Is a Cobot Right for Your Process? Lessons From Two FANUC Cobot Projects

A collaborative robot, or cobot, is designed to work near people. It takes up less floor space than a traditional robot cell, and many cobots can be taught a new task by physically guiding the arm through the motion. Cobots, however, also have limits on speed, payload, and the tooling they can safely carry. Two recent projects from Premier's robotics team show how those strengths and limits play out on a production floor.

Kenson Plastics: One Cobot Serving Four Workstations

Kenson Plastics is a family-owned company that has made custom pressure-formed plastic parts since 1972, including aircraft seat backs and cabin panels. Kenson runs a high mix of parts in low volumes, so part size and shape change from one job to the next.

Kenson developed the concept for the cell with the ARM Institute, and Premier's robotics team built and integrated the production system on Kenson's floor. Premier integrated a FANUC CRX-10iA/L cobot that sands designated areas of each part so the adhesive applied later bonds properly. The robot also marks each sanded area so operators can check its work.

The cobot sits in the middle of four workstations. When an operator presses a button, the robot moves to that station, scans the part's barcode to identify the task, and completes it. A first-in, first-out queue keeps the stations in order.

Premier designed the system to be modular so Kenson can run its full range of parts through one cell. The cell allows for quick-change fixturing with poka-yoke features to quickly swap out nesting. CAD-to-path programming easily allows for new part types to be introduced to the system. Premier's robotics team is seeing more requests for high-mix systems like this one as manufacturers run more part numbers in smaller batches.

The cell is guarded because the sanding tool needs to stay away from operators while the robot runs. Operators enter through a safety gate when they need access.

Tastyland: Branding Buns Two at a Time

Tastyland is a family-owned business in Greensburg and Monroeville, Pennsylvania, known for its smash burgers and ice cream. Tastyland brands its name onto its buns, and until now its staff did that branding by hand.

Premier is integrating a FANUC CR-7iA cobot to take over that job. An operator loads a tray of buns, and the cobot brands them two at a time with a heated branding iron, repeating the same motion on every tray. Because the iron is hot, the cell is guarded, and operators load and unload through fixed guarding with cutouts to prevent operator intervention. The cell is currently in the build process and will have updates as that progresses later this year.

Four Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Cobot

How fast does your cycle need to be? Cobots run slower than traditional industrial robots so they can work safely near people, and they fit best at a cycle time of roughly 10 to 15 seconds per finished part. If your line needs to move faster, a second cobot or switching to a traditional industrial robot is usually the better choice.

How heavy are your parts? Cobots are a strong fit when the part and tooling together weigh about 30 kg (roughly 66 lb) or less. Heavier work belongs on a traditional robot.

How much floor space do you have? Even with guarding, a cobot cell like the ones at Kenson and Tastyland usually needs less room than a traditional robot cell, which makes it easier to fit into an existing line.

What will the robot be holding? A cobot stops when it contacts a person, but the tool on the end of the arm can still cause an injury. A cobot that only moves parts may be able to run beside operators without guarding. A sanding tool, a heated iron, or anything else sharp, hot, or high-energy calls for guarding from the start no matter which robot type is being used.

Premier's robotics team integrates both cobots and traditional industrial robots, so the recommendation depends on your process. To talk through your application, contact Premier's robotics team.