Let the application drive the specs, not a star model. This is a sales-level screen and never replaces an engineer's sign-off. The sequence: how heavy → how fast → how precise → how harsh → people nearby? → who integrates.

Six screening questions

Go in order; if any step lacks information, go back and ask rather than jumping to a model.

1. How heavy? (payload)Tool + part + margin; ask about the offset and the furthest pose.What's the combined mass of the EOAT and the part, and where is the center of gravity?
2. How fast? (cycle time)Does the target include mould open/close and conveyor time? Cobots have a speed ceiling; don't force them onto high-speed lines.What is the target cycle time, and what does it include?
3. How precise? (accuracy)Most lines start with repeatability; ask about absolute accuracy for offline programming or no vision.What positioning tolerance do you need at the part?
4. How harsh? (environment)Oil, dust, temperature, cleanliness, explosion risk directly decide the IP rating and protective covers.Any coolant, dust, washdown, cleanroom or explosion-proof requirements?
5. People nearby? (HRC)Shared workspace or fenced? Who issues the safety standards and certification?Will operators share the workspace with the robot?
6. Who integrates?Us, a customer-chosen SI, or the customer's own team; this sets the quote package and the risk.Who will handle integration: us, your SI, or your in-house team?

Application comparison

Five more applications: what should sales look for?

Across these applications, the customer describes what they want to buy; sales asks how the site runs and how success will be accepted. End screening with a verifiable next step: samples, a site survey, simulation inputs or a process review.

Case: an injection-moulding tending project from start to finish

This is an illustrative example based on common industry situations, used to tie together the earlier chapters.

Week 1 · Inquiry. A Chinese-owned injection-moulding plant in Vietnam emails: “We need robots for 6 injection machines, cycle about 30 s.” Instead of rushing a quote, the salesperson replies with a short question list: part weight and size, mould opening direction, whether gates must be cut, where finished parts go, site voltage, and whether an integrator is already involved.

Weeks 2–3 · Discovery. After the reply, the salesperson sets up a video call and asks the customer to film the shop floor on a phone. The machines are 450-tonne horizontal presses, parts weigh about 1.2 kg with a gate to cut, there is a lot of oil mist, and the supply is 380 V / 50 Hz. The customer wants one operator to look after all six machines. From this the pre-sales engineer proposes a six-axis robot with a dedicated gripper (including a pneumatic gate cutter), a conveyor alongside, and an IP67 wrist.

Weeks 4–5 · Solution and quote. Pre-sales checks reach and cycle time in simulation: the robot cycle is about 18 s, well under the 30 s moulding cycle. The quote has three parts: robot and commissioning (us), gripper and conveyor (partner integrator), guarding and risk assessment (integrator). A RACI table is attached, and the cycle time is written as “subject to sample testing”.

Weeks 6–8 · Negotiation and contract. The customer finds the price high and compares a competitor. The salesperson doesn't cut the price but uses TCO and a quick ROI estimate: six machines on two shifts save about ten operators a year, for a payback of about 1.5 years; and a partner service provider in Vietnam guarantees spare parts within 48 hours. The deal closes with adjusted payment terms and the price essentially held.

Weeks 9–16 · Build, FAT and shipping. The integrator builds the grippers in China, the customer sends 200 sample parts, and the FAT at the factory runs four hours continuously: 99.8% pick success and acceptable gate cuts. Shipping is CIF Ho Chi Minh City in fumigated wooden crates.

Weeks 17–20 · Installation, SAT and service. On site, one press turns out to have a different safety-door signal interface; the integrator adds a converter module. Because the contract already said “press signal interfacing is the integrator's responsibility”, this never becomes a dispute. After SAT, the customer orders four more robots.

▶Watch

1:37