Understanding the True Cost of Industrial Robots: Price Breakdown & Hidden Expenses

New robots equipped with controllers and teach pendants are usually priced in the range between $50,000 - $80,000. A popular 6-axis model sells for about $60,000, but the customer must keep in mind that the actual robot is only a fraction of the cost for the complete system. The tools the robot uses combined with the cost of programming the robot for its task increase the price significantly. The system price after peripherals are added can add as much as $50,000 to $100,000 to the final cost. The customer can expect used robots’ prices to be about half as much as a new robot.

Before purchasing a robot, many consumers want to know how long it will take for them to reap the benefit of the robot: the payback period. The payback period (P) equals the total costs of an installed robot (C) divided by the quantity of wages of displaced workers (W), plus savings from the use of the robot (I), plus robot depreciation (D), minus new maintenance costs and new human staffing costs (S).

P=C

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W+I+D- (M+S)

The Return on Investment for robots is also a pressing question of potential buyers. The most obvious benefits associated with installing an industrial robotic system are labor savings, overcoming labor shortages (possibly due to hazardous environment or repetitive tasks), and better quality of product. These factors must be taken into consideration when discussing the return on investment. The return might come not only from reduced worker costs, but also from increased productivity, efficiency, and quality.

Vision is increasingly important to robotics, because without a vision guidance system, robots would be unable to locate parts. 3-D guidance systems are being used more frequently due to growing reliability at a lower cost. Further, as the power of vision guidance systems increases, the need for expensive fixtures decreases, lowering costs.

For a free price quote, contact RobotWorx today online or at 877-762-6881; we can help you analyze the cost benefit and savings an industrial robot could bring you.