Will 2023 be the year of palletizing robots?
In recent months, several cobot manufacturers have introduced models that are suitable for palletizing heavy goods in particular. Following Doosan - which has been on the market with this model for some time - Universal Robots, FANUC, Yaskawa and Omron/Techman are now offering payloads of at least 20 kg. At the same time, startup coboworx is knocking on the door with its own industrial robot - ready configured for palletizing, capable of lifting up to 35 kg and offered for a flat monthly fee (starting at €2,300). Some of the robots were presented here(link). The question arises, is there even that much to palletize? Ergonomically, the models certainly have their justification, yet the previous question remains.
How was such heavy goods palletized until now?
One remarkable feature of the new robots is their very high speed. No human being has ever been able to handle such weights as fast as the Universal Robots UR 20. In order for it to show its speed in palletizing, either several previously separate belts must converge to it or it serves as an alternative to an industrial robot. Its advantage of simpler programming becomes even more important in palletizing, since once set up, a robot performs the same activity for a long time. Flexibility is rarely necessary.
Most of the "strong ones" can also use other applications, but how?
Of course, the cobots - not the coboworx robot - are all-rounders that can also do other things such as machine loading or even score points with their integrated vision (Omron/ Techman). In these applications, the safety aspect will play an even greater role than before. There is a difference between a human colliding with a slower model carrying a light metal part and a faster cobot carrying a heavy metal part. This is true even if the parts are not pointed and are only moved by employees at stomach height. The mass is simply too great and sometimes also the speed. How this safety aspect will be taken into account in everyday life remains to be seen. If the rather expensive large cobots (about €50,000) are fenced in, they lose their charm compared to the less expensive industrial robots. In this Yaskawa video, the HC20 is separated from its environment.
The UR is likely to be a blueprint for new models
The Universal Robots UR20 is not only faster than its smaller siblings, but also consists of fewer parts. This has been made possible by a new design. The inner workings of the UR20 have been virtually cut in half. This makes it relatively light and certainly cheaper to manufacture. All this - including the higher speed - calls for a roll-out to the existing UR models (whether the UR 16 will continue to exist seems questionable to me). In this respect, it was not only developed for palletizing and machine loading, but for the "big picture".
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The author of this blog is significantly involved in the AI/robotics project Opdra. He answers companies the question if and how a robot could be used at your company (initial analysis including recommendation). He does this nationwide in Germany at a flat rate of €1,750 net (incl. travel). The low price is possible thanks to funding. Permanently on the lookout for interesting solutions, he has already seen hundreds of applications. For this reason, his customers also include large companies that have know-how but do not know the entire market. For companies with 250 employees or more or those based in Austria or Switzerland, the flat rate does not apply. You can find more about him here.
