quality Industrial Robot Arm & Welding Robot Arm factory

In the industrial manufacturing of this vast and sprawling “lake”, welding technology is to hold up a piece of heaven, known as many products from “parts blank” to “perfect finished product” the key to the “Bridge”. Among them, spot welding is by virtue of the unique “charm”, in all kinds of welding methods to stand firm, become the automobile manufacturing, electronic equipment production, aerospace and many other industries, “guest of honor”.   Imagine how the body of the car from a pile of fragmented sheet metal, into a solid and beautiful whole? Electronic equipment in those precision parts, and how closely connected to ensure stable signal transmission? The answer lies in spot welding. Spot welding, like a highly skilled “invisible tailor”, no needles and threads, but with the help of a strong current and pressure, so that two or more pieces of metal in an instant “into one”, connecting seamless, for the stable operation of the entire industrial production provides a solid guarantee! , its importance is self-evident.   Manual spot welding: the persistence of traditional craftsmen     (A) Operation Scene and Process Walking into the production workshop of the factory, the artificial spot welding work area is full of sparks and the sound of metal collision. Master workers wearing protective masks, wearing heavy overalls, holding welding torches, staring intently at the workpiece in front of them. Artificial spot welding operation steps rigorous and meticulous. First, the workers need to precisely position and fix the metal sheets to be welded on the working table to ensure that their positions are exactly the same. This step is like laying the foundation when building a house. If the foundation is firmly laid, the subsequent work can be carried out smoothly. Next, the worker grips the torch and adjusts the current and pressure parameters. The setting of these parameters is critical, just like the chef frying on the fire and seasoning grasp, directly affecting the quality of welding. After all the preparations, the worker pressed the welding torch switch, the strong current instantly through the electrode, so that the contact point of the metal plate quickly warmed up to reach the melting point after the fusion of each other. In a few seconds, a welded joint is formed. The master workers operate in this way, one welding point after another, and with skillful techniques and rich experience, the fragmented metal sheets are gradually spliced into complete products.   (B) Unique Advantages The biggest advantage of manual spot welding is its unparalleled flexibility. When facing workpieces with complex shapes and special structures, robots may be helpless because of the limitations of programs and mechanical structures, but manual spot welding workers can cope with it easily. They can adjust the angle, strength and welding time of the welding torch at any time according to the actual situation, ensuring that every welded joint is perfect. The advantages of manual spot welding are especially obvious in the production of some small processing plants or customized products. For example, some hand-made high-end auto parts, according to the customer's special needs for personalized design and manufacturing. At this time, manual spot welding workers can rely on their own experience and skills, in the complex shape of the precise welding, to meet the customer's requirements for the uniqueness of the product. For example, in the production of metal frames for some artistic sculptures, irregular shapes and special welding requirements make it possible to realize the perfect presentation of creativity only with manual spot welding.   (C) Challenges However, artificial spot welding is not perfect, it is facing a number of serious challenges. From the efficiency point of view, manual spot welding is relatively slow. The number of welded joints that a skilled worker can complete in a day is limited. In today's mass production, this efficiency is difficult to meet the growing market demand. Compared with robotic spot welding, the speed gap between manual spot welding is even more obvious, which to a certain extent limits the capacity expansion of enterprises. Quality stability is also a pain point of manual spot welding. The human state can be affected by a variety of factors, such as fatigue, emotions, fluctuations in skill level, etc.. Even experienced workers find it difficult to ensure that the quality of each solder joint is exactly the same. This may lead to uneven product quality, increase the rate of defective products, and bring economic losses to the enterprise. In addition, the working environment of manual spot welding is also hazardous to workers' health. The spot welding process generates a lot of glare, high temperature, smoke and harmful gases. Long-term exposure to such an environment makes workers susceptible to eye diseases, respiratory diseases, etc., causing irreversible damage to their bodies.   Robotic spot welding: the rise of the tech nouveau riche     (A) cool debut In today's rapid development of science and technology, robot spot welding, as a “technological nouveau riche” in the field of welding, is emerging in industrial production with its unique charm and powerful strength. Into the modern factory, you will see a unique shape, smooth lines of the robot spot welding equipment neatly arranged in the production line. They are like steel warriors from the future, exuding a strong sense of technology. Robot spot welding equipment mainly consists of robot body, control system, spot welding system, sensors and other components. The robot body usually adopts multi-joint design, with high flexibility and range of motion, and can easily reach a variety of complex welding position. The movements of its robotic arm are precise and smooth, as if it were a rigorously trained dancer, and every movement is just right. The control system is the “brain” of the robot spot welding equipment, which is responsible for directing the robot's every move. Through advanced programming technology and intelligent algorithms, the control system can accurately control the robot's movement trajectory, welding parameters, etc., to ensure that the welding process is efficient and stable. Spot welding welding system, on the other hand, is the “weapon” of the robot spot welding equipment, which consists of welding controller, welding tongs and auxiliary parts such as water, electricity and gas. The welding controller can accurately control the welding current, voltage and time, so that the quality of the welded joint is reliably guaranteed. The design of the welding clamp is also very delicate, it can flexibly adjust the clamping force and welding angle according to different welding needs to ensure the accuracy and firmness of welding. Sensors are like the “eyes” and “ears” of the robot, which can sense various information in the welding process in real time, such as the position of the weld seam, the size of the welding current, the change of temperature, etc., and feedback this information to the control system in order to timely adjust the welding parameters to ensure welding quality.   (B) the secret of high efficiency Robot spot welding can be rapidly popularized in industrial production, the key is that it has many compelling advantages, especially in terms of speed, precision and consistency, but also excellent performance. In terms of speed, robot spot welding is called “fast”. It can complete a large number of spot welding tasks in a short period of time, and its efficiency far exceeds that of manual spot welding. Take the automobile manufacturing industry as an example, an ordinary car body needs to weld thousands of welding points, if the use of manual spot welding, need to spend a lot of time and manpower. And the use of robot spot welding, only a few hours to complete all the welding work, greatly reducing the production cycle, improve the productivity of enterprises. Precision, robot spot welding is the ultimate. It can accurately control the welding position and welding parameters, the error can be controlled within a very small range. This is crucial for some products that require very high precision. In the manufacture of electronic equipment, the welding accuracy of components directly affects the performance and quality of the product. Robotic spot welding can ensure that each weld joint is in a precise position, and the welding quality is uniform and consistent, thus improving the yield rate of the product and reducing the defective rate. Consistency is also a highlight of robotic spot welding. Because the robot works according to a preset program and is not affected by fatigue, emotions and other factors, it is able to ensure that the quality of each welded joint is stable and reliable. Whether in a long period of continuous work, or in the mass production process, the robot spot welding can consistently maintain a high level of quality welding, to provide enterprises with stable product quality assurance. In the automobile manufacturing industry, the application of robot spot welding has been very extensive. Major automobile manufacturers have adopted robot spot welding technology to improve production efficiency and product quality. For example, Tesla's automobile production line, a large number of robot spot welding equipment, these robots can quickly and accurately complete the welding of various parts of the body, making Tesla's production efficiency and quality have been greatly improved. At the same time, the robot spot welding can also realize flexible production, quickly adjusting welding procedures and parameters according to the needs of different models, providing a possibility for personalized customization of automobile production.   (C) The truth about costs The initial investment cost of robotic spot welding is indeed relatively high. Purchase a robot spot welding equipment, less than tens of thousands of dollars, more than a hundred thousand or even more, which does not include the installation of equipment, debugging and later maintenance costs. In addition, in order to allow the robot to work properly, enterprises also need to invest a certain amount of money for plant renovation, personnel training and so on. For some small enterprises, such initial investment may bring greater financial pressure. However, if we look at the long term, the cost advantages of robot spot welding will gradually emerge. First of all, the robot's service life is longer, generally up to several decades. During this period, the robot can work 24 hours a day, creating continuous value for the enterprise. Manual spot welding needs to take into account factors such as rest and vacation of workers, the actual working time is relatively short. Secondly, robotic spot welding is highly productive and can accomplish more work in the same amount of time. This means that enterprises can produce more products in a shorter period of time, thus increasing their income. Furthermore, robotic spot welding can effectively reduce the rate of defective products and improve product quality. This not only reduces the loss of enterprises due to defective products, but also improves the brand image of enterprises and increases market competitiveness. Finally, with the continuous progress of science and technology and the development of the robot industry, the price of robotic spot welding equipment is also gradually reduced, maintenance costs are also decreasing, which further enhances the cost advantages of robotic spot welding.     