Avoiding The Top 5 Mistakes in Cobot Implementation

Collaborative robots (cobots) are transforming modern manufacturing but selecting the right one can be tricky. In this blog, we’ll uncover the 5 most common mistakes companies make when choosing a cobot workstation and show you how to avoid them. With the right insights, you’ll be equipped to make smart, cost-effective decisions that drive real results.

The Problem: Cobot workstations are considered “Plug and Play” machinery, but it is not always as simple as the marketing materials may suggest. Even the most user-friendly models require careful integration with your workspace, existing equipment, and employees.

The Cost: Poor integration practices and planning can lead to extended installation time, leading to lost profits, production downtime, frustrated employees, and cobots that never reach their full potential. We’ve seen manufacturers struggle for months with integration challenges and even have cobots sit in boxes due to lack of understanding during the installation period.

The Solution: Our team will handle the complex integration and training programs designed to get your team up to speed and in action quickly. Our approach minimizes downtime during installation and ensures your operators feel confident when working with their new cobot partner.

The Problem: The cheapest cobot solutions may actually cost more in the long run depending on your application. When companies focus solely on the initial price point, they often overlook critical factors like support, quality, efficiency, and long-term reliability.

The Cost: An efficient workstation will grow your business as well as your workspace and help produce more orders. Going with the cheapest cobot model to avoid a big check up front may hurt your wallet more in the long run. As your business grows and production lines get busier, investing in a new cobot may strain you more than if you purchased the correct pre-engineered workstation to start.

The Solution: Think of a cobot workstation as an investment. Its value grows over time. We help you evaluate the total operation cost, support, scalability, and training. Our team will provide a cost analysis that can help you make correct ROI calculations.

The Problem: A cobot that can’t scale your operation, limits your potential. Many companies make the costly mistake of optimizing the current situation without considering other deployments or the evolution of their production.

The Cost: Unadaptable automation is quickly becoming obsolete. Companies that don’t plan for growth often find themselves replacing systems when they could’ve simply expanded on existing ones. This fault in planning may cause redundant investments and missed opportunities for operational efficiency.

The Solution: We recommend modular, flexible platforms that not only grow your business but grow with your business. We give you a thorough analysis to get you a cobot workstation that will continue to support you as your business expands.

The Problem: A cobot that’s not suited to your task will underperform no matter how impressive its specs look on paper. Too many operations get wound up in features and capabilities that look like their specific needs and lose money ordering a cobot that doesn’t actually match their interests.

The Cost: In certain cases, we’ve seen manufacturers spend months to years trying to force a poorly fitted cobot workstation into their workflow. This leads to frustrated operators, missed production targets, and expensive workarounds. A cobot that can’t handle your parts, reach your workstations, or doesn’t fit in its space can become a costly holdup that can hold your operation back for quite some time. Additionally, if the workstation isn't designed with redeployment in mind, you'll miss out on the flexibility to move it to different tasks or production lines as your business evolves.

The Solution: Start with a detailed analysis and evaluation before you go and fall in love with a particular model. Allied’s engineers will help you match the right cobot model with the workstation that fits perfectly within your process. Whether you are looking for a cobot for machine tending, welding, or palletizing, the goal isn’t to find the most advanced cobot; it’s finding the cobot that’s right for your one or many jobs you implement it for.

The Problem: Just because cobots have “collaborative” in their name doesn’t mean they’re automatically safe for every application. Safety requirements vary for every environment depending on the cobot's specific uses and space limitations.

The Cost: Cutting corners on safety can lead to workplace injuries, which progress into costly expenses and negative return on investment (ROI). Even minor safety issues can create compliance headaches and turnover of your employees that you spent the time and money training to use the cobot.

The Solution: Allied Automation provides risk assessments and compliance support to ensure your cobot meets all relevant safety standards like OSHA, ISO 10218, and ISO/TS 15066 standards. With our training classes and expert engineers, we help you understand emergency stops, safeguard stops, and safety categories for your workstation and design systems that protect your workers without sacrificing productivity. Reference Universal Robots' Safety FAQ which covers essential safety definitions and requirements.

Avoiding these five mistakes can help you save time, money, and frustration while ensuring that your cobot investment drives positive ROI and delivers the results you were looking for. Whether you're starting with cobots or expanding your automation arsenal, our engineers and sales team will work to find the perfect solution for you.

Find your perfect pre-engineered solution today!