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In today's rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape, the integration of collaborative robots with older machines is emerging as a powerful strategy to enhance productivity, improve safety, and drive innovation. By combining the precision and reliability of traditional machinery with the flexibility and adaptability of cobots, manufacturers can unlock new opportunities for growth and overcome the challenges associated with ageing equipment.

This strategic approach not only enhances productivity and efficiency, but also provides longevity of existing equipment. By seamlessly blending the capabilities of advanced collaborative automation with traditional manufacturing processes, businesses can reach new potentials and stay competitive in ever-changing markets.

Extending Machine Life 

Maximising the lifespan of machinery is a critical factor in maintaining operational efficiency and reducing costs. While the ideal scenario may be to design an application around automation, building fully automated facilities can be time-consuming and costly. Supporting manufacturers of all sizes, most tasks can be augmented with cobots years after manual operations have been in place. 

Retrofitting current production layouts with cobot solutions is becoming increasingly popular, offering an affordable and faster option to help manufacturers maintain a competitive advantage for the years to come. By integrating cobots within existing production lines, manufacturers can breathe new life into older machines. Designed to work safely alongside human workers, taking on repetitive and physically demanding tasks, cobots can reduce the strain and pressures on both workers and equipment to prolong the operational life of traditional machines. 

Space Saving Solutions 

While traditional industrial robots are efficient at performing tasks with a high degree of accuracy and precision, they often lack the flexibility to adapt to changes on the shop floor and in the production environment. They require significant planning and design, reconfiguring the work space to accommodate them and the safety caging they require. With collaborative robots, everything is different.

Cobots are designed to be compact, flexible, and highly adaptable to environments and workspaces. While some applications may require minor adjustments to the shop floor, such as the addition of power outlets or modifying work surfaces, cobots in general minimise the need for extensive factory redesigns.

Integrating cobots into your existing infrastructure without disrupting production can seem like a challenge, but the reality is different with cobots. Cobots like CoboTower offer a small footprint for seamless integration with existing processes. Combine this with Universal Robots ultra-lightweight UR3e, and manufacturers can benefit from a compact solution when automating in tight, confined workspaces. With the capability to take on highly repetitive tasks, CoboTower provides the perfect automation solution to small and medium-sized manufactures operating in limited spaces, allowing them to reap the benefits of cobots without significant disruption or sizable investment.  

Allowing for greater flexibility, adaptability and efficiency, the integration of cobots can improve the workflow and system design of manufacturing processes. By identifying and addressing any barriers or bottlenecks in production, businesses can leverage the potential and benefits of cobots to streamline processes and improve KPIs without significant upheaval or compromise to the working environment.

Supporting Flexible Production Environments 

As production demands change and grow, manufacturers need to ensure their automation systems can adapt and scale to new requirements. Providing a bridge to the future of manufacturing, collaborative robots are inherently adaptable and highly flexible. Their versatility and ability to be reconfigured in minutes for different applications allows manufacturers to pivot when product demand is constantly changing. 

Whether a high-mix low-volume production line, or a small one-off batch, cobots can seamlessly adjust their speed, precision, and output to meet changing requirements. This allows them to be integrated into various workflows with minimal disruption, particularly CoboTend and CoboWeld Mobile. Granting manufacturers the flexibility to quickly and easily reposition Cobots Online’s movable cobot solutions, they can become a key player on the shop floor to increase productivity and efficiency. 

Training for Success

While integration and setup are paramount, the success of cobots depends largely on how well human workers can work with and utilise them. Traditionally, the development of the skills required to program and teach industrial robots was significant and complicated, but all this has changed with cobots. 

Cobots are inherently user-friendly, with intuitive programming interfaces allowing workers without specialist programming skills to set up and manage the cobot. Workers can be up and running using cobots within a matter of hours, and set up times taking mere minutes to program a cobot for a new task. Upskilling workers on the use, programming, and maintenance of cobots, can help to create more engaging and satisfying roles as we enter industry 5.0.

The Future of Manufacturing 

Integrating cobots with older machines can allow manufacturers to harness the full potential of automation and take their operational processes to new heights. 

To ensure a seamless integration, it is important to conduct a thorough evaluation of your existing systems and infrastructure. As experts in automaton solutions, Cobots Online have helped numerous companies implement collaborative robots. With careful planning, consideration of operational needs, and alignment with business objectives, we’re helping manufacturers bridge the gap between traditional techniques and modern equipment. Contact our automation team for a consultation or to see cobots live in action in our factory.