Payload and reach should be sized to your heaviest workpiece plus tooling weight with margin, while repeatability matters far more for welding than for palletizing. The spec sheet numbers are only the starting point — how those numbers interact with your specific application often matters more than any single figure.
How much payload margin should you leave?
Add the weight of the gripper or welding torch to your heaviest part, then leave at least 20% headroom — running a robot near its rated limit shortens service life and reduces accuracy. Robots run consistently near their rated payload also show measurably faster wear on wrist and elbow joints over a multi-year duty cycle.
Why does welding need tighter repeatability than palletizing?
Arc welding requires the torch tip to return to the same point within fractions of a millimeter for a clean seam, which is why our RB-WLD6 is rated to ±0.08mm repeatability. Palletizing tolerates much looser positioning since it's placing whole boxes, not tracing seams.
What reach do you need for a palletizing cell?
Measure from the robot's mounting point to the farthest pallet corner it must reach, then add clearance for the gripper — our RB-PLT4 covers a 2100mm reach suited to standard pallet footprints.
How does duty cycle affect robot selection?
A robot running three shifts a day at high utilization needs more conservative payload and speed margins than one running a single shift — continuous operation compounds wear, and factories underestimating this often see maintenance costs climb faster than expected in year two. Ask the factory for the rated duty cycle, not just the peak spec, before committing to a multi-shift deployment.
What does programming and integration actually cost beyond the robot itself?
Budget for integration time separately from the robot price — teaching points, safety fencing/light curtains, and interfacing with your existing conveyor or PLC system typically add 20-40% on top of the robot's list price for a first-time deployment. Shops that have already integrated one robotic cell can usually add a second at a lower relative cost, since fixtures, safety infrastructure, and programmer familiarity carry over.
How much does end-of-arm tooling add to the total investment?
The gripper or welding torch is rarely included in the base robot price and can range from a simple off-the-shelf pneumatic gripper (a few percent of the robot cost) to a custom multi-tool end effector for handling varied part geometries (potentially 15-25% of the robot cost). If your production mix includes several part shapes or sizes, confirm early whether one tool change system can handle all of them or whether you'll need multiple end-of-arm tools and a tool-change rack.
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