Industrial robots are used to automate various industry-related processes. They are capable of performing different tasks like welding, lifting, placing, and other tasks with high efficiency and speed. They can be seen in industries to automate repetitive and monotonous processes. They are highly productive and can reduce labor costs.
However, deploying an industrial robot requires a lot of planning and capital. It involves various economical and safety risks. These risks make companies skeptical about their return on investment.
Any company with a big budget and goals must know about the financial and technological worth of industrial robots.
Current Scenario and Scope of Industrial Robots
Today, different types of industrial robots work in a wide range of industries ranging from electronics and automobiles to plastic processing and metal forging. Robots can perform almost any repetitive job efficiently, especially when the job is dangerous or difficult for humans.
Robots are being used for mass operations, but with technological progress, they have become affordable for small and medium operations. These robots are helping manufacturers solve many key challenges, including limited workgroups, global market competitiveness, and safety.
The availability of different types of industrial robots such as drones and robotic arms on the market is high. The companies continuously strive to improve current designs and integrate modern technologies like Machine Learning.
Robots are currently used in several industries to perform repetitive tasks and back-end processes that do not involve human interaction. Self-driving and autonomous robots are used to safely and efficiently transport from one place to another.
Scientists have been making some improvements to robots’ hardware so that they could adapt to different industries.For example, waterproof robotic arm was manufactured to suit the needs of the painting industry.This industry is focussing on implementing robotic vision solutions. With the rise of intelligent technologies, robots are becoming more intelligent. In future, they will be capable of performing a wide range of operations collaboratively and more efficiently.
As for the future of robots, with the continued development of technologies like the Internet of Things, the next step is to allow robots to use data collected from sensors to learn for themselves. For instance, robots can select and place items through programming, but in the future, they are expected to automatically detect items and learn where to place them without external guidance or programming.
They are expected to make decisions and work collaboratively with other robots. This reflects the industry’s approach in creating robots that are simpler, easier to program, and can be integrated into make current processes more efficient and productive.
Future of Industrial Robots and Their ROI
To make these robots safe, there is a large market for safety sensors to ensure that humans can work with robots without causing major risks.
New technologies enable robots to be used anywhere in the manufacturing plant. In the future, technologies such as integrated 3D vision and multispectral imaging will continue to be enhanced. This, combined with technologies like artificial intelligence and deep learning, will allow industrial robots to improve themselves and keep up with the human workers around them.
If we talk about the figures, then the industrial robot industry is estimated to grow by a factor of 175% in the next ten years, this will bring more competition and innovation, which in turn promotes the development of these modern robots.
As the industry will develop and offers more options, collaborative robots will continue to become secure and their costs will decrease.
One can expect intelligent robots to enter the electronics manufacturing field to aid in the development of complex things like smartphones, laptops, or microchips. By 2025, the demand for robots for this industry is expected to match that of the automotive industry.
When deploying a robotic solution for any industry, Return on Investment (ROI) is an important aspect of the calculation. ROI is the time it takes for robot production to pay back the company through income or savings. Usually, industrial robots have a high ROI and hence, they can recover their automation costs in very little time.
The ROI for industrial robots is high since robotic systems can generally operate at 95% efficiency while humans need to rest and they get tired during shifts. Their efficiency decreases with time. On the other hand, robots will not encounter this problem.
In most cases, robots can complete the work of up to four manual workers per shift. This means that the robotic system can complete the work of 12 workers every day. This shows that labor cost savings are an important aspect of ROI.
Benefits of Robots
It’s important to look at the benefits of deploying robotic solutions while determining their cost. It helps us analyze what our money is giving to us. Some benefits of robots are:
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Creation of New Jobs For Workers
Robots helped workers by making their work easy. Workers can learn automation skills like software programming and apply them while working collaboratively with this new technology.
Meanwhile, workers get to advance in their field as they are trained for using specific software that controls the on-site robots.
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Make the Process Safer
Substituting robots with humans saves humans from getting involved in dangerous work. Robots lift heavy weights and can work in extreme conditions. They can also be controlled by the worker remotely.
They can do the same work without putting other lives in danger. This increases the overall safety of the industrial process
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Increase Productivity
Robots perform high-precision work within a less amount of time as compared to manual workers. Robots work without breaks or holidays. This makes them more productive and reliable. Moreover, their efficiency does not decrease with time after doing repetitive processes.
Conclusion
The cost of integrating traditional industrial robots into a factory can be high. However, the initial cost of implementing collaborative industrial robots is completely within the range of the annual salary of the factory workers.
While evaluating the cost of robots, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the future and all aspects of industrial robot applications. They definitely have a great future and are worth the capital that companies are investing in them.