In order to more intuitively show the difference between manual spot welding and robotic spot welding, we compare and analyze the five dimensions of efficiency, quality, cost, safety, and flexibility, which are presented in table form as follows:     Comparison Dimension Manual spot welding Robotic spot welding Efficiency Restricted by workers' proficiency and physical strength, relatively slow speed, limited working hours, difficult to work for a long time with high intensity, low efficiency in mass production. Fast speed, 24 hours non-stop work, stable work efficiency, can complete a large number of welding tasks in a short period of time, greatly shortening the production cycle Quality Easily affected by the state of workers, emotions, technical level fluctuations and other factors, quality stability is poor, different workers or the same worker at different times welding quality varies, the defective rate is relatively high. Through precise programming and control system, precise control of welding parameters, stable welding quality, high consistency, can effectively reduce welding defects and scrap rate, to meet the requirements of higher quality. Costs Low cost of equipment, mainly the cost of basic welding torch and simple jigs and fixtures, but need to pay for labor costs such as wages, benefits, social security, etc., and in the long run, the labor cost grows with time. Initial equipment procurement, installation and commissioning, plant renovation, personnel training costs are high, the later maintenance costs are relatively fixed, the robot has a long service life, long-term operation, due to high efficiency, low defective rate, the overall cost has advantages Safety The working environment is characterized by glare, high temperature, smoke, harmful gases and other hazards, workers are susceptible to eye and respiratory diseases, and there are safety hazards such as metal spatter and electric shock during operation. Operators are not directly involved in the welding process, can be away from the harsh working environment, reduce the safety risk, to protect the health and safety of workers. Flexibility According to the actual situation at any time to flexibly adjust the welding torch angle, strength, welding time and other parameters and processes, to adapt to the complex shape, special structure of the workpiece as well as small batch, personalized custom production. Complex settings and adjustments need to be made through the programming and control system, the operation is relatively cumbersome and not flexible enough to deal with complex and non-standard tasks, and it is more suitable for large-volume, highly repetitive welding tasks.     Looking to the future, the welding industry on the stage, manual spot welding and robot spot welding is not “your side sings I debut” alternative relationship, but hand in hand with the “best partner”.   In the “battlefield” of large-scale standardized production, robotic spot welding will continue to play its efficient and accurate advantages, and become the “main force” on the production line. They work tirelessly, with stable quality and ultra-fast speed, for enterprises to continuously output high-quality products to meet the market demand for large-scale products. For example, in the large-scale production line of automobile manufacturing, robot spot welding can quickly complete the welding of the body to ensure that the quality of each car has reached a uniform high standard.   And artificial spot welding will not be retired, in those who need “craftsmanship” niche areas and personalized custom “creative world”, artificial spot welding is still irreplaceable “protagonist “. It injects a unique soul into the product by virtue of its ability to adapt flexibly and its extreme control of details. When customers need a one-of-a-kind metal artwork, manual spot welding workers are able to manually weld according to the customer's creativity and requirements, giving the work a unique artistic appeal.   In the future, as technology continues to advance, the collaboration between manual spot welding and robotic spot welding will become even closer and more efficient. Robotic spot welding can perform most of the repetitive and high-intensity work, relieving the burden for manual spot welding; while manual spot welding focuses on tasks that require a high degree of skill and creativity, complementing and optimizing robotic spot welding. At the same time, we are looking forward to the emergence of more innovative technologies that can further improve the quality and efficiency of spot welding and bring new breakthroughs to the development of industrial manufacturing.  

Welding Robots: Technological Breakthroughs Drive Market Growth, Enormous Potential Ahead Welding robots are becoming a focal point for capital markets, as rapid technological advancements—particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) and sensor technologies—have laid a solid foundation for their application. Although market penetration is still far from saturation, especially in the steel structure industry, where intelligent transformation remains a challenge, the future demand for welding robots is expected to surge with the widespread adoption of teachless intelligent welding robots. The accumulation of expertise in intelligent systems and integration will be key for companies to stand out in this "blue ocean" market. The welding robot industry has immense application potential not only in traditional steel structure and automotive manufacturing but will also bring profound changes to industries such as metalworking and heavy machinery. For companies with a technological edge, the future promises substantial market rewards. In recent years, the robotics industry has emerged as a hot sector in capital markets, attracting the attention of investors. The underlying reason for this surge lies in the rapid technological advancements, especially the breakthroughs in AI, which have endowed robots with unprecedented intelligence. Additionally, sensor technologies—particularly the progress in miniaturization—have provided a strong foundation for the widespread application of robotics. Among the various fields of robotics, welding robots are increasingly becoming the focal point. Simply put, a welding robot is a highly automated device that integrates robotics technology, artificial intelligence, machine vision, automation control, and software design. Currently, this remains a "blue ocean" market, attracting numerous enterprises vying for a share. For instance, Maggmet has launched its intelligent digital welding machine, which has become a key component of industrial welding robot systems, while Estun has introduced a teachless intelligent welding system based on visual recognition. However, despite the promising market outlook, is the welding robot industry truly as promising as investors expect? Will this market eventually turn into a competitive "red ocean"? Let's analyze it from several perspectives. 1. Breaking the 50,000-unit Barrier: The Potential of the Welding Robot Market The core function of welding robots is, of course, welding, and the primary demand for welding comes from the steel structure industry. According to statistics, China’s annual steel welding volume is approximately 300 million tons, accounting for over 50% of the global total. The shortage of welders also creates demand for welding robots. It is estimated that by next year, China will face a shortage of about 400,000 skilled welders, and the high labor costs are accelerating the adoption of automated welding equipment. In recent years, the sales of welding robots have been increasing annually, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) exceeding 10% over the past five years. The sales have already surpassed 50,000 units, with arc welding robots taking the largest market share at approximately 62%. Currently, the automotive industry, particularly standardized and mass production in car manufacturing, has become the largest downstream market for welding robots, with penetration nearing saturation. Although the welding demand in the steel structure industry is substantial, the customization of products in this field means that welding robots have not yet fully achieved intelligent transformation, resulting in relatively low penetration. However, with the gradual promotion of teachless intelligent welding robots, the demand for welding robots in the steel structure industry is expected to reach 500,000 units by 2035, with a market space exceeding 50 billion RMB. 2. Intelligence: The Future Development of Welding Robots In the future, the large-scale application of welding robots, especially in non-standardized fields, will be heavily reliant on intelligence. Currently, the robot body and vision tracking system are the most costly components. The companies that possess full-stack capabilities in hardware and software development, as well as system integration, will have a competitive edge. For example, a robot may scan and identify parts to be welded, optimize the welding path using algorithms, and finally complete the welding task autonomously. Achieving this requires the establishment of a powerful workpiece recognition model and a comprehensive process database to achieve dynamic parametric control of the welding process. To accomplish this, technological innovation and coordinated efforts across various stages will be essential. 3. Technological Breakthroughs: The Core Competitiveness of Intelligent Welding With ongoing technological advancements, traditional industries such as metalworking and heavy machinery are gradually entering the intelligent welding market. The future of welding robots depends on breakthroughs in sensor technology, control systems, and software innovations. In particular, the development of welding models and the application of 3D vision technology will become the core barriers to industry development. The companies that gain a head start in these critical areas will have the opportunity to lead the industry and dominate the market.

