{"id":3740,"date":"2022-01-17T15:48:18","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T20:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/?p=3740"},"modified":"2024-10-03T05:05:38","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T09:05:38","slug":"invest-in-robot-programming-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/invest-in-robot-programming-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"When Is the Right Time to Invest in Robot Programming Tools?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How can you tell if you should invest in a new robot programming tool? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know that robotic automation is a good direction for your business. Maybe you’ve already got a robot up and running. Maybe you’re still planning your first deployment. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is now really the right time to spend more of your budget?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or should you wait until the robot has been running for a while?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Many robot users start their journey into robotics by just using the programming options that come shipped with the robot. However, clearly there are other programming methods out there \u2014 e.g. handheld robot programming tools, offline programming software, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ve looked into some of the options and you think they could make programming easier for you and your team. But, you can’t tell if using even more of your budget on your robotic setup is a wise decision at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You want to make sure that you get the most from your robotic investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are robot programming tools just a “nice to have”?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or are they a vital part of a successful robot cell?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It depends on your application\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Upfront Investment in Robotics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you’re deploying a new robot application, there’s <\/a>a lot of upfront investment<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to buy the robot itself, the end effector, any extra sensors, jigs, and fixtures as required by the needs of the application. These are all related to the hardware requirements of the application so they are usually top of mind as you are designing the robot cell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It’s easy to forget about the programming method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might think that it’s easier just to stick with the default programming tools provided by the manufacturer. Unfortunately, this is usually the most difficult approach and can lead to you spending a lot more time and budget than is really necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ideal Situation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an ideal world, you would start programming the robot with the most intuitive method possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That way you avoid unnecessarily wasting any time by programming with less-than-perfect methods (e.g. using the robot manufacturer’s programming language). By using a better programming tool, you significantly reduce the need for training and the integration time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you might be looking at RoboDK TwinTrack<\/a>, our handheld solution for easy, accurate robot programming. If you were to program your robot from the start with TwinTrack, you could potentially save months of integration and training time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, you might not feel able to invest yet more in the robot right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Is the Best Time to Invest In New Robot Programming Tools?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best time to invest in a new programming tool is when you can get a quick and notable Return on Investment (ROI) from it. If you can demonstrate that the new programming tool will end up costing you less in the short-to-medium term, it doesn’t really matter what the price tag is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of common times when people choose to invest in robot programming tools are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n