Manufacturers of all sizes can now automate more than ever before with collaborative robots, or cobots. To ensure a quick deployment and an increase in productivity and quality, it is important for cobot users to get started quickly. Working with an integrator makes implementing collaborative robots easy and accepted among human co-workers. Here are five tips to get started with cobots:

 

1. Prioratize and determine the best place to start

Cobots are best suited for mundane, repetitive, ergonomically challenging, or high-risk tasks, such as packaging, metal stamping, testing and quality inspection, and CNC machine tending. Identifying these specific tasks and tackling them as you get started will help ensure a smooth cobot deployment and drive results faster.

2. Educate

Employees may be initially skeptical about robots joining the team. It's important to communicate with employees that cobots won't replace human workers but rather are designed for more monotonous, error-prone processes, allowing workers to handle the tasks that require more cognition, dexterity, and reason.

3. Increase productivity with no/little downtime 24/7

Cobots don't need to sleep, take lunch breaks, or vacations. It's important to rethink planning and production schedules to maximize productivity in a collaborative robot context.

4. Collaborate with the experts.

Your cobot manufacturer and distributor can offer best practices for cobots and be a valuable resource as you get started with using cobots to increase efficiency and productivity.

5. You are not alone, listen to your staff and review similar case-studies and applications.

Collaborative robots are extremely versatile and adaptable, and your industry may have unique challenges. Explore how others like you have implemented collaborative robots and inspire your employees to find new ways to work with robots and improve productivity.