How fast is a cobot?

Why are cobots considered slow? 

The idea that cobots are slow comes from their main feature: working alongside humans. Unlike industrial robots, which often operate in isolated areas for safety reasons, cobots are designed to work in the same space as humans. For this reason, they move more slowly to prevent collisions and ensure employee safety.

Slower doesn't mean less efficient 

Yes, cobots generally move slower than industrial robots, but that doesn’t mean they aren't fast enough to meet the demands of a modern production line. Thanks to technological advancements, cobots can now handle multiple products at once, significantly increasing production speed.

Modern cobots have higher payloads

Contrary to what some may think, cobots are not designed to carry heavier loads than industrial robots. However, cobots can pick up multiple products at once due to their increasing payload capacities, making them highly efficient, especially in tasks like palletizing or packaging.

Modern cobots can carry loads of up to 30 kg. Depending on the product's weight, this means they can handle multiple items simultaneously, boosting overall speed.

Cobot speed: example 

Explanations are always easier with an example. Imagine you have a cobot with a 30 kg capacity and 3 kg boxes that need to be palletized.
This cobot can lift up to nine boxes at once. Even though the cobot moves slower than an industrial robot, its ability to process multiple boxes at a time compensates for this difference with efficiency.
In one movement, the cobot can move more boxes, increasing production speed and easily keeping up with your production line.

Cobot speed in practice

The use of cobots in palletizing processes is a good example of how modern cobots can work efficiently despite their slower movements. Imagine your cobot performs 8 picks per minute. With a load capacity of 30 kg, this cobot can lift nine 3 kg boxes in one go.
That means you can stack up to 72 boxes per minute—a remarkable result that, in many production environments, is more than sufficient to meet demands.

Higher payload 

The core of cobot success lies not only in their speed but primarily in their ability to handle multiple products at once. This makes them ideal for various applications, from palletizing to packaging.

What if your cobot needs to be even faster? 

Some productions require extremely high speeds. For that, collaborative delta robots have been developed, such as Wyzo. 

This delta robot can process up to 90 items per minute, which is extremely fast for a collaborative robot. It is perfect for handling smaller, lighter products (up to 1 kg each) and proves that cobots, in certain applications, can even compete with traditional industrial robots in terms of speed.

This innovation shows that cobot speeds are constantly evolving and that they are already capable of meeting very high-speed requirements.

More about Wyzo 

Rules of thumb for cobot speeds: What to expect?

When considering the purchase of a cobot for your production process, it’s helpful to keep a few rules of thumb in mind. Below is an overview of typical speeds for common tasks cobots perform in a production environment. These guidelines provide insight into what you can expect from a cobot’s performance.

1. Palletizing: Up to 8 picks per minute

For palletizing tasks, the standard speed is approximately 8 picks per minute. This speed can increase if the cobot can handle multiple boxes at once. If your production process involves large volumes of boxes, the cobot can pick and stack several boxes per pick, significantly boosting stacking speed. A palletizer's speed is thus a combination of the number of picks and the number of items per pick.

Example: If the cobot picks four boxes per pick at a speed of 8 picks per minute, it can stack up to 32 boxes per minute. This approach maximizes productivity without compromising precision or safety.

2. Pick-and-Place Tasks: Approximately 4 seconds per filling movement

For pick-and-place tasks, such as filling boxes, a cobot typically requires 4 seconds to complete the filling movement. This includes picking up the product, moving it to the box, and placing it carefully inside. This 4-second rule makes it easy to estimate how many items a cobot can process per minute, depending on the conveyor belt speed and the task's complexity.

Example: Suppose a cobot transfers products from a conveyor belt to a box. With a pick-and-place cycle time of 4 seconds, it can process an average of 15 products per minute.

3. Opening Boxes: 12 to 15 seconds per box

For more complex tasks, such as opening boxes, more time is required. A cobot configured to open boxes will typically need 12 to 15 seconds per box. This is because movements must be precise and careful, especially if the box cannot be damaged. For businesses regularly handling large quantities of packaging, a cobot can be programmed to perform this task efficiently and error-free.

Example: If a cobot is programmed to open boxes and prepare them for filling, it can open an average of 4 to 5 boxes per minute. This makes it a perfect fit for a production process with a continuous flow of packaging.