If you’re exploring automation for your facility, there’s a good chance you’ve looked into collaborative robots, also known as cobots. In a recent video, HESCO’s cobot specialist David Hughes walks through the unboxing and setup of the Doosan A0509, part of the Agile Series. If you prefer reading over watching, this article will give you a clear picture of what that process looks like and what to expect.
For more on whether a cobot is right for you, check out our breakdown on the top ten reasons they might be perfect for your needs.
Opening the box, you’ll find everything you need to get started with your A0509. The cobot itself arrives securely packed and already connected to its power cord. A quick setup guide is included to walk you through mounting and powering the unit. You’ll also find the control cabinet and teach pendant, both safely packaged and ready to connect.
The control cabinet includes all the necessary jumpers and connectors, along with a power cord and a key for the cabinet door. The teach pendant comes with a built-in screen, an emergency stop button, and controls for teaching positions and entering “free-drag” mode.
The A0509 supports a payload of 5 kilograms (about 11 pounds) and has a reach of 900 millimeters (just over 35 inches). It’s impressively lightweight at 21 kilograms and can be mounted upright, upside down, or at an angle without affecting performance. Its repeatability is accurate down to 0.03 millimeters, and the six joints allow for wide motion: most joints rotate a full 360 degrees, while joint three allows for ±160 degrees.
Lower joints support speeds up to 180 degrees per second, while the upper joints can reach 360 degrees per second. The A0509 is commonly used for pick-and-place tasks, inspections, gluing, and bonding, making it a great fit for repetitive but precision-critical operations.
Doosan cobots are known for their safety, and the A0509 is no exception. It’s certified to PL-e, Cat 4 safety standards and features joint sensitivity as low as 0.2 Newtons (0.04 pounds per foot), which allows it to safely stop on contact. If you’re interested in how Doosan’s safety zones and built-in features work in real-world settings, check out this article to learn more.
The robot is programmable through Doosan’s DART suite or using open-source Python. It offers wide connectivity with support for Modbus TCP and RTU, Ethernet/IP, TCP/IP, Profinet, RS232, RS422, and RS485. Inside the control cabinet, there are four LAN ports and one WAN port, allowing you to integrate other devices or connect the cobot to your network.
Mounting the robot is straightforward. The base follows a standard 150 mm square bolt pattern, requiring just four M8 bolts to secure it. From there, connect the control cabinet using the included safety and power jumpers. Each connector is keyed, so it only fits one way, making the setup user-friendly even for those new to robotics.
The teach pendant is then plugged into the cabinet. It includes a large touch screen, physical buttons for movement constraints (such as isolating Z-axis or XY-axis movement), and scroll buttons to navigate programming steps more easily.
After powering on the cabinet and pendant, the robot goes through a short boot-up sequence. From there, you’ll access the recovery menu on the teach pendant and initiate the “unpack” process. The robot slowly moves into its home position, with each joint clicking into place safely. Once the light on the cobot turns blue, you’re ready to start programming.
In just a few steps—connecting the teach pendant, robot, and power—you can have the A0509 cobot ready to go the same day. The teach cockpit interface makes manual positioning intuitive, while the programming options and connectivity features give you flexibility whether you’re building a new automation cell or integrating into an existing line.
If you’re still weighing your options between cobots and traditional industrial robots, we’ve outlined the key differences in this article.
The bottom line? Doosan cobots like the A0509 are designed to be user-friendly without sacrificing performance. Whether you’re a first-time cobot user or scaling up your automation efforts, getting started is easier than you might expect.