Industrial robot answer centre
Industrial robot system questions, answered clearly.
Straight answers for UK manufacturers comparing robot types, planning a complete cell and preparing a useful automation project brief.
Customer questions
Planning and selecting an industrial robot system
Each answer links the robot back to the complete production cell. A technical application review is still needed before equipment is selected or performance is committed.
What is an industrial robot system?
An industrial robot system combines a robot with the tooling, product handling, controls, sensors, guarding and interfaces needed to complete a defined production task.
Which industrial robot type should I choose?
Six-axis robots suit flexible three-dimensional paths; SCARA robots suit focused planar moves and vertical insertion; delta robots suit rapid overhead picking; palletising robots suit efficient layer building. The complete application must still be verified.
How much does a complete robot cell cost?
Cost depends on the full scope: robot, tooling, fixtures, product presentation, controls, vision, safety, integration, testing, installation and support. Product and process information is needed for a useful budget.
What does robot payload include?
Payload includes everything carried at the wrist: gripper, mounting parts, valves, sensors, cables and product. Centre of gravity, moments and inertia also need checking.
What is end-of-arm tooling?
End-of-arm tooling is the device attached to the robot to interact with the product or process. It may use vacuum, mechanical gripping, magnets or an application-specific tool with sensors and services.
When does a robot cell need machine vision?
Vision can be useful when product position, orientation, identity or quality cannot be controlled reliably by mechanical presentation alone. Lighting, optics and image-processing time are part of the application.
Can a robot integrate with existing machinery?
Yes, subject to review of physical access, process timing, controls, signals, network interfaces, safety boundaries and equipment condition.
How is robot cycle time calculated?
Use the complete production sequence, including product arrival, grip and release, sensing, process dwell, machine handshakes, external movement, rejects and recovery—not only robot travel time.
How is a robot cell safeguarded?
Safeguarding follows a project-specific risk assessment and may combine fixed or interlocked guards, presence sensing, safety-related controls, monitored modes and operating procedures.
What happens before site installation?
The agreed factory test can exercise tooling, paths, automatic and manual sequences, sensors, interfaces, alarms, recovery and safety functions using representative products.
What happens during commissioning?
The cell is connected to the live production environment, interfaces and safety functions are checked, process performance is optimised and agreed acceptance activities are completed.
What should I send for a first application review?
Send product dimensions and weights, photographs or samples, a process video, target output, format range, available layout, connected equipment and any site or timing constraints.
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Related robot-cell topics
Use these practical pages to compare options and prepare a useful project brief.