April 11, 2025
In today's world, efficiency and accuracy are key factors in manufacturing. Saved time can be saved money and lead to increased profits. For some businesses, this means turning to robots for help in their manufacturing process. In adhesive and material dispensing applications, this is where cobots may come in.
What are Cobots?
Cobots or collaborative robots are robots designed to work alongside and sometimes in tandem with human workers in manufacturing processes. They often have sensors and features in place to ensure workers' safety. This setup is in contrast to industrial robots that involve cages or restricted zones to keep a safe distance from human workers.
Cobots in Dispensing
While collaborative robots can be used for numerous different types of applications, they are growing in popularity when it comes to the dispensing of materials and adhesives in manufacturing lines.
Cobots can accurately and efficiently dispense a variety of materials, including adhesives, sealants, and coatings, at high speeds. Because they can be configured for various applications, they have already been widely implemented in numerous industries, including the automotive, electronics, aerospace, and consumer goods sectors.
Material dispensing with cobots is growing in popularity, but are these machines worth it? As dispensing experts, our team is reviewing the most important downfalls and benefits of cobot dispensing so you can decide for yourself.
The Biggest Benefits of Cobot Dispensing and Gluing
Let's start with the good. There are several pros to using cobots for dispensing adhesives and other materials in different manufacturing workflows. Our team shares some of the most important benefits of cobot dispensing systems.
Better Workplace Safety
A big plus of dispensing or gluing with cobots is the safety factor. Because cobots are designed to work with humans, they can help reduce the risk of injury to workers compared to traditional industrial robots that may lead to more dangers. Collaborative robots can also handle hazardous materials or complete complex tasks. This setup can reduce the need for human involvement in such activities and the risk of injuries like cuts or burns. As a result, cobots may lead to fewer accidents and unnecessary downtime.
Increased Production
Another major benefit of using collaborative robots for adhesive dispensing is that they can optimize your manufacturing process and improve production. Cobots can dispense materials at high speeds and in a continuous manner. They do so with consistency and few errors. As a result, cobots can often decrease downtime and improve output.
More Consistency & Accuracy
Getting consistent and accurate results in high-volume dispensing can be challenging as there is a lot of room for human error. Even the smallest mistakes could lead to big failures like poor structural integrity, aesthetic issues, or unusable finished products. Cobots can be programmed to dispense the same amount of material every time for repeatable and high-quality results. Consequently, they can help decrease errors, especially in precise applications. This can lead to fewer quality control issues.
Great Versatility & Adaptability
A benefit to cobot gluing and material dispensing is the versatility that this equipment provides. Cobots are more versatile than industrial robots as they can be programmed to dispense various materials with different configurations. As a result, they can meet more unique needs, adapt to different manufacturing processes, or serve different purposes throughout their lifetime.
Long-Term Cost Savings
While the initial investment can be expensive, there are many cost-saving benefits to cobots for adhesive dispensing, and they tend to have a great long-term ROI. Cobots can optimize your production line, which can lead to faster production and greater profits. They can also eliminate the need for multiple systems, superfluous labor costs, and wasted product from inaccurate dispensing.
Easy Integration
For many businesses, the downtime needed to change their manufacturing process is a big hurdle to making major updates. Fortunately, cobots are easily configurable and designed to integrate quickly into existing workflows. Unlike industrial robots that require added safety measures and major modifications that can slow down setup, cobots do not need these additional adaptations. Some also have AI to learn and improve their performance over time for fewer disruptions.
Potential Drawbacks of Cobot Dispensing Systems
While there are several benefits of collaborative robot dispensing systems, there are also some potential drawbacks you should be aware of.
Perhaps the biggest con of cobots for dispensing applications is the big initial lift. While it will almost certainly pay off in the long run, the upfront cost can feel steep and may not be easy for every business to take on. On top of the cost, there is also the initial setup that can feel like a heavy lift. Cobots are designed to integrate easily into existing manufacturing processes, but it still takes some time to get them set up.
Another potential con of cobot adhesive dispensing is that your old equipment may become obsolete. Fortunately, there are sometimes resale programs for whole systems or parts that can help you recoup some of the costs.
Learn More
Cobots are the future. While there are several benefits of collaborative robot dispensing systems, we understand that you may be hesitant to take the leap. If you contact us, our team will answer your questions and could also get you a quote for some of our cobot dispensing systems. We are also a dispensing system integrator to help you get started.
