What is the difference with the traditional collaborative robot robot?

Collaboration robot robotics industry but the whole industry chain is a very important segment of the category, has its unique advantages, but the disadvantages are also obvious: the ability to control and crash, speed collaborative robots slower, usually only three traditional robots one-half to half. This article will attempt to answer the following questions: Why do we need cooperating robots? Origin of collaboration robot? Collaboration with traditional robot robot What is the difference?
Why cooperating robots?

The rise means that the traditional robot cooperative robots must have some degree of deficiency, or unable to adapt to new market demands.

In summary, the main points:

1. Traditional high robot deployment costs

In fact, relatively speaking, industrial robot itself, the price is not high. Mainstream occasions robot, according to the different load capacity, price range at ¥ 10w ~ ¥ 40w. Generally use robots in the life of the next 5 to 8 years, as more high-end and expensive in terms of industrial equipment.

Traditional robots deployed in expensive (robot factory installed and running) on ​​cost, for two reasons: the current industrial robots is mainly responsible for the plant repetitive work, which relies on its very high repeatability (repeat arrival certain capabilities spatially fixed position, the robot can be done typically 0.02mm or less), and the reliance on a fixed external environment. To ensure this, in addition to the design requirements of the robot itself, but also need to be processed product placed in a fixed position, so that every time the robot can go to the same place or perform an accurate pick operation. For modern complex pipeline operations is concerned, the whole production line for each process using these robots are designed for fixed external environment requires a lot of resources to occupy large tracts of valuable workshop area and up to several months of implementation time. Using a higher degree of difficulty of the robot, only trained professionals can skillfully use the robot to complete the configuration, programming and maintenance work, ordinary users rarely have such a capacity.

Prior to the operation of the main assembly line workers, robotics and automation equipment into the main production line, it is a systematic project, the vast majority of customers do not have such a terminal facility capacity, and therefore need to complete a third-party role this part of the work, that is the third-party system integrators, according to the actual situation of the customer site to complete the final deployment of the robot.

System integrators work at least include: automated production line of rehabilitation programs (processes, equipment layout, staffing, etc.) robot peripheral support equipment design, manufacture and installation. Meet the technical requirements of robot programming and commissioning. Customer technical team training. And subsequent after-sales maintenance.
According to many industry bodies and senior statistical figures, the entire robot deployment / integration applications will cost about the price of the robot 3 to 4 times. In recent years, as domestic integrators rapid military buildup, more competitive, the overall price decline, but basically in 2 to 3 times.

In common arc welding workstation, for example, the price of purchasing a welding robot imported brands of between about 11 ~ 15w, system integrators, but after this one after the overall offer not less than 30w, exaggerated even individual Registration 100w. In the relatively high wages of the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta region, a skilled welder's salary probably 5k ~ 7k, 1 robot instead of 1 to 2 workers, ROI is not less than 2 years, a lot of small business owners on the robot selec hesitate and wait and see.

If you use more robots robot, then in most cases the need for transformation of existing production lines, and even re-building, not only require huge investments might involve discontinued transformation, which is the reason for the delay in many factories are not on the robot one.

In addition, since most of the equipment for each production line (end tools, non-standard machinery, process control, etc.) are designed for a specific product, if it comes to changing the way production needs, a large probability before the production line Unable to directly meet the needs of new products, which involves the redesign and deployment of robotic systems, this part of the workload can sometimes be close to the first deployment.

In short, a single robot can not be directly used for factory production line, also need a lot of support for peripherals. Although the robot itself is a highly flexible, highly flexible equipment, but not the entire production line, once the change relates to the production line, the cost is very high.

2. Traditional robot can not meet the needs of SMEs

SMEs are the main customers robot emerging markets, traditional industrial robots currently unable to satisfy the needs of SME's. Traditional target market for industrial robots is large-scale production enterprises.

Mass production is the most popular 20th century capitalist mode of production, in order to decompose the production process, assembly line, parts standardization, mass production and mechanical duplication of effort as the main feature.

Have the ability to generate large-scale enterprises, the high cost of deployment robot system is relatively insensitive, because after the product shape, over a long enough time line can be no major changes, the robot basically do not need to reprogram or redeploy can maximize the use of robot standardization, high efficiency, maximize the value of investments.

The automotive industry is a typical representative of large-scale production, the world's first industrial robot is also deployed in the GM factories, responsible for handling the work of stamping parts. Today, the auto industry still accounted for more than 40 percent of global shipments of robots:

A new car from the publisher to withdraw from the market, the general experience of 3 to 6 years. During this period, even with the facelift, it is only for the exterior, interior fine-tuning, these changes generally will not affect the work of the robot (body welding, painting, handling major components), so the entire life cycle of the robot does not substantially need to have completed a production line to make changes or redeployment of the robot, only normal maintenance can play the advantages of the robot, avoiding its disadvantages.

The SME is not the same, and their products are generally in small quantities, customized, short-period is characterized by not too much money on the production line for large-scale transformation, and more sensitive to product ROI.

This requires that the robot has a lower overall cost, rapid deployment / re-deployment capability, the use of simple to use, and these traditional robots is difficult to meet.

In addition, in some emerging robotic applications in industry, even large enterprises are also facing the same problems as SMEs, 3C industry is typical of this area.

3C market replacement rate, such as phones, tablets, wearable devices and other mainstream products is very fast, basically the life cycle of only 1 to 2 years, short of even only a few months. If conventional robot program, invest a lot of resources to spend several months building a production line may not recover even a fraction of the cost, the products in relation to delisting. And if another production line to transform, but also to invest huge resources, which is unacceptable.

