Buying industrial robots–tips for making the right choice

You want to buy an industrial robot, but are unsure what to bear in mind when choosing? We've summarised five tips for selecting the right robot.

1) Focus on the application: when is a robot worthwhile and when not?

Automating processes is a continuous and necessary trend in view of a shortage of skilled workers and increasing price pressure. However, this does not mean that every application can or must be automated. Depending on the point of view, there are cases of classic over-engineering or pronounced hobbyists. If high dexterity, for example when plugging cables, or creativity is required, automation is often too complex or even impossible. Repetitive, monotonous and therefore frequently error-prone tasks, on the other hand, are ideal for robots.

Tip: analyse your use case:

How often and how quickly should a movement sequence be repeated?
How much weight should the robot move?
How much space will the robot have?
In what kind of temperature and humidity will the robot be operating?

Typical areas of application for robots are:

Pick & place
Order picking
Gluing and dispensing
Quality control
Machine loading and unloading
Material handling

2) Define a goal before you buy an industrial robot.

Out of sheer euphoria and willingness to automate, people tend to forget what the automation is supposed to do. Always bear your goal in mind. It influences your choice of the suitable robot, the speed of implementation and the measurement of your project's success. In any case, focus on simple and cost-saving processes.

Tip: write down your goal and make it as specific as possible:

What savings rate do you want to achieve?
In what time frame do you want to implement the automation project?
Are people and machines supposed to collaborate with each other?
Does it make more sense to automate sub-processes rather than overall processes?

3) Calculate return on investment

For many people who want to automate, a high return on investment (ROI) is the decisive factor for an investment decision. Industrial robots in the traditional sense, i.e. large articulated-arm robots as they are known, for example, from the automotive industry, are associated with very high costs. Cost-effective alternatives, such as those offered by Low Cost Automation, however, achieve amortisation in three to twelve months. At our marketplace, you will find both individual components and complete solutions at a fixed price.

Tip: to calculate the ROI of your purchase, keep an eye on the following costs/aspects:

Peripheral devices, such as grippers or control systems
Adjustments to existing machines
Installation costs
Operating, maintenance, space and energy costs

The investments above are offset by the current costs of manual work or costs resulting from errors.

4) Select the right robot type.

Basically, there are four different robot kinematics: articulated arm, linear, SCARA and delta robots. For each application, it is necessary to check which type is suitable. You can achieve a long reach and precision with a linear robot. Short cycle times can be realised, for example, with a delta robot. Are you unsure about choosing the right robot? The RBTXpert will support you with your automation projects. In a free video call, you can discuss your application and select the kinematics and compatible components together. In the end, you will receive an individual fixed price quote for the required components.

5) Buy an industrial robot with government funding.

Depending on the federal state, there are different funding programmes for automation and digitisation. We have summarised the funding programmes in an overview.

Automation with low-cost robots