For mechanical and electrical engineers in the automation industry, choosing the right "robot" may be a simple task. But for designers or factories who are preparing to purchase or import robots, they may feel confused. The main factors considered when choosing a collaborative robot are: the type, function, brand, price, performance, and reliability of the collaborative robot. Enterprises should choose suitable collaborative robots based on their own situation. Next, we will discuss how to select the appropriate collaborative robot from nine professional parameters.

1. Application scenarios

Firstly, an important source is the evaluation of imported robots, including their applications and manufacturing processes. If the application needs to be collaboratively completed by machines alongside manual labor, then for common semi-automatic production lines with human-machine mixing, collaborative robots should be a good choice, especially when frequent workstation or production line gear changes are required, as well as when using new torque sensors.

In the following discussion, I will focus on joint multi axis robots. This type of robot can adapt to a wide range of applications. From material retrieval to stacking, as well as spraying, deburring, welding, and other special processes. Nowadays, collaborative robot manufacturers have corresponding robot solutions for almost every application. All you need to do is specify what you want the robot to do for you and choose the most suitable model from different types.

2. Payload

The payload is a large load that a robot can carry in its workspace. For example, from 1.5Kg to 20Kg. If you want the robot to move the target workpiece from one workstation to another, you need to pay attention to adding the weight of the workpiece and the weight of the robot fixture to its workload.

In addition, special attention should be paid to the load curve of the robot. The actual load capacity will vary at different distances within the spatial range.

3. Degrees of freedom (number of axes)

The number of axes configured by a robot is directly related to its degrees of freedom. For simple and straightforward situations, such as moving from one belt line to another, a simple 4-axis robot is sufficient. However, if the application scenario is located in a narrow workspace and the robot arm requires a lot of twisting and rotation, a 6-axis or 7-axis robot would be a good choice.

The number of axes usually depends on the application. It should be noted that the flexibility of choosing more axes is not a problem, as long as the cost allows. In this way, the conversion robot can be easily repurposed for another application process, which can accommodate more work tasks rather than discovering a shortage of axes.

Robot manufacturers tend to use slightly different axis or joint names. Basically, joint 1 (J1) is a joint that is very close to the robot base. The next joint is called J2 J3、J4， And so on, until they reach the end of the wrist.

4. Large driving range

When evaluating the target application, you should know that the robot needs to reach a long distance. The selection of robots is not only based on the load, but also on the exact distance reached. Each company provides a set of charts to determine whether a robot is suitable for a specific application. The horizontal range of motion for robots. Pay attention to the non working areas near and behind the robot.

The maximum vertical height of a measuring robot is the distance from the lower point that the robot can reach (usually below the bottom) to the maximum height (y) that the wrist can reach. The large horizontal distance refers to the distance (x) from the center of the robot to the bottom, which can be reached horizontally from the remote center of the wrist point.