Answer from AI Robotics Australasia. .
Arm price and cell price are different questions
Catalogue prices for cobot arms are published because the arm is a product. Your project is a cell. The gripper might be a simple two-finger tool or a custom set of fingers that took a design cycle. Safety might be a scanner, a mat, or a fence the collaborative brochure did not mention. Vision might be unnecessary or it might be the whole problem.
Ask every supplier for the installed scope. An arm-only number next to a turnkey number is not a competitive quote. It is two different offers.
What moves you through the band
Machine tending with a clean door interface and one part family sits at the simpler end. Adding 3D vision, a second machine, a tool changer, or a night-shift plan with full outfeed moves the project up. So does a risk assessment that puts guarding back in.
Payload is the hard stop. If the part and the tool exceed the cobot, you are no longer shopping for a cobot. Compare an industrial cell instead of forcing the number.
A useful budget conversation
Bring part weight, a sketch of the station, the cycle time you need to beat, and whether people must stand next to the robot. From that, a band is honest. A single price is not, until the gripper and the safety concept are chosen.
AI Robotics quotes the cell after assessment. Use this page to frame the budget. Use the assessment to get the number you can approve.
Related questions
How much does a Universal Robots cobot cost?
The arm is often in the tens of thousands, depending on the model. A working cell around it, gripped, guarded as required, and commissioned on your part, is a different and larger number. Budget the cell.
Are cobots cheaper than industrial robots?
The arm often is. The installed cell is cheaper only when the cobot's limits match the task so you avoid heavy guarding, a bigger arm, and a more complex fixture. A cobot that cannot do the job is not a saving.
What is a realistic budget for a first cobot cell?
For a single straightforward station in this market, many projects are discussed from about 80,000 upward once integration is included. Vision, a second machine, or custom tooling moves that quickly. Treat 80,000 as the start of a conversation, not a price list.
Does the price include installation?
It includes installation only if the quote says so. Integration to your machine, freight, guarding, and commissioning should be visible lines. If they are missing, they have not been saved. They have been deferred.
Related systems
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- Assembly AutomationFlexible robotic assembly for multi-component products. Force-controlled insertion, screwdriving, and adhesive dispensing with inline verification.
- Automated PalletisingMixed-SKU palletising and depalletising for end-of-line logistics. Pattern optimisation and stretch-wrap integration.