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Automation 18 MoldMaking Technology —— SEPTEMBER 2017 By Keith Vozel Defining expectations and determining the ROI of collaborative robots help guide sound investment choices. The True Cost of Cobots C ollaborative robots, also called "cobots," are the new- est trend in robotics. A cobot is a special type of industrial robot designed to work with, or closely to, humans. Various technologies can be implemented to reduce the speed of a cobot's motion when a worker enters its work area, or to sense when the cobot encounters a human and stops or moves away. While cobots have been around for many years, it seems that almost every company and industry has taken some initiative in looking to use the technology. In moldmaking, that could be material handling or machine tending. But why? The claim is that cobots cost less, provide more safety for workers and can quickly deliver a remarkable return on investment (ROI). Is this true, or is there more than meets the eye? Companies should approach the question of whether to use cobots in the same way they approach other business decisions. Cobots can provide tremendous value, but their implementation necessitates proper application. For example, com- panies need to consider whether the VIDEO Access video at end of article. cobots would have jobs that bring the cobots near humans, jobs with smaller payloads or jobs without high-speed cycle time requirements. Do not get caught up in the hype. Evaluate the bottom line, and consider both direct and indirect costs and benefits. When determining the ROI, be sure to identify the objec- tives of the project first. The objectives could be both quali- tative and quantitative, but even the qualitative ones should have value associated with them. For example, are you look- ing to reduce costs, improve productivity or increase product quality? These can all be assigned a metric. Offset the ben- efits with the true cost of implementation, which includes the initial purchase, reduced throughput, labor impact and cobot lifespan. Remember that businesses make good invest- ments when they have a strong understanding and definition of expectations and costs. The following include some of the key features of collabora- tive technology that reveal the most important considerations a business should have for evaluating that technology's ROI. The purpose of this article is not to show you how to calcu- late the ROI, or even give you a basic spreadsheet model. This article outlines the factors that will help you evaluate ROI. Lowered costs. Everyone expects collaborative robots to cost less than what they are currently using. The reason is they are typically smaller, simpler to install, may not require extensive integration with other technology in the facility and can be implemented without a large investment in safety infrastructure. But is that accurate? For the most part, yes. However, even these key selling points have their caveats. Self-integration is a key part of collaborative robots. Still, not everyone has the knowledge and expertise to implement them. Sure, unpacking a unit and getting it running in an hour or so sounds great, but many do not realize how much knowledge it takes to understand the impact a cobot will have on the rest of the organization. It is therefore vital to pay attention to the cost of integration within exist- Cobots can be "fenceless robots," but only after a business performs a risk assessment.