The Rise of Collaborative Robots in Automotive and Material Handling

Automobile manufacturers have seen significant productivity improvements and efficiency gains thanks to traditional industrial robots.

FREMONT, CA: Industrial robots have simplified manufacturing processes by enhancing the productivity and efficiency of the products. Automotive manufacturing has also significantly improved through the adoption of industrial robots.

Traditional industrial robots have provided many advantages, but one of the main problems is how expensive downtime is. Industrial robots must be kept physically from their human operators because they are harmful. Due to the physical barrier, human operators must shut down every machine on a manufacturing line before accessing the working area of a malfunctioning robot. This could be an issue because each stage in the production process is interconnected with the steps after it. If the production line is stopped, this will result in low efficiency and a suspension of the subsequent processes or manufacture.

Many automakers have begun to use cobots as a solution to this problem. Cobots are safer for human operators since they are smaller, slower, more flexible, and lighter. One malfunction in the production line does not affect the regular functioning of the rest of the production, which is crucial because there is no physical separation between cobots and human operators, decreasing downtime expenses.

With the financial advantages, IDTechEx has seen a few new laws and campaigns promoting workers' return to manufacturing. Plans from numerous nations, groups and automakers have been put forth. For instance, to create an intelligent factory and improve human-robot interaction (HRI), Audi suggested the "Automotive Initiative 2025," while the European Commission (EU) proposed "Industry 5.0," which also places a strong emphasis on HRI.

According to IDTechEx, the automotive industry will also be the primary market for cobots, following the trend of industrial robotic arms in that sector. Cobot adoption is still in its early stages, but IDTechEx has grown significantly over the past few years. During the next 20 years, cobot sales in the automobile manufacturing sector, according to IDTechEx, will expand 130-fold in revenue. With the regulations and financial advantages, according to IDTechEx, there will be many chances for cobots to be utilized in the automotive industry (such as automobile assembly, surface polishing, and inspection).