In addition to capital investment, 3C industry very often more concerned about the time, common robotic automation transformation plan takes a month to several months range, but was unable to 3C products in every generation are waiting for so long. Apple says there "to begin production next month iPhone7 shell", here you say, "I wait a month to transform what production line", is clearly unrealistic, or who fly in these cases, training three days, flew posts.

3. Failure to meet the emerging market demand for collaboration

Industrial robots has always been a model of precision, high speed automated equipment, but because of historical and technical reasons, security is not the focus of the development of robots and people together, so for security reasons in most plants, They are generally required to use the fence to the robot and people isolated.

Fortunately, for most of the work before the robot is concerned, does not require human intervention, the robot can be done independently.

But rising labor costs, and many other previously little or no use of the robot industry began to seek robotic automation solutions, such as the previously mentioned 3C industry, as well as medicine, food, logistics and other industries.

These emerging industries is characterized by many types of products, generally small volume, the operator flexibility / flex demanding. Existing robot performance is difficult to give a satisfactory solution in the case of controllable costs, how do?

Robot does not work, people to supplement Well, we engage in human-computer.

By humans is responsible for the flexible, tactile, flexibility requirements are relatively high step, the robot will use its fast, accurate characteristics responsible for repetitive tasks.

For example, the keyboard assembly, the robot can be made to the key cap in place, people snap to work; another example assembled phone / computer robot is responsible for the main parts, screws in the right place, who is responsible for cable installation, the card buckle, tighten the screws work.

However, if both want to cooperate, but also among a barrier fence too inconvenient, between humans and robots to interact, but also the first through the security gate, the overall efficiency is not as good as people come alone high. This time need some extra technology to ensure the safety of robots and humans can work in the same area, without the need for such a fence in the way things stand in the middle, which requires the robot has a characteristic secure collaboration.

Major robot manufacturers of robots are equipped with their own security technologies, such as ABB's SafeMove, Fanuc's DCS, KUKA's KUKA.safe, but its safety function itself is still relatively junior, for example, a physical fence into a virtual fence, testing automatic stop when someone close to, still not a complete collaboration security technology.



2. The origin of cooperating robots

In order to accurately define cooperating robots, look at two terms. Collaboration region refers to a region robots and humans can work at the same time, the means cooperating robots are designed to be in the region in collaboration with the people directly interact with the robot.

As already mentioned, for SMEs SMEs are cooperating robots very important customer base, but also the rise of cooperating robots and SMEs are inseparable.

In 2005, it began in 2005, funded by the EUFP6 project, participating companies, including ABB, KUKA, Reis, Comau, Güdel, etc. The aim is to find labor offshore (offshore) output to low labor cost countries in methods to prevent. Its main argument is that, if SMEs to enhance the level of labor through robotics, reduce costs, improve competitiveness, and can avoid the labor outsourcing (jobs will remain in the country). Thus, cooperating robots (co-bots) initial market is small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

In the same year Esben.stergaard, KasperSt.y and KristianKassow doing research at the University of Southern Denmark founded the UniversalRobot, now CEOEsben.stergaard was an assistant professor at the University of Southern Denmark, the three men discovered new needs of SMEs robot (also at that time a robot program about the Danish government-led), and launched the first collaborative robot UR5 in 2009.

Are based on the transformation of traditional robots in most collaborative robot UR5 before, UR5 is the first product designed from the beginning to require collaborative robot developed robots.

Shortly after (2008), Rodney Brooks founded Rethink, its initial purpose is to help the United States of SMEs to increase productivity, reduce costs and offshoring. First introduced arms Baxter was not very successful, and slowly began to lag behind in the UR, last fall introduced a new single-arm robot Sawyer, market acceptance of how remains to be seen.

After UR and Rethink, the growth of a large number of newly created companies cooperating robots, collaboration products on the market more and more, the concept of collaboration robot slowly recognized and accepted by everyone.

Collaboration with traditional robot robot What is the difference?

Essentially, there is no collaboration between the robot and the robot is very different traditions, but based on a different design production of industrial robots, robot collaboration in the early stages of development, many of which are from the robot on the basis of traditional transformation.

If you are looking for a non-different from the first difference is that the target market for these two robots are not the same, this has already been explained, not repeat them.

The second difference between the two alternatives is not the same object. Traditional robot-based automation of the production line is replaced by a production line, the entire production line as the robot part is difficult to separate out, if a part of the robot is broken, in the absence of a backup design, the whole production line You may have to shut down. The independence of cooperating robots is very strong, it is replaced by a single person, you can swap between the two, a collaborative robot is broken, pushed to find someone to replac good, flexibility of the entire production process is very high.

Talk so much to say all the advantages of collaboration since the robot is so good, it is not possible to replac the traditional robots?

Of course not, but the entire industry collaborative robot robotics industry chain is a very important segment of the category, has its unique advantages, but the disadvantages are also obvious: the ability to control and crash, speed collaborative robots slower, usually only traditional one third to one half of the robot; the robot in order to reduce the kinetic energy during exercise, cooperating robots generally relatively light weight, relatively simple structure, which resulted in lack of rigidity of the entire robot, robot positioning accuracy compared to traditional one order of magnitude difference ; low weight and low energy requirements, resulting in cooperating robots are small size, generally below 10kg load operating range with only one arm is quite a lot of occasions, can not be used;

Rethink Baxter borrow a slogan of the target application cooperating robots can be summarized as: cooperating robots will eventually turn into a concept of transition, with the development of technology, the future should have all the robots and humans work together with security features . Intrinsically safe should be an essential and ideal robot-based features. Just as we no longer distinguish between black and white and color television and collectively referred to as television, no longer distinguish between functional and intelligent machines and collectively referred to as a mobile phone, all future robots will no longer distinguish between cooperation and non-cooperation, and collectively referred to as robots.