Why does China's manufacturing industry choose collaborative robots?

Yilin Xu, President of Universal Robots China

In recent years, driven by both policy and technological development, more and more large-scale manufacturing companies from the automotive, new energy, and electronic semiconductor industries have begun to consider deploying collaborative robots that can work closely with humans in addition to traditional industrial robots. Collaborative robots have excellent safety and ease of use, and can be quickly installed and put into production even in a small space, performing tasks such as palletizing, screw tightening, welding, machine care, quality inspection, etc. Their application models are constantly innovating, and their application scenarios are continuously enriched.

Companies choose collaborative robots largely because this technology responds to the increasingly segmented needs and challenges in the process of automation upgrades, especially in the following four aspects.

1. Use collaborative robots to assist industrial robots to achieve more comprehensive automation processes

For large manufacturing companies, choosing collaborative robots or traditional industrial robots is not an either-or question. Collaborative robots can complete subtle movements and tasks that traditional robotic arms cannot perform. Thanks to the flexibility of this technology, collaborative robots can be quickly integrated without affecting the existing production line process, becoming an important part of factory operations.

In addition, due to its compact structure and small footprint, companies can introduce collaborative robots without changing the physical environment of the factory, which is a great advantage for a compact manufacturing environment. Take the application of Universal Robots in Beijing BAIC Lear Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. as an example. BAIC Lear chose to deploy more than dozens of Universal Robots on various production lines despite the tight factory space. The collaborative robots do not require fence protection during operation and can work closely with workers. Through positioning, measuring, and tightening car seat screws, they realize the automation process of car seat assembly.

2. Re-planning personnel positions with the help of collaborative robots to actively respond to the challenges of recruiting manufacturing positions

Regardless of the size of the enterprise, the local manufacturing industry has long faced the triple challenges of difficulty in recruiting, employing and retaining workers. While improving the production efficiency and output of manufacturing enterprises, collaborative robots can effectively alleviate the pressure on production lines caused by labor shortages. On the one hand, they share the time of existing employees in repetitive and boring tasks, freeing them from repetitive physical labor; on the other hand, with the deepening of automation, enterprises will have a safer working environment, promote the transformation and improvement of employee skills, and indirectly improve the overall working atmosphere and morale.

Welding is a very typical example. There is a large shortage of workers in related positions and a high job-seeking ratio. The typical demand market is spread across major provinces and cities across the country from south to north, including many manufacturing economic centers. It is a general trend to replace traditional manual welding with automation technology. Among them, collaborative robots can undertake a variety of welding processes and complete various types of indoor and outdoor welding work. In Hong Kong, Universal Robots cooperated with its partner SquareDog Robotics to apply the collaborative welding robot "SQD-Robo Welder Adaptive Welding Robot" to outdoor construction sites. This solution is equipped with Universal Robots' collaborative robot UR10, which has been applied to many key projects such as Hong Kong Taikoo City Phase II, Kai Tak Development Area New Acute Hospital, and Hong Kong International Airport Third Runway System. Taking the Kai Tak construction site as an example, the construction party deployed 10 welding robots to work on the construction site, solving the manpower problem through innovative technology and efficiently advancing the construction progress. The operator himself does not need to hold the qualification of medium or large welding process level, and there is no need for special workers to be responsible for specific tasks. The robot can be put into work quickly.

3. Collaborative robots are simple, flexible and modular, which is an important requirement for flexible production lines

Collaborative robots have features that traditional industrial robots do not have, including ease of use, portability and flexibility. They are more adaptable to the current manufacturing industry's requirements for flexible production, and can also be deployed quickly to fill in gaps in production lines. Collaborative robots can move according to task requirements, and the installation locations are very flexible, such as cooperating with mobile robots to perform tasks, or fixed on the ceiling. In addition, operators can load new programs to allow collaborative robots to perform new tasks. These adjustments and programming are easy, and front-line employees can become proficient in operation after a short period of training.

Xiamen Jianlin Industrial Co., Ltd. has deployed Universal Robots on a large scale, including dual-arm robot solutions. These robots are deployed at different points on the production line to complete a variety of manufacturing tasks, such as automatic loading and unloading of spare parts, product assembly, pick and place, robot vision picking, etc. The flexible characteristics of collaborative robots can better help companies respond to changes in order requirements, complete deployment and debugging in a very short time, carry out new projects, perform new tasks, and respond to market needs and uncertainties in a timely manner.

4. Collaborative robot deployment can give large manufacturing companies a higher return on automation investment

Many large manufacturing companies use collaborative robots mainly because this technology can help companies improve productivity and production quality. Collaborative robots can help companies reduce production line downtime and truly achieve 24/7 uninterrupted production. Regardless of whether production time is extended, the accuracy of collaborative robots can ensure stable quality output while increasing production, which also means that companies can get a return on investment faster.

Many types of work in the manufacturing industry are directly affected by fatigue and damage, such as palletizing. Traditional palletizing work is mostly done manually, and porters need to repeat this rather boring work constantly. In the day-to-day handling, because of the long-term pressure on posture and body muscle strength, most porters face multiple health risks, and physical fatigue will also affect the execution efficiency and stability of related work. Replacing traditional manual palletizing with UR20 collaborative robot technology can help companies respond to these challenges and risks in terms of safety, efficiency, and cost, and truly reduce costs and increase efficiency in process flows. In addition, compared with traditional palletizing automation technology, collaborative robots are superior in terms of programming difficulty, maintenance cost, floor space, deployment flexibility, etc., and can meet the requirements of different types of manufacturing companies for flexibility and customization, and are an economical and affordable solution.

In addition to the above applications, we are also constantly collaborating with partners to develop more diverse automation solutions for enterprises, seeking to simplify the deployment and management of related technologies in manufacturing environments while digitalizing. At the 2023 China International Industry Fair (CIIF), which will open on September 19, Universal Robots will present a number of its latest solutions, including UR20, at booth A005 in Hall 8.1, sharing new applications for optimizing manufacturing efficiency with the industry, and contributing key forces to the comprehensive automation upgrade and high-quality development of the manufacturing industry.