  Welding robot: one of the main categories of industrial robots, intelligence is the development trend     Welding robot is one of the most important categories of industrial robots. Industrial robots are the most representative equipment for intelligent manufacturing, and their large-scale application is an important means for the future manufacturing industry to replace machines and improve production efficiency. 2022 global industrial robot installation, welding robots accounted for about 16%, second only to handling robots.       Traditional welding robots have been used in automotive, 3C and other industries on a large scale, but they are unable to solve the non-standardized welding work of steel structures, ships and other processes. Traditional welding robots have the advantages of high efficiency, high precision, consistency, etc., and are widely used in automotive/3C/metal products/engineering machinery and other industries with highly standardized welding processes and large batch sizes, replacing most of the manual welding work. However, in the steel structure / ship and other industries, welding presents “multi-category, small batch, non-standard parts” characteristics, the need for welding intelligence to meet the demand for such flexible welding. Welding robot mainly consists of two main parts: the robot body and welding equipment. Robot body is mainly composed of six-axis robot arm and controller, its core components for the control system, reducer and servo motors, welding equipment, including welding power supply, special welding torch, automatic wire feeding device. In terms of structural differences, the traditional welding robot has a tutor, intelligent welding robot added a large number of software and sensors, without manual programming, adaptive adjustment of processing parameters and paths, without the need for a tutor.   Downstream applications: conventional/intelligent welding robots to meet the needs of standardized/non-standard industries respectively     Mastering a single process of traditional welding robots can only meet the needs of standardized industries, automotive, 3C electronics is the main downstream. The downstream of traditional welding robots include automotive, 3C electronics and other standardized industries. Automotive, 3C electronics industry products have a large number of identical parts, suitable for mass production, with obvious standardization characteristics. In actual production, mastery of a single welding process robot can play a maximum benefit through mass production, so the standardized industry is the main downstream of traditional welding robots: in 2023, automotive, 3C electronics, metal products accounted for 36.9%/10.5%/10.0%, respectively. Traditional welding robots can not solve the non-standard industry machine for man, intelligent welding is the optimal solution. Steel structures, ships and other industries welding needs with a high degree of non-standard, small batch, multi-species, project-based features, welding process requirements are complex and variable, if the use of traditional welding robots, manual programming teaching workload has increased significantly, and can not be amortized through mass production costs, so the past failed to solve the industry's machine for manpower. In the future, with the further maturation of intelligent welding machines, the penetration rate of welding robots in non-standard industries is expected to continue to increase.   There is a large demand for welding in non-standard scenarios such as steel structures and ships.     The downstream industry welding demand is huge, steel structure, ships and other non-standard scene industry machine replacement space. At present, industries with high welding demand include automobile and auto parts, steel structure, ships and other industries. According to industry associations or GG Robotics data, the volume of steel structure, automobile and auto parts, heavy industry, aerospace and other industries will grow at a single-digit rate in the future; the shipbuilding industry, which has a significant cycle and is in an upward cycle, is expected to maintain a higher rate of growth in the volume in the next few years; the new energy industry is in a rapid development trend, and the growth rate is expected to be in the double-digit growth in the future. Intelligent welding: steel structure, shipbuilding industry demand is urgent, the release is imminent!   Steel structure machine for manpower power: welding demand is big, but welder shortage & welder cost rise   Necessity: High demand for welding, shortage of welders & continuous rise in welder cost. Healthy development of steel structure industry, welding demand continues to grow.In 2022, China's total output of steel structure processing and manufacturing is 101.4 million tons. The output of steel structure reaches 140 million tons by 2025, and 200 million tons by 2035. It is expected that the CAGR of the output in the next ten years will be about 5%, and the growth rate of welding demand may be the same as the output. There is a serious shortage of experienced welders. Steel structure welding production environment is poor, welding experience is required. At present, the old generation of welders are gradually retiring, and the new generation of young people have low willingness to become welders, but the demand for welders continues to increase, resulting in a continuous expansion of the welder shortage.     Heavy industry: steady development of the industry, high demand for machine replacement   Heavy industry: extensive downstream and certain non-standard attributes, customized chemical parts still require labor. Industry introduction: heavy industry is an important part of the national economy, covering a number of sub-industries such as iron and steel, machinery, shipping, electric power, chemical industry, mineral resources processing. Welding status: welding in heavy industry is widely used, involving steel manufacturing, machining, shipbuilding, power equipment, mining equipment and other fields. Although automation technology is gradually replacing manual welding in some areas, but customized and low volume production of workpieces still need to rely on manual operation. Booming degree: under the global economic recovery and policy support, the industry has maintained a good momentum of development, and is expected to maintain a growth rate of about 5% in the next few years; manual welding scale: according to the China Welding Association data and our judgment of the industry as a whole, it is expected that the automation of heavy industry accounts for about 50%-60%, and the proportion of non-automation is relatively high, and there is still a large space for the replacement of machines in the future. Intelligent welding development difficulties, market space and competitive landscape     Intelligent welding of steel structures is difficult because of the prominent non-standard properties   The common types of welded joints can be categorized into 4 types, with a large number of subdivided types . Joints that have two or more parts combined using welding are called welded joints. Welded joints include weld seam, fusion zone and heat affected zone. According to the standard, the common basic forms of welded joints can be simply divided into butt joints, lap joints, fillet joints and T-joints. Butt joints: two welding surfaces are relatively parallel joints, is the most widely used form of joints in the welded structure, can withstand a large static load or dynamic load. Lap joint: a joint formed by overlapping two weldments, generally used for steel plates under 12 mm, with both sides welded. This type of joint does not require a high level of assembly and is easy to weld, but has a lower load carrying capacity and can only be used in unimportant structures. Angle joint: the two welding ends form a joint with an angle of more than 30 degrees and less than 135 degrees, generally used in unimportant welded structures. T-joints: joints in which the weld end surfaces form a right angle or a near-right angle to the defined weld plane. t-joints are widely used and have certain requirements for bearing loads.   High complexity of the welding process, variety of scenarios, need for real-time dynamic adjustment   The welding process is extremely complex and needs to be adjusted to the welding situation at any time. Before welding: according to the shape of the bevel of the workpiece, welding quality requirements, the welder needs to judge the welding path, the running direction of the torch, the angle of the torch, the welding sequence, the set current and voltage parameters; welding: the bevel may be subjected to heat to produce unknown deformation, the depth of each weld and the welding speed, the emergence of quality problems, how to adjust the need for accurate judgment, need to be based on the welder's experience to carry out the judgment, it is difficult to form a written, standardized, dynamic adjustment of welding process. It is difficult to form a written, standardized instructions. Mature welders master special material welding, multiple welding methods, real-time analysis of welding defects and other capabilities, with sufficient accumulation of technology and a lot of practical experience.        

