March 25, 2026

Common Cobot Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Let Your Cobot Work With You — Not Against You

Collaborative robots, better known as cobots, are rapidly becoming a staple across Australian manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics operations. Designed to work safely alongside people, cobots offer flexibility, faster deployment, and reduced barriers to automation — when they’re selected and implemented correctly.

To understand what businesses should look out for when purchasing a cobot, we spoke with Colin Wells, Group Managing Director of Robotic Automation™, who regularly sees both successful cobot deployments and costly missteps.

Understanding Australia’s Cobot Safety Landscape

In Australia, cobot safety is governed by international standards including ISO 10218 and the collaborative operation requirements derived from ISO/TS 15066. These standards define how cobots must be installed, validated, and operated to ensure safe human‑robot interaction.

SafeWork NSW further reinforces these requirements by emphasising early planning, hazard identification, risk assessment, and lifecycle management — from installation through to ongoing operation and system changes.

“Cobots are extremely safe when they’re used the right way,” Colin explains. “The standards give us a clear roadmap so people and robots can work confidently side‑by‑side.”

Getting Cobot Safety Right From Day One

Recent updates to ISO standards place stronger emphasis on validation, not assumptions. Businesses can no longer rely purely on a manufacturer’s default settings.

Instead, integrators must validate:

Speed limits
Force and pressure thresholds
Separation distances
Stop and restart behaviour

Modern cobot systems also use advanced sensors, scanners, and monitoring software to keep movements predictable and interactions safe — but only when configured correctly for the task.

What to Look Out for When Purchasing a Cobot

1. Speed vs Safety: Choosing the Right Robot

“Cobots are safe because they’re intentionally slower,” Colin says.

If your application requires high speed, short cycle times, or heavy payloads, a traditional industrial robot with guarding may be the better — and safer — choice.

Cobots excel in:

Shared workspaces
Low‑to‑medium volume tasks
Jobs requiring human interaction or flexibility

Collaborative safety modes such as Power‑and‑Force Limiting (PFL) and Speed‑and‑Separation Monitoring (SSM) prioritise worker protection over throughput. That trade‑off must be clearly understood before purchasing.

2. Grippers/End‑of‑Arm Tooling (EOAT) Matters More Than You Think

Updated safety standards now explicitly include end‑of‑arm tooling in risk assessments.

Even if the robot itself is compliant, the system may not be if:

Tools have sharp edges
There are pinch or trapping points
The EOAT doesn’t match the task hazards

Every gripper, welder, or custom tool must be assessed and validated as part of the overall cobot system.

3. Handling Sharp, Heavy, or Overhead Loads

Cobots handling sharp parts, heavy objects, or loads above head height introduce additional risk that must be carefully assessed.

Dropped‑load hazards, object shape, and potential contact zones all need to be considered. In many cases, additional controls — or a non‑collaborative approach — may be required.

4. Welding Applications Require Extra Controls

Cobot welding is increasingly popular, but it comes with added risks including:

Heat
Fumes
Spatter
Arc flash

Under ISO 10218, welding cobot cells often require screens, extraction, PPE, and supplementary safeguarding. The robot may be collaborative — the process often isn’t.

Real‑World Cobot Mistakes We Still See

Colin regularly encounters scenarios where a cobot simply isn’t delivering value:

“I sometimes walk into a site and see an entry‑level cobot tucked away in a corner. It was sold as a ‘set‑and‑forget’ solution, but the customer actually needed something more tailored — and never got the support to make it work.”

Another common issue?

“We still see cobots installed inside safety cages. Once you cage a cobot, you’ve removed the benefit of collaboration. At that point, a faster industrial robot would often be the better option.”

These situations highlight a critical truth: choosing the wrong robot — or the wrong integrator — can cost more than automation itself.

Why an Experienced Integrator Makes All the Difference

While budget cobots can suit simple applications, many do not fully meet collaborative safety requirements without proper validation, documentation, and ongoing support.

A qualified integrator doesn’t just install a robot — they:

Conduct detailed risk assessments
Validate safety parameters
Design for future scalability
Ensure compliance as standards evolve

“A good integrator builds a solution that stays safe, reliable, and productive as your operation grows,” Colin says.

Final Thought: Match the Tool to the Job

Cobots are powerful tools — but they’re not a one‑size‑fits‑all solution. Understanding safety standards, application limits, and long‑term requirements before purchasing is the difference between an automation success story and an expensive lesson.