Advantages
Whilst there are instances where the decision making capability of a person is needed, robots often take over a
repetitive job from a human. They do not mind if the job is boring or unpleasant. Justifications for using a robot
include
1) Quality - robots are more consistent and accurate than a human. They do not get distracted nor interrupted.
Product integrity is enhanced.
2) Production yield - more often than not, reject rates go down when an automated process is installed.
3) Throughput – robots do not take tea breaks or holidays. They can be much faster than humans.
4) Necessity – sometimes the job just cannot be accomplished by a human (c.f. FIP gaskets).
5) Material savings – due to more control and uninterrupted operation, there can be significant economic
savings in material usage. Expensive materials like silver loaded conductive epoxies are dispensed
accurately and without error or waste. Systems which require mixing (e.g. two part potting compounds) may
need purging or changes of mixing nozzles unless dispensed all day without interruption