Industrial robot is an important automation equipment in modern manufacturing industry, which integrates advanced technologies of machinery, electronics, control, computer, sensor and artificial intelligence. Since 1962, the United States developed the world's first industrial robots, robot technology and its product development soon, has become a flexible manufacturing system (FMS), factory automation (FA), computer integrated manufacturing system (CIMS) of the automation tools.

Widely used in industrial robots, which not only can improve the quality of products and production, and to safeguard the personal safety, improve working environment, reduce labor intensity, improve labor productivity, save raw materials consumption and reduce production cost, it is of great significance. Like computer and network technology, the wide application of industrial robots is changing the way of production and life of human beings.

I. current situation of industrial robot technology and the development trend at home and abroad

Industrial robots are the most typical electromechanical integration equipment, digital technology, high added value, application range is very wide, as the support of advanced manufacturing technology and the information society of the emerging industries, will be for the future production and social development plays an increasingly important role. Foreign experts predict that the robot industry is a new large high-tech industry after automobiles and computers. According to the United Nations economic commission for Europe (UNECE) and international association (IFR) of the robot, the robot market prospects look good, since the second half of the 20th century, the robot industry has maintained a good momentum of steady growth. In the 1990s, the development of robot products accelerated, with an average annual growth rate of about 10%. The growth rate reached a record 20 percent in 2004. Among them, the growth rate of robots in Asia is the most prominent, up to 43%, as shown in figure 1. User industrial robot ordering index for each region (100 in 1996)In recent years, the development of foreign robot field has the following trends:

1. The performance of industrial robots continues to improve (high speed, high precision, high * * ability, easy operation and maintenance), while the price of single machines keeps decreasing, with the average price of single machines rising from 10 in 1991. $30,000 fell to $6 in 1997. $50,000.

2. Mechanical structure develops towards modularization and reconfigurable. For example, servo motor, reducer and detection system are integrated in joint module. The whole robot is constructed by recombination of joint module and connecting rod module. Modular assembly robot products have been marketed abroad.

3. The industrial robot control system develops towards an open controller based on PC, which is convenient for standardization and networking. The device integration is improved, the control cabinet is smaller and modular. It greatly improves the system's maintainability, maneuverability and maintainability.

4, the sensor function of robot is increasingly important, in addition to the traditional position, velocity and acceleration sensors, assembling, welding robot also applied sensors, such as vision, force sensing and remote control robot using visual, sound, touch, force, such as multi-sensor fusion technology for environment modeling and decision control; Multi - sensor fusion configuration technology has been applied in the production system.

5, the role of virtual reality technology in the robot has been developed from simulation and preview to used in process control, such as remote control robot operators produce in Yu Yuanduan feeling to manipulate the robot in the working environment.

Industrial robots in China from 80 s seventh science research beginning, with the support of the country, through the seventh, eighth science and technology research, has mastered the basic robot manipulator design and manufacturing technology, control system design of hardware and software technology, kinematics and trajectory planning technology, production of robot key components, developed a spray, such as arc welding, spot welding, assembling, handling robot; There are more than 130 sets of spraying robot in more than 20 companies nearly 30 automatic spray painting production line (station) on the scale application of arc welding robot has been applied in automobile manufacturing factory of the welding line. However, in general, the level of industrial robot technology and its engineering application in China is far from that in foreign countries. Robot application engineering started late, its application field is narrow, and the technology of production line system is far behind that of foreign countries. In terms of application scale, about 200 domestic industrial robots have been installed in China, accounting for about four-tenths of a million installed robots worldwide. Above reason mainly is not formed the industrial robot, the robot of the current our country production is at the request of the user, a customer, a redesigned, specifications varieties, small batch, parts generalization degree low, delivery cycle is long, the cost is not low, and quality, * is not stable. Therefore, it is urgent to solve the key technologies in the early stage of industrialization, make a comprehensive plan for products, make good serialization, universalization and modularization design, and actively promote the industrialization process.

Second, the application fields of industrial robots are increasingly extensiveAfter more than 40 years of development, industrial robots have been applied in more and more fields. In the manufacturing industry, especially in the automobile industry, industrial robots have been widely used. As in the blank manufacturing (stamping, die casting, forging, etc.), mechanical processing, welding, heat treatment, surface coating, up-down material, assembly, testing and warehouse stacking job, robot has been gradually replaced by artificial operation.

With the development of industrial robots to deeper broader direction as well as the improvement of intelligent robot, the robot's application Fan Zhou continually expanding, is popularized to other manufacturing from automobile manufacturing, and then extended to such as mining robot hydropower system maintenance, construction robots and robot such as all kinds of manufacturing industry. In addition, in the national defense military, medical and health care, life service areas such as the use of robots also more and more, such as unmanned drones (aircraft), police robot, medical robots, such as domestic service robots are examples of application. Robots are playing an important role in improving the quality of human life.

Major industrial robot manufacturers at home and abroad

In foreign countries, industrial robot technology is increasingly mature, has become a standard equipment widely used in the industry. As a result, a number of influential and famous industrial robot companies have been formed successively, including: ABB Robotics in Sweden, FANUC and Yaskawa in Japan, KUKA Roboter in Germany, Adept Technology, American Robot, Emerson Industrial Automation, s-t Robotics in the us, COMAU in Italy, AutoTech Robotics in the UK, Jcd International Robotics in Canada, Robogroup Tek, an Israeli firm, has become a pillar industry in its region. In China, the industrial robot industry has just started, but the growth momentum is very strong. For example, the sinson robot company invested by shenyang automation institute of the Chinese academy of sciences increased its annual profit by about 40%.

