我们与几家机器人制造商进行了交谈，以了解该行业的发展方向以及要注意的新事物。
我们去过哪里
在过去的几年中，有更多的中小型公司采用机器人技术，更不用说对该行业的重新倾斜的角度了，销售和市场营销副总裁，机器人和应用程序，ABB Inc.
他说：“通过更轻松的编程，中小型公司发现，提高生产率和效率的提高，无需雇用机器人工程师大军即可操作机器人。”“随着劳动力成本在低劳属成本国家的增加，机器人自动化正在实现[与之同在]的生产成本。再加上质量差和长期交货时间的成本通常会带来长距离，低劳动成本的生产，机器人自动化正在帮助将许多产品类别的生产带回美国。”
Scott Mabie, General Manager, Americas Division, Universal Robots, noted that the market for industrial robots has expanded tremendously with collaborative robots paving the way.
“凭借其易用性，快速的投资回报和重新部署性，机器人通过将机器人技术放置在甚至迄今为止的小型操作的范围中，从而大大降低了自动化障碍，这些机器人直到现在将机器人视为太昂贵和复杂。”
Bubnikovich said that robotics in general industrial applications—basically everything outside of automotive—is growing strongly at a 10% compound annual growth rate. Small parts assembly applications such as electronics are one high growth area and food application uses still have a good deal of upside potential, too.
Coming next
在接下来的几年中，人机合作将成为热门趋势。在电子产品组件和其他小型零件组件应用等领域，机器人与人类非常紧密合作的机器人的出现将是关键。
Bubnikovich说：“由于其固有的安全设计，ABB的Yumi合作机器人可以与人类非常紧密的合作进行操作。”“它具有轻巧的 - 刚性 - 木质骨架，上面覆盖着浮动塑料外壳，包裹着柔软的填充物，以吸收撞击。尤米（Yumi）也是紧凑的，具有人类的维度和人类运动，并且具有前进的传感器技术，如果它与任何事物接触，可以立即停止机器人。”
Mabie指出，机器人正在从笼子里移出，并越来越多地集成在员工与机器人并排工作的应用程序中，或者现在被称为配套。
即使我们不与他们合作，他们也会更加接近。Omron产品营销经理与线性电动机的产品营销经理Dan Dibbern表示，移动机器人技术将来会变得越来越流行。
Dibbern说：“远离需要遵循特定路径的自动导向车辆（AGV），而是自动智能车辆（AIV）可以自由地在植物地板上行驶。”
另外，机器人变得越来越容易编程，可以避免较小和中型公司以前面临的障碍。
“Offline robotic programming software like ABB’s RobotStudio allows users to program robot systems with a simulation function that reduces programming complexity and creates an intuitive human machine interface for production operation,” Bubnikovich said.
那么，今天的机器人客户最重要的是什么？尽管价格，交付和安全性非常重要，但近年来，买家似乎有兴趣与机器人供应商建立更亲密的关系。Bubnikovich解释说，这可以帮助最终用户更好地了解如何最大程度地利用机器人自动化对其特定市场的好处。
Mabie表示，由于市场要求更高程度的产品定制，制造商努力应对这一挑战，因此高层混合/低销量的产量已越来越成为常态。
“90% of physical tasks performed in production environments today can’t be practically or economically automated with conventional robots unable to adapt to real-world variability in the workspace or operate effectively in semi-structured environments,” he said. “This is especially prevalent in the SME sector, where small business owners are facing overseas competition, but at the same time finding it hard to justify automation solutions that will take years to pay back.”
Universal Robots’ answer to that, Mabie said, is addressed by their lightweight, user-friendly robot arms that can quickly be redeployed between ever-changing tasks in agile production environments. The average payback period, he said, is only 195 days, whereas with traditional robots, the capital costs for the robots themselves may account for only 25 to 30% of the total system costs, due to programming, setup, and dedicated, shielded work cells.
Meanwhile, ABB is trying to stay closer to its customers. The company announced last year that it was opening a new robotics plant at its facility in Auburn Hills, Mich. Bubnikovich said this makes it the first global industrial robotics company to fully commit and invest in a North American robotics manufacturing footprint.
Growth and future
Bubnikovich thinks that small parts assembly, especially in the electronics industry, will be a very big growth market, especially with the emergence of collaborative robots—but automotive manufacturing will still be king for now.
他说：“汽车行业通常代表一年中北美所有机器人活动的一半以上，因此它将继续成为工业机器人增长的主要驱动力。”
Mabie认为，就垂直市场而言，有很多机会，包括在加工部门中，这仍然是一个很大的需求驱动力。
他说：“现在，我们看到新市场开放，出现意外的应用程序。”“我们的机器人是在接受3D激光扫描人脚并切出定制的拖鞋的应用中。在挤奶之前，正在用农业喷涂碘在牛持有碘的情况下进行测试，它们组装热杯并像摄像头一样工作，越来越多地处理注射型机器，并给CNC机器喂食牙冠和医疗设备。我们还看到了电子制造业的兴趣，我们的柯比特执行了诸如生命周期测试和环氧填充电路板等任务。”
A BCG Research study from last year predicts that by 2025, adoption of advanced robots will boost productivity by up to 30% in many industries, as well as lower total labor costs by 18% or more in the U.S., South Korea, China, Japan, and Germany. Bubnikovich believes that the robotics industry is in the beginning stages of leading a fundamental, yet revolutionary change in the industrial and commercial landscape.
“It will spur growth through increased productivity and efficiency, while creating more rewarding and safer job opportunities for an expanding number of global workers,” he said.
The post Top trends, new markets for industrial robots appeared first onRobotic Tips.
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