The evolution of robotics in welding technology has been a process of continuous innovation and progress. Back in 1961, the first generation of welding robots was invented by Dr. George Devine, chief engineer at the Detroit Laboratory in the United States. These robots used a six-axis motion system that could simulate the movement of a human hand and perform precise welding. However, due to technological limitations at the time, these robots were not suitable for mass production. Currently, welding robots are in the fifth generation of development. Through the introduction of sensors and intelligent algorithms, fifth-generation welding robots can seamlessly collaborate with human workers, complementing and supporting each other in their work. This collaboration not only improves productivity, but also reduces labor intensity and safety risks for workers. 1. Trends in welding robotics 1, flexibility and small batch production to enhance adaptability: traditional industrial robots may be more suitable for large-scale production, but now welding robots have been able to respond more flexibly to the needs of small batch production, and can even play the role of “small and beautiful” designers to meet a variety of niche needs. 2., the increasingly close collaboration between man and machine: welding robots are increasingly able to dance in harmony with humans, tacit understanding to complete some complex tasks. This mode of collaboration not only improves productivity, but also makes the working environment safer. 3, intelligent upgrade: through artificial intelligence technology, welding robots are becoming smarter and better able to adapt to a variety of working environments and complex tasks. 2. Trend forecasts for welder robots   1, technology continues to progress: with the continuous development of sensors, vision systems, machine learning and other technologies, welding machine robots will become more intelligent and autonomous. They can more accurately identify the welding position, automatically adjust the welding parameters to achieve high quality and high efficiency welding. 2, man-machine cooperation: the future of welding machine robots will pay more attention to the cooperative operation with people. Through advanced interaction systems and safety mechanisms, robots can work with workers to improve productivity while protecting the safety of workers. 3, application areas to broaden: the application of welding robots will be further broadened, not limited to the traditional automotive manufacturing, metal products and other industries, but also penetrate the aerospace, electronics manufacturing and other high-precision, high-quality requirements of the field. 4, modularity and flexibility: welding machine robot will be more modular, easy to quickly configure and integrate into different production lines. At the same time, the robot will have a higher degree of flexibility, able to adapt to different shapes and sizes of workpieces to meet the diverse welding needs. 5, environmental protection and energy saving: with the improvement of environmental awareness, the welder robot will pay more attention to energy saving and emission reduction. By optimizing the welding process and the use of efficient energy use technology, reduce energy consumption and emissions, to achieve green manufacturing. 6, remote monitoring and maintenance: with the Internet of Things technology, welding machine robot will realize remote monitoring and maintenance. Users can real-time understanding of the robot's operating status, timely fault diagnosis and maintenance, improve the reliability and service life of the equipment.   In the future, with the continuous development of artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and other technologies, welding robots will become more intelligent, networked and autonomous. They will be able to continuously optimize welding procedures and parameters by learning and analyzing production data to improve welding quality and efficiency. At the same time, welding robots will also be interconnected with other equipment and systems to build smart factories and realize remote monitoring, remote maintenance and other functions. In addition, welding robots will also pay more attention to environmental protection and green production, reducing the impact on the environment by adopting new welding technologies and processes.   3. Welding robots in construction   1、Steel structure welding: Welding robots can be used for automatic welding of steel plates, steel beams and other components, greatly improving the precision and efficiency of welding. 2、Welding of prefabricated components: prefabricated components are an important part of modern construction industrialization, welding robots can be used to accurately and quickly weld prefabricated components in a factory environment, improving efficiency and reducing manual operation errors. 3、Anchor system welding: Welding robots can automatically weld anchor rods and anchor plates to improve welding quality and speed. 4, steel welding: the use of welding robots can ensure the quality and precision of welding and reduce the complexity of manual operation.   In the construction industry, the application of welding robots is becoming more and more widespread. Customized welding solutions can be provided according to the specific needs of construction projects to ensure welding quality and safety. In addition, welding robots also have the ability of high-precision measurement and real-time monitoring, which can greatly improve construction accuracy and efficiency. At the same time, through the remote control system, the operator can control the robot in a place far away from the construction site, further improving the construction safety and efficiency.   In summary, welding robots have made significant progress in their development history and will continue to develop in the direction of greater flexibility, intelligence and synergy in the future. In the construction industry, the application of welding robots will further improve the construction quality and efficiency, contributing to the sustainable development of the construction industry!

  Robot Grinding and Polishing: Key Technologies and Trends   Robotic Polishing: Overview of Industry Challenges, Key Technologies and Solutions   This paper provides an in-depth look at the key technologies, ontology performance and peripheral equipment of polishing robots, as well as analyzing the challenges faced by the industry. From robotic sanding and polishing to the definition of polishing and sanding robots, it shows the wide range of applications of sanding robots in the manufacturing industry. However, industry challenges and technological challenges also need to be faced and solved for more efficient, safe and environmentally friendly automated polishing.     First, the challenges of automated grinding and key technology analysis   Automated grinding has significant advantages in industrial production, such as improving production efficiency, reducing labor costs, ensuring product consistency, etc., but also faces many challenges and technical difficulties. The following are some of the main challenges and key technology analysis:   1. Precision control: the grinding process requires precise removal of material from the surface of the workpiece to achieve the desired dimensional accuracy and surface quality, which puts forward the requirements of high-precision motion control for automated equipment. Key technologies include high-precision servo system, precision mechanical structure design and precision sensor technology.   2. Online detection and real-time feedback: automated grinding needs to realize the real-time monitoring and intelligent adjustment of the grinding process, which involves online detection technology, such as the use of laser rangefinders, vision systems, etc. to obtain the surface information of the workpiece, and through the control system to adjust the real-time feedback of the grinding parameters.   3. Workpiece identification and positioning: for different shapes, sizes and materials of the workpiece, automated grinding equipment needs to have flexible and efficient identification and positioning capabilities, may use the key technologies are machine vision, robot gripping technology, RFID and so on.   4. Adaptive control: due to the hardness of the workpiece material, shape complexity and other factors, the sanding process may need to dynamically adjust the sanding force, speed and other parameters, so adaptive control algorithms is an important technology for automated sanding, including fuzzy control, neural network control, model predictive control and other advanced control strategies.   5. Sanding tool wear monitoring and compensation: sanding tools will be worn after a long time of use, affecting the processing accuracy and effect, so how to accurately monitor and compensate for tool wear is also a key technology, which may involve sensor technology, signal processing and data analysis and other means.   6. Safety and environmental protection technology: automated grinding equipment in the operation process will produce a lot of dust and noise, to ensure that the safety of the working environment and environmental protection is also a key issue, the need to introduce efficient dust-absorbing dust removal devices, sound insulation and noise reduction technology. In summary, the development and application of automated grinding technology is not only dependent on the breakthrough of a single key technology, but also need to integrate, intelligent technology system support, so as to effectively solve a variety of complex problems in actual production.     Second, what is robotic grinding and polishing?   Robotic grinding and polishing is a process of automated surface treatment using robotics combined with specialized grinding and polishing tools. In this process, the robot system is programmed to perform precise positioning and flexible movements to deburr, trim and smooth the surface of various types of workpieces in accordance with preset parameters, ultimately achieving the purpose of improving the surface quality and appearance of the workpiece.   