomic task is replaced by collaborative robots, where workers only need to install car windows after applying adhesive.
Collaborative robots have great potential for jobs that require long-term maintenance of a standing or sitting position, leading to physical fatigue, but the benefits they bring to us go far beyond that. When handling heavy objects, human-machine cooperation can also effectively solve problems, such as the BORUNTE XZ0805A robot and other collaborative robots with a payload of up to 5 kilograms. If robots replace workers in handling repetitive and complex handling tasks, it will bring us far more benefits than just physical benefits. When a collaborative robot moves the previous component aside, workers can prepare to handle the next component.
Humans and robots do not need to become competitors. On the contrary, if the advantages of both are combined, the value creation process can be optimized, making industrial production twice as efficient.
Post time: Dec-06-2023
