In short, if you are looking for higher speed and accuracy, an Industrial Robot should be your preferred option. However, take note, they require considerable space and additional safety features such as fencing, guarding, interlocks and safety systems in place when they operate.
If accuracy is not essential to a certain degree and you do not have the luxury of space, go for a Collaborative robot. These robots are safe to operate around humans, do not require additional guarding and can depoloyed and repurposed relatively quickly.
Let’s start with something simple. What exactly is an Industrial robot and how are they different?
Industrial robots have been around for a while. Ever since advanced materials and drive systems have been developed, OEMs such as KUKA and YASKAWA have managed to take the development of industrial robots much further leading to affordable robotic solutions for a wide variety of manufacturers in various sectors. Industrial robots in essence have the robustness and reliability that you would typically expect from your investment. These robots are workhorses designed to work at speed and as accurately as possible while handling higher than usual payloads. This is why a lot of manufacturers prefer these robots to work 24×7 without any interruptions within their factory spaces. Cycle times are typically very low if left on their own.
However, as these robots are your typical work horses, they are not safe to use around humans unguarded. Industrial robots require a large amount of additional safety installed around and within them. Most system integrators would recommend at minimum steel fencing, all entry doors to be fitted with interlocks, safety alarms and beacons within the cell and estops dotted around the cell. If there is a risk of personnel being present within the cell even after the safety systems have been installed; some system integrators will even recommend area scanners, proximity sensors and even in some cases facial recognition enabled CCTV systems.
Industrial robots do not have force sensors on them and do not have any abilities to sense human operators or passerbys near them. They are programmed to carry out tasks without the need for any human interaction and need to installed in guarding.
Some Industrial robot manfuacturers do have additional software based safety functions. The YASKAWA MOTOMAN FSU add-on allows for safety planes to be set within the robot and tool working area. This prevents the robot from breaching any of these areas without a definitive change in the software. However, this does not guarantee that the cell is safe enough for humans to work alongside the industrial robots. Cell certification is not possible with software based preventive methods alone. System Integrators like POMO Robotics have to install additional safety devices to ensure safe operation of the robot.
Collaborative Robots or COBOTS as they are more popularly known are robots that are capable of working alongside humans. These robots are fitted with sensors on either all or some of their joints to allow for safe interaction with humans. Advances in materials technology and electronics have allowed for OEMs building cobots such as JAKA and Universal Robots to extend the reach and payloads of cobots operating within industry. These robots are designed to operate safely around humans and their on board sensor technology allows for safe operation. Most collaborative robots operating within industry do not require additional guarding or fencing when they are in regular operation.
However, COBOTS do have their limitations, most cobots work at a higher cycle time (in comparison with industrial robots) and their accuracies can vary depending on the kind of application you are using it for. This is because the robot is not only considering the task it needs to do but also ensuring that it is operating in a desired speed which does not jeopardise human operators who are working next to it. These are mostly suited for pick and place applications, palletising and some cobots are even used for light welding duties as well.
Some cobots from KUKA and YASKAWA for example can be fitted with area scanners or additional sensors which allow the robot to slow down as humans approach close to it. This gives operators additional comfort knowing that these machines are working to the best of their ability with humans working alongside safely. Your system integrator such as POMO Robotics can help select the right cobot for your application.
To be classed as a Cobot, all collaborative robots must comply to ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2. Keep checking this page for further updates regarding the standard. Read more about these standards. Click here.
