Cobot vs Industrial Robot: Which Is Right for Your Line?
Indian manufacturers adding their first robot, or their tenth, usually face the same question: a collaborative robot (cobot) or a conventional industrial robot? The answer depends less on the robot itself and more on payload, cycle time, floor space and how closely people need to work around it.
What makes a cobot different
Cobots are designed to work near people. They use power and force limiting: when the arm contacts something unexpectedly, it stops. With a proper risk assessment (following ISO 10218 and ISO/TS 15066), many cobot applications can run without a full safety fence, which saves floor space and lets an operator load parts right beside the robot.
- Payloads typically from 3 kg to about 30 kg. The range Rajdeep supplies spans the UR3e (3 kg) to the UR30, FANUC CRX-30iA Food Grade and Yaskawa HC30PL (30 kg).
- Easy to program by hand-guiding the arm and tablet-style teach pendants, so existing maintenance staff can redeploy them.
- Quick to move between machines, making them suited to high-mix, low-volume production.
- Food-grade variants such as the CRX-10iA Food Grade for food and pharma handling.
The trade-off: when people are present, cobots run at reduced speed, and their payloads are lower. A cobot is not automatically safe either; the gripper, the part and the process (sharp edges, hot parts, welding) all go into the risk assessment.
What industrial robots do better
Conventional industrial robots run inside guarded cells with fencing, light curtains or safety scanners. In return they deliver much higher speed, payload and duty.
- Payloads from small-part robots like the FANUC LR Mate 200iD/4SH (4 kg) to heavy-duty arms such as the M-900iB/330L (330 kg).
- Short cycle times for high-volume lines.
- Dedicated process variants for arc welding (FANUC Arc Mate series), palletising (M-410iB, Yaskawa PL series) and spot welding and heavy handling (R-2000iC).
Quick comparison
| Cobot | Industrial robot | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical payload | 3 to 30 kg | 4 kg to several hundred kg |
| Speed | Reduced when people are near | Full speed inside the guarded cell |
| Guarding | Often fence-free after risk assessment | Fencing, light curtains or scanners |
| Floor space | Small | Larger, including the cell |
| Programming | Hand-guiding, simple pendants | Pendant or offline programming, usually by trained staff |
| Best fit | High-mix production, operator-side tasks, CNC tending, inspection, packing | High volume, heavy parts, welding, palletising, press lines |
How to decide
- Payload first: add the gripper weight to the heaviest part. If it exceeds about 30 kg, you need an industrial robot.
- Cycle time: if the line needs the robot at full speed every cycle, an industrial robot in a guarded cell is usually more productive.
- People and space: if an operator must share the workspace, or there is no room for a fenced cell, a cobot is the natural choice.
- Product mix: frequent changeovers and redeployment favour cobots; one part running for years favours an industrial robot.
- Reach: compare the reach of the arm with the farthest pick and place points, including the gripper.
Typical applications in Indian plants
- CNC machine tending of auto components with a cobot such as the UR10e or CRX-10iA.
- End-of-line packing and light palletising of FMCG cartons with a cobot.
- Arc welding of fabricated parts and chassis components with an industrial welding robot.
- Heavy palletising of bags, sacks and drums with a dedicated palletising robot.
- Press tending and heavy part handling in automotive and white-goods plants with large industrial robots.
Robots and integration from Rajdeep
Rajdeep Automation supplies Universal Robots, FANUC and Yaskawa robots across India and builds complete robotic cells, including grippers, vision, safety and PLC integration. See our robotics solutions for machine tending, finishing, assembly, palletising and EV/BESS lines.
Share your part weight, cycle time and layout through the enquiry form and our robotics team will recommend a cobot or industrial robot and propose a cell.