Paul explained that “collaborative robots – or cobots, as they’re called – are fairly new to North America. They’ve been widely used in Europe for nearly ten years now and their influence is still growing. It’s starting to catch on here, but old habits die hard. Manufacturers big and small need to know that many traditional industrial robots are plagued with problems and safety hazards. They also require two expensive things: a lot of space and specialized technicians to setup and trouble shoot. Collaborative robots are designed to remove all these barriers. They’re easy and cheap to install, not to mention simple to use. They require little floor space and they’re safe to work around. They’re typically used to assist workers in repetitive and tedious tasks such as picking and placing parts in machines, moving parts around, working with small parts, gluing, and painting – that sort of thing. Cobots work well in hazardous conditions where, for example, noise and fumes may be an issue. Typical- ly customers install these cobots themselves after only a few days of training – which is rarely possible with industrial robots. These cobots typically have a ROI [return on investment] of less than a year if used often.” “These cobots typically have a ROI [return on investment] of less than a year if used often.”
On the software side of things, Mastercam’s dynamic tool- paths helps reduce cycle time upwards to 75%, extends tool
64
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • APRIL 2017
Made with FlippingBook HTML5