Many cutting-edge technologies are associated with the field of robotics, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence, human-machine collaboration or autonomous mobile systems. Intelligent robots are an important part of the digitalization of the manufacturing industry, and the global manufacturing industry is facing huge challenges. However, with the rapid changes in consumer trends, shortage of resources, shortage of skilled workers, aging society and demand for local products, automation based on flexible industrial robots provides solutions to these challenges. Therefore, in 2019, we will not only see a significant increase in the number of robots put into operation, but also see more and more robots being used in new application areas.

What is the pattern and trend of world robots?

Analysis of the development pattern and trend of robots in various countries in the world

 IFR data is expected to be flat in 2019 driven by economic uncertainty, with sales of approximately 421,000 robots. The specific data will be announced in September 2020.

According to its announcement in September 2019, the number of global robot installations increased by 6% in 2018, reaching 422,271 units, valued at $16.5 billion (excluding software and peripherals). The operating inventory of the robot is calculated to be 2439543 units (+15%).

From an industry perspective, due to changes in the robotics customer industry, the automotive and electrical/electronic industries have been the protagonists of trade conflicts in the main destinations China and North America, spreading uncertainty to the global economy. However, the automotive industry is still the largest customer industry, accounting for 30% of total installations, ahead of electrical/electronics (25%), metals and machinery (10%), plastics and chemical products (5%), and food and beverages (3 %).

From the perspective of historical data development trends, since 2010, due to the continuation of this global growth trend, the demand for industrial robots has risen sharply, leading to the automation of industrial robots and continuous technological innovation. From 2013 to 2018, the annual installation volume increased by an average of 19% per year (compound annual growth rate). Between 2005 and 2008, the average annual sales of robots was about 115,000 units. In the global economic and financial crisis, the number of robot installations dropped to 60,000 units in 2009, and a large amount of investment was delayed. In 2010, investment made space to increase the number of robots installed to 120,000 units. Before 2015, the annual installation volume more than doubled to nearly 254,000 units. In 2016, there were more than 300,000 units per year, and in 2017, the installation volume surged to nearly 400,000 units. A total of 283,080 units were installed in 2018, an increase of only 1% over the previous year, but still the new peak for the sixth consecutive year.

The situation in all countries is not optimistic. Europe and the United States have grown strongly while Asia has stagnated, but Asia is still the world's largest industrial robot market despite a sharp slowdown in growth in 2018. Two-thirds (67%) of newly deployed robots in 2018 were installed in Asia. From 2013 to 2018, the annual number of robot installations increased by an average of 23% per year. In 2018, the situation in the three major Asian markets was different: China (154032 units; -1%) and South Korea (37807 units; -5%) saw a decline in installed capacity, while Japan (55240 units; +21%) had installed capacity Substantial growth.

Robot installations in Europe, the second largest market, increased by 14% to 75560 units, setting a new high for the sixth consecutive year. The average annual growth rate from 2013 to 2018 was 12%. The growth rate in the US is even higher: about 55,212 robots were installed in 2018. This number has increased by 20% over last year. Like Asia and Europe, this is a new peak for the sixth consecutive year. The average annual growth rate since 2013 has been 13%. 74% of the global robot installations are distributed in five countries2 including Australia and New Zealand14. There are five major industrial robot markets for the world's robot 2020 industrial robots: China, Japan, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Germany. These countries account for 74% of the global robotic installations.

Since 2013, China has been the world's largest industrial robot market, accounting for 36% of total installations in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, 154032 units were installed. This is 1% less than in 2017 (156,176 units), but still exceeds the total number of robots installed in Europe and America (130,772 units). For details, see Chapter 3.3.1. In 2018, the number of robot installations in Japan increased by 21% to 55,240 units (a new peak). For a country where the level of industrial automation is already high, the average annual growth rate of 17% since 2013 is very significant. For the eighth consecutive year, robot installations in the United States have reached a new peak level (40,373 units; +22%). Since 2010, the automation of production processes in various manufacturing industries across the country has become a general trend.