The development trend of industrial robots

Used in the field of industrial robots in many production practice has proved that it improve the level of production automation, improve labor productivity and product quality and economic efficiency, improve labor condition, etc., has a pivotal role, has caused the world and the social widespread attention of each person. In the new century, the robot industry is bound to get more rapid development and wider application.

1. Technological development trend of industrial robotsFrom the perspective of a world in recent years, the robot introduced products, industrial robot technology is developed to the direction of intelligent, modular, and systematic, the main development trend for that the structure of the modular and reconfigurable. Open, PC and network control technology; Digitization and decentralization of servo drive technology; Application of multi-sensor fusion technology; Optimization of work environment design, flexibility of work and network and intelligence of the system.

2. Industrial development trend of industrial robots

According to UNECE/IFR, the number of new installed robots worldwide will increase from 81,800 in 2003 to 106,000 in 2007 by 2007, an average annual increase of 7%. Among them, the sales of industrial robots in Japan will increase from 31600 in 2003 to 41000 in 2007. The number of industrial robots in Europe will increase from 27, 100 in 2003 to 34, 000 in 2007. The north American market for industrial robots grew by an average of 5.8 per cent a year between 2003 and 2007 and will grow to 16,000 by 2007.Discussion on the development model of industrial robot industry

Throughout the development process of industrial robot industry in various countries around the world, it can be summarized into three different development modes, namely Japanese model, European model and American model:

1. The characteristics of the Japanese model are: each performs its own duties and completes the turnkey project at different levels. The robot manufacturers to develop new robots and mass production of high quality products as the main target, and by the subsidiary or social engineering company to design manufacturing industries need robot complete system, and complete turn-key project;

2. The European model features a package of turnkey projects. That is, the production of robots and the system design and manufacture required by users are all completed by the robot manufacturers themselves.

3. The characteristics of the American model are: the combination of procurement and complete design. Domestic basically no production of ordinary industrial robots, robots usually by the engineering company imports, enterprises need to form a complete set of design, the manufacture of peripheral equipment, complete turn-key project. Since the 1980s, China has carried out comprehensive research on industrial robots in universities and research institutes, and has made many achievements in the past 20 years. However, since there is no organic alliance with enterprises, no influential products and large-scale industries have been formed. At home in addition to a predominantly assembly robot a sino-japanese joint venture company, with independent intellectual property rights of industrial robots are still in colleges and universities and scientific research units of scattered production organization fails to form the climate. In recent 10 years, greatly reduce the price of imported robot, the development of industrial robots in China caused a certain influence, especially in China to manufacture its own ordinary industrial robots cannot compete on price. Especially in the early stages of the development of robot in our country, there is no corresponding parts industry synchronization development, makes the domestic enterprises in the process of production of the robot, can only rely on form a complete set of imported parts and components, weaken the price competitiveness of Chinese enterprises.

China's robot industry should take the road, how to establish their own development model, really worth exploring. Chinese academy of engineering in December 2003 completed and open the manufacturing welding production in our country present situation and the development strategy research summary report that our country should begin from the American model, gradually after conditions are ripe to be near the Japanese model.

The prospect of robots in China

It should be said that China is the country that most needs and least needs robots. China's large population, rich resources and cheap labor, from the aspect of the said with an expensive and cumbersome robot it is better to hire a man to cheap, but our country to make a world power it has to do more things with the least amount of resources, our enterprises must as far as possible, the adoption of high and new technology to a higher production efficiency, winning by high competitiveness, which requires a lot of robot, there is no robot as accurate rate, accuracy and efficiency. Some people may lose their jobs, but more jobs will be created and more benefits will be gained from society. I believe in the near future, the robot industry become a national economic pillar industries like automobile, the United States is the kingdom of car, China could be standing in the robot shoulders.

The hope and difficulty of robot development

Robot technology is an important part of high technology, the process of industrialization in our country has just started, although some achievements have been made, but there are still many difficulties and disadvantages, so need many more care and support.

National policy support is an important prerequisite for accelerating the industrialization of new and high technologies. According to the relevant government departments should organize the strength to carry on the full investigation and study, on this basis, formulate feasible promotion and application of robots and tilt policies promoting the robot research and development. For example, in the tax, investment and loans to support the robotics industry. By formulating policies and taking a series of measures to encourage enterprises to use robots, the Japanese government should draw lessons from its experience in exploring the domestic market for robots. In addition, for robot users, a certain financial subsidy can be considered to encourage the purchase. In order to avoid the danger caused by poor working environment of inductrial injury accident and occupational disease, protect workers' safety of body and mind, for some special type of work, such as coating, casting, etc by labor law enforcement with industrial robots instead. This can greatly increase the demand for industrial robots.

China's robot industrialization must be driven by the market. As a high technology, the development of robot is closely related to the production and economic status of society. The research and development of robot can only select the priority application field of robot according to the principle of possibility of realization in technology, and take this as the breakthrough point, it is important to infiltrate and spread to other fields.