Robot grinding and polishing is a kind of technology that utilizes robots instead of manual labor to carry out polishing and polishing operations such as workpiece surface grinding, corner deburring, weld grinding, and deburring of internal cavities and holes. Robot grinding and polishing is usually used in a number of industries, such as sanitary ware, automotive industry parts manufacturing, industrial precision parts, medical equipment, civil products, etc., especially in the higher precision requirements and high intensity, repetitive work occasions.   Compared with traditional manual work, robot grinding and polishing has the following advantages:   1. Improve the consistency and stability of product quality.   2. Reduce the risk of manual errors and injuries, and improve operational safety.   3. Able to work 24 hours a day, greatly improving production efficiency.   4. Continuous operation in harsh or harmful environments, improving labor conditions for workers.   5. Low skill requirements for operators, easy to train and manage.   6. Equipped with advanced force control technology and intelligent sensing system, it can adjust the grinding strength and path in real time to adapt to different workpiece materials and complex geometries.   Through the integration of robot technology, precision actuators, force control modules, high-performance grinding wheels or polishing tools, as well as advanced sensors and software algorithms, the robotic grinding and polishing system is capable of realizing highly automated and refined surface treatment processes.   Third, what is a polishing robot?   Polishing and grinding robot is a robot system for polishing and grinding, which uses servo motor multi-joints to imitate human arm joint movements, to realize the operation of the workpiece surface grinding, corner deburring, weld grinding, deburring of the inner cavity bore and other work. The robot can polish and grind different workpieces, and can either grind the workpieces as a whole or grind them locally.   Polishing and grinding robot consists of robot system, constant force sensing device, grinding head assembly, clamping tooling, grinding processing device, safety protection device and the whole station control system. Among them, the robot system is the main executor of the whole polishing system, the constant force sensing device is the guarantor of the adaptive compensation function, the grinding head assembly is the end tool of polishing, the clamping workpiece is the localizer of the relative position of the whole system, the grinding processing device is the environmental protection of the whole system, the safety protection device is the safety protector of the whole system, and the whole control system is the logical judgment and scheduler of the mutual communication of the various components in the workstation. The whole station control system is the logical judgment and scheduler of the communication between the components in the workstation.   Polishing and grinding robot can replace manual polishing and grinding work, improve production efficiency and quality, reduce labor intensity and cost.     Fourth, polishing robot industry challenges   Grinding and polishing as one of the most common processes in the manufacturing industry, with a poor working environment, high labor intensity, unstable polishing quality, waste of raw materials and other issues. With the development of industrial automation technology, more and more companies are beginning to use grinding robots instead of manual polishing, but grinding robots in the actual application of the following industry challenges still exist:   1. surface consistency is difficult to ensure: due to the workpiece processing accuracy, clamping errors, robot positioning and kinematics errors, belt tightening force and other factors, it is difficult to ensure the consistency of the surface of all workpieces.   2. Polishing effect is inconsistent: due to different contact pressure between the polishing belt and the surface of the workpiece, the polishing effect in different areas is often inconsistent, affecting the overall polishing quality.   3. High cost of robot use: due to the poor working environment of polishing and sanding, dust, cutting fluid splash and other reasons, the robot's service life is shorter, higher maintenance costs.   4. High programming complexity: polishing trajectory and process parameters depend on the shape of the workpiece, material and processing requirements and other factors, requiring professional and technical personnel to program and debug, and program debugging time is longer.   5. Poor process adaptability: different workpiece polishing process is different, the need for frequent replacement of abrasive belts, adjusting process parameters, etc., affecting production efficiency.   6. Difficulty in safety protection: dust, metal shavings generated in the polishing process is prone to pollution of the robot and the surrounding environment, the need to take strict safety protection measures to ensure the safety of operators and equipment.   In summary, to solve these industry challenges of polishing robot, improve its polishing quality and productivity, reduce the cost of use and maintenance costs, will help to promote the application and development of polishing robot in more industries, to achieve automated polishing technology in the manufacturing industry more widely used.   Fifth, what are the key technologies of grinding robots?   Grinding robot as high-end equipment in the field of automated processing, its key technologies cover a variety of aspects, the following are a few major technical points:   1. High-precision motion control technology:   ○In order to achieve high-quality sanding results, sanding robots must have extremely high positional accuracy and repeatability, which depends on precision servo motors, gearboxes and high-precision robot joint structure design, as well as advanced motion controllers and trajectory planning algorithms.   2. Force control and haptic feedback technology:   ○Force control is critical during the sanding process to avoid overloading and damaging the workpiece or tool. The constant force floating mechanism enables the sanding tool to maintain constant pressure when contacting the workpiece, preventing quality problems caused by too much or too little contact force. In addition, the haptic sensor can provide real-time feedback on the contact force to realize force-controlled grinding.   3. Intelligent perception and autonomous adaptation technology:   ○Including visual recognition, laser scanning, infrared detection and other non-contact sensor technologies for workpiece identification, localization and contour tracking, as well as judging the surface condition of the workpiece, so that the robot can autonomously adjust the sanding strategy according to the actual situation.   4. Online monitoring and adaptive control algorithm:   Realize real-time monitoring of tool wear, workpiece deformation, surface roughness and other parameters during the grinding process, and accordingly optimize the grinding path, speed and strength, using fuzzy logic control, neural network control, adaptive PID control and other algorithms, in order to ensure that the sanding effect is consistent and the life of the tool is maximized.   5. Research and development of specialized tools and consumables:   ○Design and manufacture special tools such as high-speed rotary sanding head, polishing disk, sanding belt, etc. suitable for robots, and combine them with new wear-resistant materials and cooling and lubrication technologies to adapt to the needs of continuous work and improve tool durability.   6. Human-machine interaction and programming technology:   ○Develop friendly human-machine interaction interface, simplify robot task programming and parameter setting, support offline programming and demonstration reproduction, and even develop AI-based autonomous learning programming technology, so that the robot can adapt to various sanding tasks more quickly.   7. Safety protection and environmental protection measures: ○Study the safety protection mechanism of the sanding robot during operation, including collision detection and emergency stop system, as well as the integration of high-efficiency dust suction, air purification and other equipment to reduce the dust and noise pollution generated by sanding.   In summary, the key technologies of sanding robots cover multiple levels such as robot hardware, control software, perception technology, tools and consumables as well as safety and environmental protection, aiming to create a highly automated, intelligent and green sanding operation system.   Six, grinding robot body key performance   The body of the grinding robot, that is, the mechanical structure of the robot, is the basis for realizing the grinding operation. Its key performance indicators directly affect the grinding effect and efficiency of the robot.   The key performance of the grinding robot body includes:   1. Degree of freedom: sanding robot needs to have enough degrees of freedom to adapt to different sanding tasks and workpiece shapes. Typically, sanding robots have between 3-6 degrees of freedom.   2. Accuracy: The grinding robot needs to have enough accuracy to meet the accuracy requirements of the grinding task. This includes the robot's positional accuracy, attitude accuracy, and path accuracy.   3. Speed: The sanding robot needs to have enough speed to improve the sanding efficiency. At the same time, the speed of the robot also needs to match the speed of the sanding tool to avoid excessive sanding or damage to the workpiece.   4. Repeat positioning accuracy: sanding robot needs to have enough repeat positioning accuracy to ensure the consistency and stability of each sanding.   5. Carrying capacity: the grinding robot needs to have enough carrying capacity to withstand the weight of the grinding tool and workpiece. At the same time, the carrying capacity of the robot also needs to match the power of the grinding tool to avoid overloading the robot.   6. Stability: sanding robot needs to have enough stability to ensure the safety and reliability of the sanding process. This includes the robot's structural stability, control stability and motion stability.   