Manufacturing Automation: Expensive or essential?

As technological advancements continue to revolutionise the manufacturing industry, is implementing automation an essential part of improving your manufacturing operations? Or is it an unnecessary expense for innovation’s sake?

At first glance, the investment in manufacturing automation may seem expensive, especially for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) but collaborative robots, known as cobots are designed to make automation in manufacturing accessible and cost-effective.?

When looking to implement manufacturing automation it is essential to not only consider the upfront costs but also consider the total cost of ownership and the benefits to your productivity and product quality vs. the cost of human operators and their efficiency.?

Use our calculator to estimate the return on investment and savings a Cobot could deliver to your business.

Let’s have a look at why using Cobots in manufacturing automation can deliver impressive returns on investment.?

1.?Flexibility & Adaptability?

Cobots come in a variety of sizes and their compact design means they fit seamlessly into any workspace, making them highly adaptable to a variety of tasks. The easy-to-use software allows for easy and adaptable programming so you can deploy a cobot across multiple environments and tasks throughout your manufacturing plant. This flexibility means less time spent on training operators for each application, saving time and reducing costs on learning and development.

2.?Increase Quality

Human error is a leading cause of faults and product recalls. It’s natural for human operators to make mistakes or miss vital steps in the process. Unlike humans, cobots do not get tired, bored, or distracted. They can work continuously with consistent accuracy, which helps in maintaining high-quality production standards.

3.?Reduce Risk?

Cobots are made for automating repetitive manual tasks, such as fastening, picking or inspecting but they are also capable of carrying out more complex tasks such as assembly, welding or material removal. All these tasks carry a risk to human operators which can cause injury or long-term illness such as hand arm vibration syndrome. Implementing a Cobot to carry out repetitive or hazardous tasks protects employees and increase productivity.

4.?Safety Features?

Many safety features can be added to your Cobot solution such as light curtains, collaborative mode and emergency stop sensors to protect human operators who work alongside the machines. Cobots will also alert staff via a light stack or haptic feedback when an error is made and will cease operations until the issue is resolved.

5. Increase productivity

Cobots can work continually 24/7 with need for breaks or zero fatigue. They require minimal maintenance meaning less downtime and more output. The quick and easy set up increases productivity from the start giving you a speedier return on investment too. ?

Cost Effective Automation with Cobots?

While investing in automation may carry an initial upfront cost. Cobots have a life expectancy of at least 10 years and have the potential to pay for themselves within 18 months. Businesses can also benefit from long term savings by reducing the need for training and lowering labour costs, while improving the efficiency of operations, cobots can save businesses tens of thousands of pounds annually, making them a highly cost-effective solution.

At Abbey Industrial Solutions, implementing a cobot is a highly collaborative process. It begins with conducting a thorough feasibility study to understand your business's specific needs, enabling us to design a tailored cobot solution that solves these challenges.

Our expert team uses cutting-edge technology to visualise the cobot's integration into the production line, running physical tests in situ to demonstrate its reliability and quality control capabilities. Following final installation, we provide on-site training for both operators and management, ensuring a smooth transition and the long-term success of the cobot implementation.

Find out more and arrange a free trial here.