Robots are widely used in manufacturing various fields

In early 2014, located in Chengdu, Volvo automobile production base, orange fine-arm robot is to a car gluing station. Since the water-based adhesive has a high resistance, but also more sensitive to temperature and pressure, this work is not for the manpower to complete. Spain across the Atlantic Airbus factory, black and white humanoid robot is engaged in the production line assembly work. These efforts usually some repetitive motion, using the robot allows workers to have higher skills into higher-value work. Foxconn factories, some of the positions, such as the initial step of the assembly line, robot replacement rate has reached 70%.

More and more enterprises begin to replace people with robots, engaged in various production work, thus contributing to the robotics industry ushered in the climax of a wave of development. With non-traditional robots include Google and Amazon, including manufacturing companies to join, the future is no longer just playing the role of a robot substitute labor, it will be more intelligent. Li Ka-shing opinion, science and technology will continue to optimize the production process so that the product can be manufactured with automation technology, and then injected into "thinking" by artificial intelligence technology for the manufacturing process, thereby improving production.

Cost advantages to promote the industry entered a golden period

International Federation of Robotics statistics from 2005 to 2012, global sales of industrial robots annual growth rate of 9 percent, while China's annual industrial robot sales growth rate of 25%; 2014 global new installations of industrial robots will reach 166,700 sets in which China's annual industrial robots installed capacity will surpass Japan reached 32,000 units, accounting for 20% of the world total, the world's largest robot market. However, China's robot density is still low, 2011 was only 21 units per million, less than the world average of 55 per thousand units.

The reason why there are more and more companies choose to partially replace the robot's work, one important reason is that labor costs have been rising gradually over the use of robots cost. Statistics show that China's manufacturing wages 10-20% annual growth rate, manufacturing wages reach the coastal city of 2,500-3,000 yuan per month, much higher than Vietnam and India. At the same time, as the technology matures and improvements, the robot price is 4% annual rate of decline.

Under the shift, the worker might as well deal with robots become placed in front of the fact that business owners. Work at Foxconn, on board, the withdrawal boards tedious and laborious, but a robot can replace the three workers. The robot cost only 100,000 yuan to succeed, life is about 3--4 years, after induction required maintenance fee is not high, and three-year worker wages and benefits expenses of 15 million yuan. In other words, the use of robots for one year, you can recover the costs.

Under the premise of the cost advantage, the robot can complete several human unsuitable or unwilling to complete the work. For example, in having a higher concentration of corrosive or high formaldehyde working environment, it is clear the robot is more appropriate choice than human. While 80 and 90 compared to the robot not care about job content and tired of routine work on the production line, I do not know tired, has a higher labor efficiency. On accuracy and cleanliness jobs, quality of work the robot more stable, the production loss is less than the human.

Robotics industry chain, including the production of core components, robot body manufacturing and system integration of the three links. Its core components include motors, servo system, drive system and reducer. Due to the high-tech components involved, the value of the robot upstream profits are high, only gear accounted for about 35% of the cost of the robot. Tech downstream system integration, though not part of the upstream, but integrated design can charge fees and service charges, and therefore higher profits.

Its motion control division mainly produces upstream components, offers a variety of motion control and drives. In addition to the production of servo motors, converters and industrial switches and other components. German KUKA robot body of business, including business and systems integration, manufacturing industrial robot body, control systems, software and robotics systems and other products. ABB's robotics business of the Group of five business Discrete Automation and Motion Control business unit, which also sells both production control system robot body. Fanuc also runs through the industrial chain, started from the NC system, will expand into the robot body.

Led by the intelligent software development phase

In Europe and Japan, the development of intelligent robots have entered the stage from the industrial stage of development, handling robots more simple and does not even need to teach people, senior technical personnel to operate to complete. IBM believes, 3D printing, a new generation of intelligent assembly robot and three open-source hardware manufacturing technology will bring change, they can be limited to the logistics of manufacturing production - molding, parts orders and reset the production line into definable You can manage and process that can be performed by software.

Amazon has to optimize their logistics processes through robotics. Its $ 775 million to acquire the robot warehousing company KivaSystem, Kiva robot can lift cargo weighing up to 3000 pounds, according to the instructions the computer can also be placed in front of the best-selling goods, reducing transportation time of goods, which makes Amazon orders processed per hour to reach 2-4 times the traditional way.

Google's approach also coincides with Amazon. 2013, Google acquired eight robotics related companies, which belong to software-intensive, artificial intelligence, machine arm and other design aspects, each with expertise. Insiders predicted that Google may be brewing robot version of Android - a common, standards, hardware, software controlled robot systems. The acquisition of the lead person, "Father Andrews of" Andy Rubin (AndyRubin) pointed out that science and technology have not been able to fully service robots in manufacturing and logistics market, which is clearly visible opportunities. In order to create manufacturing version of the robot system, Google also cooperate with Foxconn to test its latest robot technology. If Google's robot program is successful, it will copy the brilliant Android smart phone, and even logistics, electricity suppliers and other industries to create another "Google standard" in manufacturing.

Chinese companies cut into the field of robotics

The robot developed by the overseas enterprises in China accounted for more than 90% market share, which, accounting for up to 57.5% robot Legend, in 2012 the market share of domestic brands robot only 8%. Since the gear, controllers and other key parts of the core technology lies in the hands of international giants, many of them come from domestic robot parts imports, which resulted in high cost robotic machine.

Although China's overall industrial robot industry is still in the training stage, but in recent years has clearly began to force, especially in the weakest parts of the key production areas. July 2013, Qinchuan development announcement that plans to invest 194 million yuan for research and industrial robot joint reducer technological transformation projects. This decision sought by the capital markets, the company's share price the next day that is eligible for the daily limit. British Witten, NC Central Sciyon shares and other companies have started to develop servo drives, Kymmene technology is making the development of more high-performance servo systems and dedicated controllers, technical reserves for the service robot industry. Bo is also its largest shareholder stake in HIT research, and strive to achieve localization and modular design and manufacture key components of economic logistics handling robot.

In addition to independent research and development, Chinese enterprises through mergers and acquisitions investment way to quickly cut into the market. March 2014, the main elevator control system new and up to 600 million yuan announcement said the purchase of 100% stake in Adtech, Adtech independently developed motion controller, servo drives and other motion control core components, providing customers with high performance CNC equipment and industrial robots, and other products. Chee Sing shares also cooperative robot drive and control system project with a solid high-tech and intelligent equipment industry Wuhu Riverside Development Limited. Underlying core technology provided by a solid high-tech, Chee Sing participate in product-oriented research and development and manufacturing operations, research and development after the controller products mature, Robotics associated Wuhu Riverside will become the controller using the platform.

Some other companies through cooperation with foreign companies to obtain robot-related technologies. May 2013, Shanghai in cooperation with Japan Nabo electromechanical drive, in order to obtain Nabo precision reducer right sales agent in China, and the establishment of research and production base in Shanghai, in China the production of low-end precision reducer. November 2013, Yawei shares announcement that intends to 12.5 million euros to buy the German company Lai Andean part robotics, and with Lai Sri Lanka joint venture company producing the robot body and automation system integration.

Overall, the current majority of Chinese enterprises are concentrated in integration, because the system integrator usually focused on an industry, get a higher trade barriers, but also it is difficult to achieve cross-industry business development. Strong cross-industry capability currently have the new pine robot, which provides solutions for automotive, power, finance, energy and other industries. February 2014, the new song robot cooperation and Hisense Electric factory automation layout planning, automated logistics and robotic automation applications such as the direction, will expand the field of application to the appliance industry.