 In terms of annual installations, the United States won third place from the Republic of Korea in 2018. In the United States, the strongest growth came from other industries. For example, sales of robots in the U.S. food and beverage industry increased by 72% in 2018, and 2,754 new robots were sold, but still only accounted for 18% of U.S. auto industry sales. In the Republic of Korea, the annual number of robot installations has been declining since reaching the peak level of 41,373 units in 2016. In 2018, a total of 37,807 units (-5%) were installed. The number of installations in this country largely depends on the electronics industry. , And the electronics industry experienced a difficult year in 2018. However, since 2013, installations have increased by an average of 12% per year. Germany is the fifth largest robot market in the world. In 2018, the number of robot installations surged by 26%, reaching a new peak of 26,723. The country’s installation figures are mainly driven by the automotive industry.

In Western Europe, Germany and Italy drove 19% growth. Italy is the second largest industrial robot market in Europe, with sales increasing 27% in 2018. Growth in Eastern Europe has declined. With the exception of the Russian Federation and Poland, sales in these two countries both increased by more than 40% over 2017.

KUKA's workshop

In Germany, KUKA, a representative company in the robotics industry, is supported by the elements of Industrie 4.0: its parts processing process can provide insight into the future-oriented production process, which is shocking.

At first glance, the production workshop No. 10 of the kuka factory in Augsburg, Germany looks like any other production environment of a German or international machine manufacturer: the air emits a slight smell of oil, and the machine tools of each manufacturer are Working hard to machine metal parts-diligent employees are hosting the show. One of the employees is Rainer Eder-Spendier, the head of automation and robotics in Hall 10. "I am passionate about this hall," the 51-year-old said. "The high degree of automation in production makes us unique. We use intelligent automation and digital technology here."

You won't notice at first glance: all the machines in the lobby are connected to the cloud and have various Industrie 4.0 functions. Rainer Eder-Spendier holds a tablet and stands in front of the Burkhardt + Weber safety fence surrounding the machine tool. He explains: “For example, we have a digital overview of the entire lobby. This is similar to a smartphone map application. It allows me to Monitor all machines and retrieve their data."

He quickly tapped with his index finger to check the status of the two Heller processing centers, which are regularly loaded and unloaded by KUKA robots. Similar to smart watches or fitness trackers, robots and machines collect a variety of data and transmit these data to the cloud. Then, the data is displayed on the user interface of the tablet in various visual forms. "But that's not all," said the Munich native, who has worked at KUKA for more than 25 years.

He introduced: “If an error message appears, we can use a Wiki-type service compiled by our service technicians over many years. The database contains nearly 5 million solution proposals. We can also use built-in technology to retrospectively review each It is a process step that works similarly to a black box on an airplane. Moreover, we can let the software notify us of any abnormalities in the production process-this is similar to ECG." The database contains nearly 5 million solution proposals. We can also use built-in technology to retrospectively review each process step, which works in a similar way to a black box on an airplane. Moreover, we can let the software notify us of any abnormalities in the production process-this is similar to ECG. "The database contains nearly 5 million solution proposals. We can also use built-in technology to retrospectively review each process step, which works similarly to a black box on an airplane. Moreover, we can let the software detect any abnormalities in the production process. Let us know-this is similar to ECG."

Communication is the foundation of smart production

There are 7 units and 11 robots in Hall 10. These robots are of different models and are all manufactured by KUKA. The machines they use are commercial machine tools from various manufacturers. Robots process components such as chassis, rotating columns, arms and link arms. The components are assembled next door to the robot assembly workshop. "In this hall, the robot is responsible for manufacturing the various components required by the robot," Rainer Eder-Spendier concludes. He then continued to emphasize: "It is important not only to thoroughly test the new technological possibilities, but also to deploy them in a truly wise way. It is also important that the machine has an interface that can accommodate the so-called handshake function."

