Elite Robots (艾利特机器人), a leading domestic cobot developer, recently rolled out what it called a product with the world’s largest payload — at 25kg — within its class.
Elite Robots debuted CS625, among four other new releases on April 3, amid a spike in demand worldwide for cobots with a payload of more than 20kg.
Cobots featuring big payloads are becoming increasingly sought-after across a large number of industries as a result of needs left unfulfilled with industrial robots.
The inherent safety of cobots and their suitability for flexible, small-batch manufacturing make them a favorite to supplant industrial robots in certain tasks.
In a contact-free, preferably unmanned environment that places high premium on hygiene, such as pharmaceutical, biotech, daily chemicals, food and chipmaking, cobots have also become a go-to alternative to larger and often costlier industrial robots.
Elite Robots came up with exactly a model, called CS625, that fits the bill.
It possesses a payload of 25kg against a weight of 60kg, which is about 25% lighter than foreign variants.
With a payload-weight ratio of over 40%, Elite Robots leads many competitors in the market, according to the company.
Generally, the higher the payload-weight ratio, the better the robot is at heavylifting.
Another area in which it beats competition is that CS625 powers end effector through a 5A input/output plug, the first of its kind in the world, says the startup.
Most cobots have an external input/output lower than 2A, as opposed to C625’s 5A/120W, which supplies end effectors or tools with the power needed for palletizing, machine tool management, welding and material handling.
Elite Robots said C625 adopts new motion control algorithms that allow it to operate at a faster pace than foreign rivals by 5% and domestic counterparts by even 35%.
The robot is IP65 waterproof, upgradeable to IP68.
CS625 features a sturdy robotic arm with standard IP65 protection upgradable to IP68, to withstand dust, dirt and water.
With an extended arm length, CS625 has a working radius of 1500mm. Coupled with a 25kg payload, the device handles large-sized, heavy objects better than cobots with a payload of 10kg or less.
The company claimed that this significantly boosts the efficiency of processing tasks that involve medium-to-high payloads, such as palletizing and welding.
Regarding specifically welding processes, CS625’s working radius compensates for a smaller reach of medium- and small-sized cobots, which are safe, agile and fit for small-batch, multi-process arc welding, but at the same time only can weld small parts together.
Elite Robots says its CS625’s wide reach makes it possible to weld relatively larger components without relying on an external axis.
Meanwhile, its position repeatability reaches ±0.05mm, offering the level of precision required for arc welding jobs.
The various attributes of CS625 and by extension, other offerings under the CS series, depart from market incumbents that mostly boast a smaller payload.
Elite Robots currently derives 70% of its revenue from the domestic market, with its products and solutions primarily adopted in 3C, automotive parts, machinery processing industries and more.
The Suzhou-headquartered startup has grown its market share in niche segments such as new energy, healthcare and fitness, machinery manufacturing over the years.
But the company revealed that it has also expanded into service sectors like STEM research, education and FMCG, thanks in large part to its ability to sense people in the vicinity of work areas and thus improve safety.
Elite Robots has set up branches in Germany, Japan, the US and sold products to major markets across Europe, APAC and North America.
On the strength of this global sales force, Cao Yunan, co-founder and CEO of Elite Robots, stated in a media interview that, depending on the market areas, market perception toward cobots is at different stages.
Clients in the APAC region are relatively more price-sensitive, resulting in fierce market competition, said Cao.
“Aside from Japan and South Korea, where the cobot category has gathered momentum, like in China, the rest of this region is at an early stage in their embrace of cobots,” he noted. “The majority of cobot users are globalized firms, with smaller ones slowly starting to trial and accept them.”
By contrast, Cao added that Europe is a much more mature market, with a readiness to deploy cobots. It is the birthplace of this contraption and home to an advanced industry and multiple application scenarios.
