According to the definition of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), robots are divided into industrial robots (Industrial Robots) and service robots (Service Robots). Among them, industrial robots currently account for 80% of the global robot market share, much higher than service robots.
In terms of mechanical structure, industrial robots can be divided into single-axis robots, coordinate robots, horizontal articulated robots (SCARA), vertical articulated robots and parallel robots (DELTA), etc. The following five types are listed in order. instruction.
1. Five mechanical structures of industrial robots
1. Single-axis robot
Single-axis robots are generally divided into two transmission modes, one is ball screw transmission, and the other is synchronous toothed belt (referred to as: synchronous belt) transmission, both of which are guided by linear guides and cooperate with servo motors or stepper motors. , to achieve positioning, transfer, handling and so on in different application fields. Through different combination styles, two-axis, three-axis, and gantry-type combinations can also be realized.
The application fields of single-axis robots cover semiconductors, home appliances, medical, automobiles, packaging, glue dispensers, welding, cutting, testing and other automation applications, and Taiwan's Shanghai Yin Technology ranks among the top three in the world in the single-axis robot market.
2. Cartesian coordinate robot
The Cartesian coordinate robot is based on the X, Y, Z Cartesian coordinates, and works or moves within the length of each coordinate. It is suitable for handling, pick-and-place and other operations. The applicable fields include injection molding machines. Positioning, stacking, screw locking, cutting, clamping, pressing, inserting, assembling, automatic pharmacy, etc.
There are about 80 robot-related companies in Taiwan, and more than 40 companies are currently engaged in the design and development of coordinate robot-related equipment, and the key components used are highly localized. Among the robotic arms for taking out injection molding machines, Alfa and Apex are the leaders in this field, and have a certain market share in mainland China.
3. Horizontal multi-joint (SCARA) robot
Horizontal multi-joint robot (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm; abbreviated SCARA) is a special type of industrial robot of cylindrical coordinate type. There are generally 4 degrees of freedom, including translation along the X, Y, and Z directions and rotation around the Z axis.
The SCARA robot is characterized by small load and high speed, so it is mainly used in 3C industries such as rapid sorting and precision assembly or in the food industry and other fields. For example, wafers, panel handling, circuit board transportation, and insertion and assembly of electronic components in the IC industry can all see traces of SCARA robots. Foreign manufacturers include EPSON, IAI, DENSO and other Japanese factories. Domestic manufacturers include Delta, Dongyouda, and Shanghai Silver.
4. Vertical multi-joint robot
The vertical articulated robot has a fairly high degree of freedom and is suitable for work at any trajectory or angle. It has the characteristics of three-dimensional motion and can achieve high-order nonlinear motion. It is the most widely used automatic mechanical device at present, and is often used in automobile manufacturers, automobile components and electronic related industries.
Shangyin Technology, Hezhuan Technology, and Hon Hai Group all launched their own brand six-axis multi-joint robots at the International Robot Exhibition. However, the harmonic reducer (Harmonic Drive), the key component, still needs to be imported from abroad, so the price is relatively high. Not competitive.
5. Parallel (DELTA) robot
The parallel robot, also known as DELTA robot, drives the active arm and passive arm to the end platform for displacement through three sets of power structures on the upper platform, and can carry a fourth axis at the end or connect the fourth axis from the upper platform as a rotation axis .
Because of its simple structure, it can achieve the shortest distance in movement, and the mechanism is easy to miniaturize, and can achieve high-speed and high-precision control, so it is mainly used in high-speed pick-and-place and screening operations, mainly in the food industry, electronic inspection, pharmaceutical , packaging, etc. In general, a parallel robot can replace 4-6 workers, helping users to effectively improve production efficiency and reduce production costs.
2. The three major components of industrial robots
After understanding the five mechanical structures of industrial robots, let's talk about the remaining three key components of industrial robots: reducers, servo motors, and controllers. These components account for about 60-70% of the total cost of the robot, which is a very important threshold for entering the industrial robot industry.
From the perspective of the world's four major industrial robot manufacturers (ABB in Switzerland, FANUC in Japan, KUKA in Germany, and YASKAWA in Japan), the controller is the only key component that is manufactured by itself, while the servo motor and reducer are not. purchase, the following will explain these three components in sequence:
1. Reducer
The reducer is a transmission mechanism connecting the power source and the actuator, which can reduce the speed of the motor and increase the torque. The power of the motor, internal combustion engine, etc. running at high speed is meshed with the pinion on the input shaft, and then output to the large gear on the shaft to achieve the purpose of deceleration, and thereby transmit a larger torque.
The reducer pays special attention to high reliability, high precision and high rigidity. It is an industry with heavy assets, high investment and slow return. From the perspective of global industrial robot manufacturers, most of them have not developed reducers by themselves, but mainly rely on two giants such as Japan's Nabtesco and Harmonic Drive. Reducer has more than 70% market share.
According to IFR estimates, the sales volume of industrial robots in 2019 will reach 414,000 units. If a multi-joint industrial robot needs 4-6 reducers, there will be more than 2 million sets of reducers in the market, which shows that its growth rate will increase. Faster than industrial robots.
2. Servo motor
The servo motor is the power system of an industrial robot. It is generally installed at the "joint" of the robot and is the heart of the robot's movement. Usually, it can be subdivided into two parts, one is the motor body and the other is the motion control system.
Mainstream suppliers include Japan's Panasonic, Mokawa, Yaskawa, Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Fuji, and European and American manufacturers such as Germany's Lenze and Bosch Rexroth. At present, Japanese brands alone account for 40% of the global robot market. In Taiwan, servo motor brands such as TECO and Delta also performed well.
3. Controller
The controller is the "brain" of the robot, including hardware and software. The hardware is the industrial control board, and the software is the control algorithm. Generally, more mature robot manufacturers develop their own controllers to ensure the stability of quality and the maintenance system of products, so it is also the core technology of robot manufacturers.
In addition to the world's four major robot manufacturers that develop their own controllers, EPSON, DENSO, and TOSHIBA are also deeply involved in the field of controllers, producing robots of their own brands. In Taiwan, my country, manufacturers such as ITRI, Advantech Baoyuan, and NEXCOM have also achieved good results in the global controller market in recent years.
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