As the ‘new kid on the block’ in the automation world, cobots have become a hot talking point for industry as it looks to increase flexibility and efficiency in manufacturing plants.
Offering a flexible, affordable and smaller footprint alternative to traditional robots, collaborative robots (cobots) have allowed organisations to consider productivity and efficiency options they previously did not have access to.
In conjunction with the high degree of flexibility and operating ability, cobots also provide the benefits of advanced robotic automation with much shorter setup times, larger degrees of flexibility, and at a much lower cost than traditional robotic solutions.
These solutions have also allowed smaller companies to take advantage of automation, which was previously unaffordable, reserved for companies with much larger revenue and output. In turn, this has enabled these companies to gain a competitive advantage, competing with larger players and narrowing the gaps in the marketplace.
With a wide range of capabilities across endless industries, cobots have seen strong uptake and development across the world.
“Cobot development has changed the game in the packaging world, making automation easier than ever before to incorporate into a workplace,” said Peter Pontikis, managing director at packaging machinery supplier Nupac.
“The development and acceleration of cobot solutions has opened up a wide range of possibility in terms of packaging productivity and efficiency, with automation now possible in areas previously bound by slow and costly manual work,” he said.
Cobots in Australia
In the Australian market, the uptake of cobot solutions has not yet reached the levels of other parts of the world, as there is some hesitation from industry due to unfamiliarity with it being a barrier for company commitment, according to Pontikis.
“Nupac expects this hesitancy to subside in time as the market development and education around these solutions grows in Australia in the coming years,” he said.
However, this reticence in the market, says Pontikis, opens up a great opportunity for companies to explore cobot solutions for their operations before their competitors.
He believes this can be used as an advantage for these manufacturers, allowing them to reduce operational costs and gain a competitive edge over others in the market.
“In the Australian market, majority of the cobot uptake has been seen in the food and beverage industries, however the versatility of this equipment allows for scope in nearly all manufacturing, including pharmaceuticals, non-food and more,” explained Pontikis.
“It is only a matter of time before these solutions are seen more frequently throughout the Australian manufacturing industry, allowing manufacturers to operate with lower costs and greater efficiencies.
“Once we begin to see manufacturers capitalising on these opportunities, their competitors will soon jump on board and the market for cobots will inevitably expand quickly.”
Palletising potential
One way Nupac recommends Australian businesses increase their efficiency and productivity is through cobot palletising.
Most manufacturing organisations have some type of palletisation system, whether this be manual or through the use of equipment, there is the potential for cobot solutions to increase the efficiencies of the process.
“These palletising cobots have been seen to boost packaging speeds and reduced overheads,” said Pontikis.
“They can handle a range of products and stacking patterns, with easily flexible adjustments allowing them to be easily utilised for a range of different requirements.”
In Australia and New Zealand, Nupac provides palletising solutions, which are easy to integrate into existing operations at a fairly low cost.