7. Reliability: sanding robot needs to have enough reliability to ensure that the robot can work for a long time to maintain good performance and accuracy. This includes the quality of robot parts, control system stability and maintenance.   8. Protection measures: sanding operation will produce a large amount of dust and debris, these substances may cause interference with the robot's movement and sensors. Therefore, the grinding robot needs to have appropriate protective measures, such as dustproof, waterproof, shockproof, etc..   In summary, the key performance of the sanding robot body is the basis for the sanding robot to realize efficient and accurate sanding, and it needs to have good motion performance, load capacity, flexibility, accuracy, stability, reliability, safety and ease of operation.     Seven, Sanding robot peripheral equipment and end tools   The grinding robot will be equipped with a series of peripheral equipment and end tools when performing grinding tasks, and these configurations play a vital role in its performance and processing results. The following is a list of some common peripheral equipment and end-of-arm tools for sanding robots:   1. End-effector (sanding tool):   ○Sanding head: according to different materials and process requirements to choose different types of sanding head, such as pneumatic sanding head, electric sanding head, ultrasonic sanding head, etc..   ○Polishing discs: suitable for fine polishing operations, a variety of materials, such as wool wheels, sponge wheels, ceramic discs, resin discs and so on.   ○Belt sander: utilizing abrasive belts to sand or polish the surface of the workpiece over a large area.   ○Laser/water jet/electrochemical and other special sanding tools: non-contact sanding for specific materials or process needs.   2. Force control unit:   ○Constant force floating device: to ensure that constant pressure is applied to the workpiece during the sanding process, preventing quality problems caused by too much or too little pressure.   ○Torque sensor: real-time measurement of the force and torque of the robot end-effector in contact with the workpiece, providing the robot with the basis for force control.   3. Sensors and inspection equipment:   ○Vision system: including camera, 3D camera, etc., used for workpiece identification, localization and surface defect detection.   ○Contact sensors: such as inductive, capacitive or piezoelectric sensors for detecting the surface contour of the workpiece and the state of grinding.   ○ Temperature sensors: to monitor the temperature generated during the sanding process and prevent overheating from damaging the workpiece or equipment.   4. Dust removal and environmental protection equipment:   ○Dust extraction system: supporting the installation of industrial vacuum cleaner or centralized dust extraction system, timely removal of dust generated during the sanding process, to protect the health and safety of the working environment.   ○Soundproofing facilities: For the case of grinding noise, soundproof enclosure or other noise reduction equipment may be configured.   5. Peripheral auxiliary equipment:   ○Workpiece fixture: Stabilize and fix the workpiece to be sanded to ensure stable and reliable processing.   ○Workpiece fixture replacement system: When workpieces of different specifications or shapes need to be processed, the corresponding fixtures and positioning systems can be quickly replaced.   Through the reasonable configuration and use of the above peripheral equipment and end tools, the sanding robot can realize more efficient, accurate and environmentally friendly automated sanding operations.   Eight, grinding and polishing robot market analysis and brand companies and application cases are?   The robot grinding and polishing market is continuing to grow. With the rise in labor costs and the transformation of manufacturing to automation, the advantages of robotic grinding and polishing technology are becoming more and more obvious. This technology can improve productivity, reduce labor costs, and ensure product quality. The robotic polishing market is expected to expand further in the coming years. The following is some comprehensive information about robotic grinding and polishing technology and its market analysis, major brand companies and application cases:   1.Market Analysis:   ○ According to the data of 2023, the proportion of grinding and polishing robots in industrial robots is about 15%, and in the global market demand of that year, foreign brands occupy about 70% of the market share, while the corresponding domestic brands occupy the remaining 30% of the market share, which indicates that the technology and market share of foreign enterprises in this field are relatively high.   ○Domestic and foreign policy adjustments and improvements are promoting the rapid development of polishing and sanding robotics industry, is expected to have a broader market space in the future, especially in solving the problems of low efficiency, high labor intensity, high safety risks and other issues that exist in manual polishing, the application of robotics technology has significant advantages.     2. Major brand companies:   ○ABB: a Swiss multinational company, offering a wide range of industrial robots, including for grinding and polishing applications.   ○KUKA: a German company with a reputation for its flexible robotic systems in automotive manufacturing and other industrial sectors.   ○FANUC: A Japanese company and one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial robots for a wide range of surface finishing applications.   ○Efort: a local Chinese company specializing in the R&D, manufacturing and sales of industrial robots and their intelligent equipment.   ○Automatic Robot: a Chinese robot manufacturer offering a wide range of automation solutions including grinding and polishing.   JAKA Robotics also demonstrated its excellent performance in sanding and polishing cases, which shows that Setska has certain technical R&D and practical application capabilities in this field.   Universal Robots: Universal Robots is one of the world's leading manufacturers of collaborative robots for grinding and polishing. The company's robots are easy to use, flexible and reliable, helping companies to improve productivity and reduce labor costs.   Staubli: Staubli is one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial robots, whose products are widely used in the field of grinding and polishing. The company's robots are characterized by high precision and high rigidity, and can meet the requirements of various complex grinding and polishing processes.   3.Application cases:   ○Automotive manufacturing industry: for grinding and polishing of automotive parts, such as wheel hubs, engine parts, and interior parts, robots can achieve high efficiency and consistency in surface treatment.   ○3C industry: in the manufacturing of electronic products such as cell phones and computers, robots can be used to grind and polish precision metal parts to ensure the appearance and texture of the products.   ○Aerospace: Aircraft engine parts, fuselages, etc. require high-precision grinding and polishing, and robots can provide stable and repeatable processing.   ○Marine industry: the grinding and polishing of ship hull structure has a complex working environment, and robots can reduce manual labor intensity and improve safety.   ○Furniture manufacturing industry: In the furniture manufacturing industry, robot grinding and polishing technology is mainly used for the surface treatment of wooden furniture. Through automated robot processing, it can realize efficient and low-cost surface treatment, and improve the aesthetics and durability of furniture.   ○Jewelry processing industry: In the jewelry processing field, robot grinding and polishing technology is widely used in the processing and surface treatment of various materials. As jewelry requires high precision and appearance, robots can complete fine grinding and polishing work to improve product quality and production efficiency.   ○Siasun robots may have specific application examples in industries such as internal combustion engines and accessories, such as automated grinding and polishing operations for precision components or complex structural parts. Setska Robotics may demonstrate its grinding and polishing applications in different industries through multi-dimensional real-world cases, such as surface treatment of parts in automobile manufacturing, aerospace, hardware processing and other industries. In summary, the robot grinding and polishing technology has been widely used in a number of industries, and with technological advances and market demand growth, more brands are expected to enter and compete in the market, launching grinding and polishing robotic products adapted to the needs of various processes.   Overall, industrial robots are gradually replacing traditional manual labor in grinding and polishing scenarios. Grinding and polishing robot with the help of advanced force control system, visual recognition technology, constant force floating mechanism, etc., to achieve high efficiency, precision and safety to complete the grinding task, improve the quality and consistency of the product. At the same time, it reduces manual labor intensity and production costs, and improves enterprise productivity. However, in practical applications, grinding robots still face a series of challenges, such as surface consistency, polishing effect, and robot use cost. Robot sanding and polishing and sanding and polishing robot market has a broad prospect, and enterprises are mainly concentrated. Branded companies such as ATI, KUKA, ABB and FANUC provide industrial robots and automation solutions, including grinding and polishing applications. Practical application cases include wood polishing, aluminum alloy polishing, as well as automotive parts, sanitary hardware and other industries. In the future, with the progress of science and technology, sanding and polishing robots will continue to develop and realize a higher level of intelligent manufacturing.

