Palletizing

Palletizing with a cobot

In our vocabulary, a cobot is a slang or contracted term for collaborative robot. Here is what we think is the best definition for a cobot: "Collaborative robots are complex machines which work hand in hand with human beings. In a shared work process, they support and relieve the human operator.'' source: IFA. So basically it is a device that helps you accomplish your day-to-day job!"

On the more technical side of things what makes a robot "collaborative" is the fact that it can detect abnormal activity in their environment through force limitation or vision monitoring. These sensors allow for cooperation between humans and robots without any physical separation. Most importantly, a cobot answers to the 4th criteria of safe collaboration which is force and power limitation. In fact, all collaborative robots have force sensors in their joints that stop their motion in case of an impact. This allows you to run the robot at full speed and not worry about the potential danger of the kinetic energy being carried by this robot arm.

There are various cobot models on the market, but, no matter which brand your are choosing, a risk assessment should always be performed during the cell implementation to make sure the environment around the cobot and the cobot itself is safe.

Going back to palletizing and the mesmerizing number of choices on the market, choosing a robot to stack boxes, as simple as it seems, can be a complicated thing. You need to account for payload capacity, speed, reach, programming etc.