Development stage of industrial robot industry

China's industrial robot research started in the 1970s, and can be roughly divided into 4 stages, namely the theoretical research stage, prototype development stage, demonstration application stage and preliminary industrialization stage.

The theoretical research stage refers to the period from the 1970s to the early 1980s. At this stage, due to the constraints of the national economic conditions at that time, it was mainly engaged in the research of basic theories of industrial robots. Progress has laid the foundation for the subsequent research on industrial robots.

The prototype development phase refers to the mid-1980s. As industrial developed countries begin to apply and popularize industrial robots in large numbers, China ’s research on industrial robots has received government attention and support. The state has organized investigations on industrial robot demand industries, invested a lot of funds to carry out research on industrial robots, and entered the prototype development. stage.

The demonstration application stage refers to the 1990s. At this stage, a total of 7 industrial robot series products such as plane joint robots, rectangular coordinate robots, arc welding robots, spot welding robots, and self-help guides were developed, and 102 special robots were developed. , Implemented more than 100 robot application projects, and in order to promote the industrialization of domestic robots, at the end of the 1990s, 9 robot industrialization bases and 7 scientific research bases were established.

The initial stage of industrialization refers to entering the 21st century. The national medium- and long-term scientific and technological development plan outlines the main line of enhancing independent innovation capabilities, strives to create a policy environment conducive to independent innovation, accelerates the promotion of enterprises as the mainstay of innovation, strongly advocates enterprises as the mainstay, and integrates production, learning and research. A large number of domestic enterprises Either independently developed or cooperated with scientific research institutes to enter the ranks of industrial robot development and production, China's industrial robot has entered the initial stage of industrialization.

After the above four stages of development, China's industrial robots have gained a certain degree of popularity. According to the data from the "Forecast of Industrial Robot Industry Production and Sales Demand Forecast and Analysis of Transformation and Upgrade" released by the Foresight Institute of Industry Research, in 2016, China's industrial robots reached 300,000 units. In addition, compared with advanced manufacturing countries, there is still a lot of gaps in the use density of industrial robots in China, and there is still a huge room for industrial robots to increase.

Future trends of the industrial robot industry

First, industrial robots will achieve faster development. Industrial robots are the most typical mechatronic digital equipment with high added value and a wide range of applications. As a supporting technology for advanced manufacturing and a new industry in an information society, it will play an increasingly important role in future production and social development. Important role, the development prospects of the industry are good.

According to IFR forecasts, with the needs of industrial transformation and upgrading, rising labor costs, and support from national policies, the future growth rate of China's industrial robots can reach more than 30% in 2017-2022, and by 2022, China's annual sales of industrial robots will exceed 270,000 units.

Secondly, the application fields are becoming wider and wider. After more than 40 years of development, industrial robots have been applied in more and more fields. In the manufacturing industry, especially in the automotive industry, industrial robots have been widely used, with a proportion exceeding 30%. With the development of industrial robots in a deeper and wider direction and the improvement of robot intelligence, the application scope of robots has been continuously expanded and has been promoted from automobile manufacturing to other manufacturing industries.

Third, the transfer of production bases. With the expansion of the industrial robot market in developing countries such as China and India, the growth rate of the international industrial robot leading countries has slowed down. International advanced industrial robot manufacturers are gradually shifting their business development focus to developing countries to digest their The remaining capacity in the original market while increasing its business profits.

Fourth, industry competition is more intense. At present, industrial robot manufacturing is an area where major equipment manufacturers want to get involved. Both traditional machinery manufacturing companies and electrical companies hope to get a share of the future industrial robot market. It is foreseeable that the competition faced by domestic industrial robot manufacturers in the future will not only come from foreign companies, such as giants such as ABB, FANUC, KUKA, and YASKAWA, but also from domestic cross-industry companies.

Finally, the technology level of the industry has been continuously improved. As international advanced industrial robot manufacturers extend their business to developing countries, countries with originally backward technological levels will usher in a great opportunity for technological upgrading. After multinational companies bring their products and scientific and technological personnel into new markets, they can serve as a model for local enterprises and promote local companies to take the initiative to improve their technology by enhancing their sense of competition. At the same time, in the process of cooperation between multinational companies and local enterprises, the latter can access and learn internationally advanced technologies. In addition, some domestic industrial robot manufacturers have been actively going abroad to introduce advanced technologies.

The above data and analysis are from the "2018-2023 China Industrial Robot Industry Production and Sales Demand Forecast and Transformation and Upgrade Analysis Report" released by the Prospective Industry Research Institute.