Key Takeaway: Enhancing Spray Painting Quality. AUBO robots offer excellent repeatability and precise spray painting trajectories, ensuring consistent spraying speed and uniform coating thickness. They can initiate the spray gun without any deviation, guaranteeing the desired spray thickness.Improving Spray Painting Efficiency with EoAT robots, there is an increase in product yield and better consistency, reducing the need for manual touch-ups and allowing for on-the-fly modifications of spray parameters without production line stoppages. EoAT robots exhibit high reliability, stable operation, and low failure rates, enabling continuous operation according to production requirements.   Spray painting is a crucial process in product manufacturing as it directly affects the appearance quality and represents a significant component of product value. The spray painting industry is facing a severe labor shortage due to challenging work environments and health hazards to human workers. As a result, more and more manufacturers are adopting robotic automated spray painting systems.   Industry Pain Points Time-consuming and costly: The drawbacks of manual spray painting, such as low efficiency, coating performance, and paint utilization, have become increasingly apparent. With rising labor costs, relying on manual spray painting cannot keep up with the pace of economic development for businesses. High technical barriers leading to labor shortage: Hiring a skilled spray painter requires paying high wages, but the high-risk work environment makes recruitment even more challenging. The spray painting industry is facing a labor shortage, which makes the introduction of automated spray painting a trend. Health hazards in a high-risk environment: Spray paints typically contain hazardous chemicals such as benzene, toluene, and xylene. Volatile organic compounds and dust in the paint significantly impact workers' health, making them susceptible to occupational diseases like pneumoconiosis when exposed to such working environments for extended periods.   AUBO + Eco-partners Collaborative empowerment for industry development AUBO collaborates with eco-partners, integrating industry resources to provide automated spray painting solutions for different industries and customers. These solutions effectively improve coating quality, spray painting efficiency, paint utilization, and reduce labor costs. Enhanced spray painting quality: AUBO robots exhibit excellent trajectory repeatability, precise trajectories, consistent spray painting speed, and uniform coating thickness. They can initiate spray gun operation without deviation, ensuring the specified spray thickness. Improved spray painting efficiency: The yield of quality products increases with good consistency, reducing the need for manual touch-ups. Spray painting parameters can be modified without production stoppages. AUBO robots boast high reliability, stable operation, and low failure rates, enabling continuous operation to meet production demands. Reduced labor and paint costs: Using AUBO robots for spray painting minimizes paint and spray wastage. Compared to traditional spray painting methods, this approach saves on labor assistance, reduces technical requirements, and conserves labor costs.   "Military-grade" explosion-proof protection High safety level with IP65 rating Spray painting work environments are harsh, with paint compositions consisting of chemical substances. Paint mist and other volatile gases produced during spraying are flammable and explosive, making the spray painting site as hazardous as a gas station. As robots require electrical control, improper protection can lead to fires and explosions. Therefore, explosion-proof considerations are paramount when using spray painting robots in enclosed spaces. Generally, robots used in special work environments should have an IP rating of at least 54. However, AUBO's explosion-proof collaborative robots boast a high IP65 protection level, effectively reducing safety risks. To minimize external influences and extend their lifespan, the robots are typically equipped with waterproof and dustproof covers during actual production, ensuring stability and safety during spray painting operations.     "Drag-and-Drop" Operation Lowering the learning curve for fast production How to quickly master the skills of using robots and achieve rapid production is a primary consideration for companies when choosing robot-assisted production. With AUBO robots, users can generate motion paths and intuitively teach spray painting tasks through drag-and-drop programming. By manually guiding the robot to specific positions or moving it along specific trajectories, users can easily teach the robot how to perform spray painting tasks. Additionally, EoAT, in collaboration with eco-partners, provides spray painting application packages, allowing users to control all spray painting parameters and flexibly operate them based on actual application requirements.     Spray painting poses significant hazards, and many factories allocate dedicated work areas for spray painting. These areas usually have limited space, requiring robots to possess high flexibility and freedom of movement while maintaining a compact size. In a spray painting application at a water pump company, manual spray painting resulted in uneven coatings and high defect rates. By using the AUBO i5 collaborative robot for water pump spray painting, the application was quickly set up through drag-and-drop programming. The robot ensured a stable paint output and achieved uniform spraying on all angles and surfaces. Compared to manual spray painting, the defect rate of the products could be close to zero. The robot can adapt to different types of water pumps, improve production efficiency, and automate the process of water pump spray painting.     Increased Production and Efficiency Higher Flexibility and Versatility Spray painting involves significant hazards, leading many factories to allocate dedicated work areas for this process. These areas often have limited space, requiring robots to possess high flexibility and freedom of movement while maintaining a compact size. AUBO collaborative robots occupy only 1m² of space and offer exceptional flexibility. The i-series collaborative robots have different payload capacities ranging from 3kg to 20kg. Each joint supports a ±360° rotation, simulating human hands and enabling spray painting from various angles. They can even handle the precise internal surface spray painting of intricate workpieces. Additionally, the robots can be installed in different ways, such as inverted or side-mounted, to meet diverse customer application demands. In a case study at a plastic product manufacturing company, the harsh working environment and the inefficiency of manual spray painting posed challenges for the business. The company introduced the AUBO i5 collaborative robot, which held the powder spray gun. Utilizing a grid sensor, the robot achieved uniform powder spraying on the products, leading to nearly 100% utilization of the powder coating. With a repeat positioning accuracy of ±0.02mm, the robot accurately positioned and sprayed powder on the components of the workpieces, ensuring higher precision.     Compared to manual powder spraying, automated spraying achieves a rate of over 90%, resulting in a 30% increase in production efficiency and a 30% improvement in product quality. Labor costs are reduced by 50% as one person in this workstation is completely replaced by the robot, achieving the goal of human-robot substitution. Of course, in addition to the mentioned applications, AUBO, in collaboration with its eco-partners, is continuously exploring new application scenarios. With technological advancements, more and more jobs will be replaced by automated equipment, freeing workers from strenuous and harsh work environments. This optimization of production efficiency reduces occupational hazards and provides a more friendly and safe working environment.    