Handshake refers to the communication between the robot and the machine tool. This is essential if the various components of the system coordinate with each other. In the cell, the robot can act as a master or slave. As the master, the robot will specify the program and notify the machine, for example, the workpiece has been loaded and the door can now be closed. If the robot is deployed as a slave, it will respond to commands from an external controller.

Shorten production time and improve efficiency

Machine tools are usually loaded manually by workers. Workers often stand and wait for the machine to finish processing the workpiece. Once the processing procedure is completed, the worker removes the workpiece and places it on the pallet, and then loads the new workpiece into the machine tool. This process is not only monotonous, but also relatively inefficient. As we saw from Hall 10, automation can be used to optimize processes. "In our hall, robots are responsible for loading and unloading machines," Rainer Eder-Spendier explained. Therefore, few people participate in the production process. In fact, even during weekends and night shifts, it is possible to run the production process without any participation for a certain period of time. In order to do this, these units are equipped with feeding devices, such as turntables and feeding conveyor belts. Workers manually load these parts into the parts to be processed. Therefore, according to the number of workpieces prepared and the tasks to be performed by the machine, the robot You can use up to 8 hours of inventory.

The robot also performs secondary tasks, thereby increasing productivity. Rainer Eder-Spendier gives an example: "In some of our units, the robot cuts the thread of the spiral oil into pre-drilled holes, while the machine tool is processing the next workpiece." In most units, the deburring of the workpiece is Another task performed by the robot. In this way, the waiting time is effectively used, and since the machining tasks of the machine are reduced, such as drilling and milling operations falling within a tolerance of +/- 0.2 mm, the production time of a single part is shortened. Therefore, the precious processing time can be better utilized on the machine tool, and more parts can be produced.

Robot + machine tool

 In fact, a robot cell in Hall 10 might look like this: The three machine tools produced by the manufacturer Grob can use more than 30 system trays, so they can respond quickly and flexibly to various requirements. The worker clamps the workpiece to be processed in the clamping device of the conversion station. Next, install the components into the unit along with the tray and fixtures. The KR 600 R2830 FORTEC robot executes the chain of various steps and transports the material from the machine tool to the rework unit, where the processing of metal parts is completed, such as deburring, drilling or equipping with spiral oil. The robot approaches the three machines through linear units and then brings the completed parts back to the relevant operator positions. The worker loosened the clamping device.

In another unit with two machining centers made by the manufacturer Heller, the process is similar. With the help of pneumatic grippers, the KR 500 L480-3 MT FORTEC robot picks up the workpiece that has been placed on the turntable and loads it into one of the two machines. To make it possible to load the two machines alternately, the robot is mounted on a linear unit. Four feed stations can provide enough raw materials. Once the machining process in the machine is completed, the robot will deburr the part at the conversion station. Finally, the robot puts the parts on the turntable.

Burkhardt + Weber's machine tools are also loaded and unloaded by KR 500 FORTEC robots. The machine tool for processing link arms and rotating columns is equipped with a double pallet changer: one pallet holds the jigs for the link arm and the other holds the jigs for the rotating column. When the robot loads the workpiece on one pallet, the machine will operate the workpiece clamped on the other pallet.

Advantages of automation and networking

Rainer Eder-Spendier said: "Automation makes the work of workers very easy, because in most cases, workers no longer need to manually load heavy workpieces on the machine." Only the workers are required to provide materials. However, this requires less time and effort, which means that the system can achieve higher productivity. Another advantage: It is not necessary to have specialized knowledge for robots to perform deburring tasks.

After the unit is switched to this mode, you can use KUKA.CNC software (such as conventional machine tools) to operate them with G code. The recorded data, even data related to components manufactured by companies other than KUKA, can be used in the cloud. In this way, you can always have full visibility and control over the current production process, achieve greater transparency and always optimize mission planning.

Although German industrial manufacturing has been in recession since the new century, from the KUKA factory, it can be seen that Germany's own automation technology is still in the forefront of the world.

The article is from China