3 Commonly-Forgotten Factors When Choosing A Robot End Effector

Collaborative robots have made workplaces safer for human workers. They have also played a significant role in improving job satisfaction in the manufacturing sector since they usually take up tasks that are either too repetitive, boring, or unsafe for human beings. Generally, when deployed in any workspace, they almost always have a positive impact.

However, a large part of the effectiveness and safety of collaborative robots has to do with how well they are suited for a particular application. This is because if you deploy a robot to an area that it hasn’t been optimized for, you will get less-than-optimal results. In fact, in some cases, even the safest of robots can become a safety risk if they are not armed with the right programs and tools to execute a task.

One of the main things that determine whether a robot is suited to perform a given task is the type of end-effector that it has. Therefore, when deciding on which industrial robots for sale to settle for, it is imperative that you pay attention to a number of factors. The following are the things that you should never overlook when it comes to the end effector of a robot.

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End effector cables

End effectors cables deliver power and information. This makes them central to the operation of the entire robotic system. They determine its accuracy, flexibility, timing, and all the attributes that make collaborative robots great.

One thing that most people overlook when it comes to these cables is whether they can withstand repetitive movement, torsion, and bending that is common in industrial applications. Therefore, if the task that you intend to program the robot to execute involves a lot of movement, you should definitely pay attention to the specifications of the cables that come with any given end effector. Overlooking these specifications could lead to unnecessary inconveniences like production stops and premature repairs.

End effector weight

Collaborative robots are designed to handle a specific payload. As a result, the robot will only be able to work safely and effectively for as long as the payload that it is assigned does not weigh more than what it is designed to handle.

Unfortunately, most owners tend to overlook the weight of the end effector when it comes to calculating the total weight of the payload. This is a mistake because it often leads to robots getting assigned payloads that are beyond what they can handle. And since a robot’s performance is dependent on getting assigned loads that are within certain limits, this is something that often leads to reduced accuracy and performance.

Therefore, if you are shopping for an end effector for your robot, you should pay attention to its weight. Overlooking it will only lead to reduced performance.

End effector weight

End effector repeatability

While it is easy to mistake accuracy for repeatability, there is a distinction between these two features. And as far as industrial robots are concerned, especially for tasks that are repetitive, repeatability is the feature that you should focus on. This is because the repeatability metrics of an end effector gives you an idea of its ability to do a given action accurately, over and over again. Generally, the higher the repeatability accuracy of the end effector, the better the end effector is. This is so especially if the task that you intend to automate prioritizes precision.

While factors like part surface, shape, and size are usually at the forefront of most buyers’ minds when it comes to choosing an end effector, ignoring any of these qualities will definitely compromise the performance of any robot. In some cases, doing so will even create a dangerous working environment for any of the human workers that interact with the robots. Therefore, if you want your robot to operate safely, accurately and to be reliable, you will make sure that its end effector has the right weight, cables, and repeatability metrics