Key Takeaway: Collaborative robots equipped with intelligent cameras are used to capture images for precise positioning, guiding the robotic arms in the assembly and screw locking processes of the back panel. Additionally, before the products are packed, AUBO collaborative robots are employed to install a visual inspection system, ensuring comprehensive quality checks on surface printing and assembly quality. This enables defect-free products to be delivered. AUBO collaborative robots can replace repetitive manual operations, reducing product non-conformance rates and helping elevate the digital and intelligent level in the home appliance industry.   China is the world's largest production base for white goods. With the rising manufacturing costs and increased market competition in the home appliance industry, improving the level of informatization, digitization, and automation in home appliance process equipment and achieving lean production management have become the current focus of the industry.   Customer Pain Points As a leading enterprise in the home appliance industry, our customer faces challenges with a complete washing machine production line, which can require more than a hundred employees for a single shift. Specifically, in the assembly and screw locking processes of the washing machine back panel, there are up to 9 different steps involved. The workstations at these processes have high intensity, repetitive and monotonous tasks, and limited working space. This has led to difficulties in recruitment, increasing labor costs, frequent workforce turnover, and ultimately rising production costs. It also results in issues like incorrect or missed screw tightening, compromising the product quality. Furthermore, with the accelerated pace of product updates and replacements in recent years, there is an increasing demand for small batches, personalization, and customization in home appliances. This leads to a wide variety of product models and short changeover cycles, with mixed production on each line. Ensuring product quality control becomes a significant challenge. To improve production efficiency and facilitate the customer's transition from standardized production to flexible manufacturing, adopting Aibo collaborative robots to create efficient, flexible, and reliable production lines is the perfect solution.   Solution On-site, AUBO collaborative robots equipped with intelligent cameras are used to capture and locate images, guiding the robotic arms for precise positioning in back panel assembly and screw locking tasks. Additionally, before the products are packed, AUBO collaborative robots are employed to install a visual inspection system, ensuring comprehensive quality checks on surface printing and assembly quality. This enables defect-free products to be delivered. AUBO collaborative robots can replace repetitive manual operations, reduce product non-conformance rates, and help elevate the digital and intelligent level in the home appliance industry.     Human-Robot Collaboration Creating Higher Value Together AUBO collaborative robots support level 10 collision detection and sensor safety checks, eliminating the need for safety fences. With a footprint of less than 1 square meter, they can become close 'partners' to employees, working side by side. The collaborative robots handle the back panel assembly and screw locking tasks that require strict adherence to process specifications, while human workers assist in tasks such as reinforcing iron, connecting and disconnecting water pipes, and organizing wires. This achieves true human-robot collaboration. Aibo collaborative robots are safe, reliable, compact, and flexible, saving more floor space in the factory. They can be quickly deployed on existing production lines, saving time and effort. After the deployment of Aibo collaborative robots on-site, continuous production can be achieved 24 hours a day, reducing the workforce by 50% and increasing production capacity by 30%.   Flexible and Diverse Meeting Different Application Needs There are various types of screws used in washing machine back panels, and each workstation has different requirements for torque and reach. The AUBO i-Series collaborative robots have different load capacities ranging from 3kg to 20kg, meeting diverse application needs. Multiple sets of AUBO i5 (5kg payload, 886.5mm working radius) and i10 (10kg payload, 1350mm working radius) collaborative robots are deployed on-site to meet different screw tightening requirements. Moreover, the home appliance industry demands high production efficiency, with higher tempo requirements compared to other industries. The 15-second cycle time of AUBO collaborative robots at each workstation perfectly meets the customer's production requirements.     Ensuring Stable Performance Technological Advancements Enhancing Product Performance By equipping AUBO collaborative robots with vision cameras at the end effectors, it is possible to address positional deviations caused by previous steps in the installation of the washing machine back panel. The robots can reposition the screw holes and achieve precise screw locking. AUBO collaborative robots offer a repeatable positioning accuracy of up to ±0.02mm, ensuring consistent and stable screw locking actions according to unified standards. This guarantees product consistency, with a screw locking success rate of up to 99.8%, effectively resolving issues related to human errors such as missed or incorrect tightening.     The robotics industry is a major breakthrough in China's intelligent manufacturing and an essential path for the future transformation and upgrading of various industries. The white goods industry, characterized by intense competition, typically pursues economies of scale, striving to lower production costs through expanding their operations. Robots serve as enablers in this regard, driving the home appliance industry towards automation, labor-saving processes, unmanned operations, and improved efficiency. By utilizing robotic automation in production, higher output value can be achieved, ultimately enhancing the overall competitiveness of the home appliance manufacturing sector.    

Faced with the ultimate pursuit of efficiency in the warehousing and logistics industry, KUKA China has developed a 3D vision-based robot mixed palletizing and depalletizing application unit.   In today's rapidly developing e-commerce and retail industries, every link in the logistics industry is facing more severe challenges. At the same time, the manual picking and sorting process in large distribution centers faces problems of high labor intensity and low efficiency.   In response to the industry's ultimate pursuit of efficiency and commitment to promoting the ubiquitous existence of industrial robots, KUKA China has developed a 3D vision-based robot mixed palletizing and depalletizing application unit. As different sizes of cartons are transported to the palletizing station by conveyor belts, the robot recognizes and grabs each type of carton, and according to the mixed palletizing requirements, places them on the pallets.     This unit provides an intelligent upgrade solution for the inbound and outbound processes of distribution centers. It integrates industrial robots and 3D industrial cameras, and uses artificial intelligence and 3D vision technology to demonstrate single depalletizing, mixed depalletizing, mixed palletizing, and pallet continuation applications. The upgraded solution has the following advantages:   1 Realized a highly flexible picking process by replacing manual labor with robots as the carrier; 2 Has higher work efficiency compared to manual labor, accelerating the pace of inbound and outbound processes; 3 All points are generated by vision, eliminating the need for manual teaching, and the entire system can be quickly put into operation.         In addition, the solution also supports both online and offline mixed palletizing.   Online mixed palletizing supports mixed palletizing of any incoming order and box size. In the case where the carton specifications and incoming order cannot be obtained in advance, the robot can recognize the position and size of the carton, generate real-time optimal stacking position and motion path, and grab each carton and place it on the pallet.   Offline mixed palletizing calculates the optimal stacking pattern and placement sequence based on principles such as larger boxes first, heavier boxes first, ensuring stacking stability, and fully utilizing pallet space. Users can also set their own stacking calculation conditions. The system will transport the cartons according to the placement sequence, and the robot will complete the palletizing according to the optimal stacking pattern.     This solution is suitable for typical scenarios such as loading of express delivery cages and inbound and outbound processes of logistics warehouses, and has been widely used in industries such as e-commerce, express delivery, and food and beverage. MechaMan's independently developed intelligent mixed palletizing algorithm, together with industrial-grade 3D cameras and industrial robots provided by KUKA, has contributed to improving the efficiency of the logistics industry and reducing labor costs.   Mech-Eye Industrial 3D Camera   MechaMan's high-performance industrial 3D cameras can output high-quality 3D data of many types of objects and are the "soul component" of this robot mixed palletizing and depalletizing application. The diverse camera models are sufficient to meet various needs in different scenarios such as anti-environmental light, high precision, and small volume. The Mech-Eye LSR L and Mech-Eye DEEP cameras selected for this application use lasers to produce structured light, which is suitable for scenes with high requirements for anti-environmental light performance. They have high accuracy, wide field of view, and a maximum working distance of up to 3.5m.   The Robot Multi-tasker: KUKA KR Quantec   If artificial intelligence and 3D cameras are the soul and eyes of the entire solution, then the industrial robot is the most reliable hands and best executor of the solution. The KUKA KR Quantec robot used in the application is not only a strong and stable hand but also a "multi-tasker" in the industrial robot family. The diverse arm spans of KR Quantec models range from 2.7m to 3.5m, covering a payload range from 120kg to 300kg.     In addition to being used for depalletizing and palletizing in the logistics industry, KR Quantec can also be used in scenarios such as mechanical processing, installation, handling, welding, and more. Moreover, when faced with higher protection requirements and harsh environments such as high temperatures and low temperatures, KR Quantec still performs with ease.