Industrial Robotics Expands Beyond the Automotive Industry

Thanks to the maturation of robotics technology, a growing number of industries are using industrial robotics for a wider range of applications.

Chris Bailey can't emphasize it enough: in recent months has been "barraged" with inquiries about the company's industrial roboticwelding systems.

The barrage is coming from manufacturers that survived the recession and are looking for ways to increase output in the face of a strengthening economy -- without adding headcount.

"So they're looking for more productivity tools," says Bailey, general manager of Lincoln Electric's Automation Division.

The interest in robotic welding systems, Bailey adds, isn't just coming from the industry's core customers, automotive companies.

With the equipment, pendants and software becoming easier to use, and price points coming down, Bailey is seeing more interest from a wider range of industrial users -- from aerospace to alternative-energy companies, from large to small manufacturers.

"These are very, very versatile robots that [the industry is] coming out with," says Wieczerza, a professor of engineering and advanced technology at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich. "We're looking at the entire industrial spectrum -- you name it and you'll find a robot."

Macomb Community College, which launched a joint industrial robotics 

Macomb Community College, which launched a joint robotics certification program with Fanuc Robotics America Corp. in September 2010, notes that its certificate is applicable not only to the automotive industry but also to the aerospace, consumer-goods, food, medical, pharmaceutical and solar-panel industries.

"In the '80s, there was only one size of robot, and it basically only did one thing," says Mike Cicco, general manager of distribution sales for Fanuc industrial Robots America. "And right now, there are over 200 different types of industrial robotics that, and they have the ability to pick up 500 grams all the way up to 3,000 pounds. So the number of different places we can put them is really incredible."

Along with that wider range of capabilities, Cicco explains, industrial robotics' heightened vision and intelligence are making them more accessible to small and midsize manufacturers.

ADTECH’s industrial robots are widely used in welding, food and beverage, medical, pharmaceutical and other industries, the robots Designed for small and medium-sized industrial enterprises.

Robotics Industry Expected to Thrive in 2013

As the American economy, and that of the world, continues its recovery from the Great Recession, the robotics industry is reaping the benefits.industrial robot users, integrators and manufacturers have an optimistic outlook for the robotics industry in 2013.

"2013 will be a good year for the robotics industry but not as good as 2011 and 2012. The industrial robots industry market has been on a serious growth trend since 2009", says Robert Little, Chief Executive Officer of ATI Industrial Automation .“Growth will continue through 2013 but not at the same rate of 20 percent seen in 2012. I hope to see 10 to 15 percent growth in 2013.”

Little’s analysis is typical of his peers in the industrial robots industry. Across applications and regions of the world, the robotics industry can look forward to a robust 2013.

Ample Apps

Most players in the industrial robots industry are sanguine on the prospects of nearly all applications in 2013. "I think 2013 will be awesome. General industry is historically two years behind the rebound of the automotive industry, following an economic downturn. The automotive industry did not buy anything for a few years then came on strong," says Edward Minch, Automotive Group Director of Sales and Engineering at Kawasaki Robotics (USA) Inc. "General industry is taking care of capital investment it ignored during the recession."

John Bubnikovich, Executive Director of Marketing and Business Development at ABB Inc. speaks of the continuing role of the automotive sector within the robotics industry. "The automotive sector still accounts for 65 percent of the North American robotics market. Automotive's revitalization has been very influential in the great bounce-back the robotics industry has seen recently."

Bubnikovich goes on to say, “Robotic laser cutting is emerging as an optimal means to cut and trim hot-stamped steel, a light weight, high strength material increasingly used in the automotive industry to reduce the overall cost and weight of cars while improving passenger safety and fuel economy."

Bin picking is one application several leaders in the robotics industry have high hopes for in 2013. “I see rapid expansion of three-dimensional bin picking, the ability to retrieve randomly arranged products from a bin,” says John Burg, President of Ellison Technologies Automation (Council Bluffs, Iowa).

Terry Zarnowski, Director of Sales and Marketing with Schneider Packaging Equipment Co. Inc. (Brewerton, New York) has a similar outlook for the prospects of bin picking in 2013. "Bin picking is now a viable reality."

Minch sees advancements in vision technology combined with improved force sensing, as one of numerous bright spots for the robotics industry. "These advancements will help the robotics industry penetrate into new markets, such as consumer electronic equipment and automotive component assembly and random bin picking. Robots can 'see' and have a sense of touch. Force sensors use feedback from servomotors to tell how hard the robot is pushing on a part during assembly processes such as driving a screw."

Random bin picking is high on Estes' to-do list in 2013. "Bin picking applications will become more robust due to better sensor technology. End-users want automated bin picking but did not have the tools to get there until now. Bin picking will continue to grow in 2013." Estes adds, "Because of the flexibility robotics offer, improvements to vision systems and bin picking, a batch of one is close to becoming a reality."

The food and beverage side of the robotics industry has a favorable outlook in 2013, particularly those relating to packaging and palletizing, says, Stuart Cooper, Vice President of Sales with Flexicell Inc. (Ashland, Virginia). "2013 will be a good year for the robotics industry. The return on investment in packing and palletizing applications is favorable. I anticipate accelerated growth in 2013 and do not see any markets within the industrial robots industry declining."

The Market for Small-Payload Industrial Robot Grows

The world market for industrial robots was worth an estimated $8.2 billion in 2011 according to IMS Research. Around 68 percent of revenues were for articulated robot, and two-thirds of this were for robots designed for use in applications requiring a payload of above 15kg.
To-date, industrial robots have typically been used for heavy-duty applications such as welding, palletising and assembly. However, in recent years there have been significant advances in machine vision, sensing and gripping, which has enabled robots to start being used in new industrial applications and unfamiliar sectors. The food, beverage and personal care and consumer electronics industries are forecast to be the two fastest growing sectors for industrial robots from 2011 to 2016, growing at an average annual rate 8.6 percent and 8.0 percent respectively. Lower payload applications are generally more common in these industries.

Kiran Patel, analyst at IMS Research explains, “The consumer electronics industry is characterised by many labour-intensive assembly processes. Traditionally, work has been carried out by hand in regions of low labour cost, such as China. In recent years, wages have been rising per year in term of U.S. dollars (around 14 percent according to Chinese government statistics); also young people are more likely to enter further education than pursue industrial apprenticeships. Consequently, labour has become more scarce and expensive. Patel continues “The interest in industrial robots has increased in labour-intensive industries as companies look to automate and cut costs. Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn has announced that it plans to deploy one million industrial robots in its plants in 2-3 years. Whether or not this does come into fruition is another question but this certainly points towards the growing application of industrial robots in the industry, especially in articulated robot.”

In the food and beverage industry, greater purchase of robots has more to do with the fact that it is an industry that fluctuates less with changes in general economic activity. With economic uncertainty continuing in the Eurozone, manufacturers of industrial robots do not want all their revenues to come from automotive industry (which is one of the most sensitive to the rise and fall of the general economy). Manufacturers of robots have reacted by offering robots with a high protection class, making them applicable to food and beverage production.

IMS Research predicts that from 2011 to 2016, revenues from articulated robots with a payload of below 15kg will grow on average by 6 percent a year. Investment in automating production of food & beverages and of consumer electronics will be the main contributors to this growth.