Preparing the published article.
Collaborative Robot Applications: Assess the Complete Cell
Plan a collaborative robot application around people, tools, parts and operating modes. Identify evidence, testing responsibilities and change controls for the complete cell.
Begin with the shared task
A collaborative application is a way of organizing work around a robot, people and a process. Selecting an arm advertised as collaborative does not settle the hazards created by a sharp tool, hot part, heavy load or nearby fixture. Begin by describing exactly what the person and robot each do, when they share space and how the process changes between production and recovery.
The output of this planning exercise is a defined application and an evidence request. It is not a universal permission to remove guarding or increase operating speed.
Use the correct standards context
ISO 10218-2:2025 addresses industrial robot applications and cells. ISO/TS 15066:2016 is a Technical Specification concerning collaborative industrial robot systems and their work environment. Its catalogue still showed it as published, with revision activity, when checked on 10 September 2026. It is not a general standard for every robot working near the public.
Ask the integrator which current documents, national adoptions and assessment methods apply. A short webpage cannot resolve all relationships between editions or replace the full technical documents. Record the chosen basis in the project file before detailed design and testing proceed.
Describe exposure across all operating modes
Map the person's movements and tasks as carefully as the robot path. Include reaching into a fixture, replenishing material, collecting a finished part, cleaning and recovering a dropped item. Identify who can enter and whether they understand the machine's behaviour. A demonstration under supervision may differ substantially from an ordinary production shift.
Record tool and part geometry, exposed edges, temperature and possible breakage.
Identify trapping locations involving the robot, workpiece, table or adjacent machine.
Describe stored energy, part retention and the consequences of losing power.
List teaching, maintenance and abnormal recovery tasks separately from normal production.
The general machinery framework in ISO 12100:2010 supports structured risk assessment. The project team must determine the actual hazards and suitable reduction measures.
Select protective measures for the application
Require the designer to explain how the intended interaction is protected, including the robot's safety functions and any external equipment. Ask which conditions permit movement, which trigger a stop and who can authorize a restart. Record the assumptions about access, tool state, load and the surrounding environment.
Do not choose a single speed or force value from an online example and apply it to every task. The relevant contact, stopping and protective-distance questions depend on the proposed arrangement and assessment method. Where contact testing or stop measurement is necessary, assign it to qualified personnel using a documented procedure and appropriate equipment.
Make acceptance evidence match the actual cell
Before testing, freeze the relevant configuration: arm, controller, software, safety settings, gripper, part and layout. Ask for an assessment report that names this configuration and explains the test conditions. Keep records of open findings and corrective work so a supplier demonstration does not become an undocumented acceptance decision.
Measure process performance separately. Include quality, handling time and intervention effort with the agreed protective measures active. A faster demonstration using a different tool, reduced payload or altered access arrangement is not evidence of the contracted production rate.
Control changes and prepare the buyer brief
Define who reviews a new product variant, replacement gripper, software update, changed fixture or revised task. Train operators in permitted intervention and recovery, and provide a clear escalation route when the real process no longer matches the accepted design. Retain the assessment, configuration and operating instructions together.
Use Write a Robotics Buyer Brief to describe the shared work and Standards & Regulations to organize supporting research. These steps help obtain a reviewable proposal; they do not constitute certification or an application safety assessment.