I. Introduction
The large population and low labor cost are the boosters for the rapid development of China's manufacturing industry in recent decades. However, in recent years, the problem of labor shortage has become more and more prominent. According to the statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics, China's population growth rate reached its peak in 1984 and began to decline rapidly after 2000. By 2017, there will be negative growth, the “demographic dividend” will disappear, and the workforce will become increasingly scarce. After the government implemented the new labor law in 2008, labor costs have increased significantly. This has prompted some large labor-intensive manufacturing companies to move to Southeast Asian countries where labor costs are lower. Sporting goods giants Adidas and Nike have relocated and closed their factories in China. China is no longer a cheap manufacturing country. The economic environment has changed, and domestic manufacturing companies should pay more attention to improving the automation level of production lines and paying attention to the improvement of leanness.
In 2011, Foxconn announced that it will introduce 1 million "robots" and begin to promote the application of robots on the production line on a large scale. By applying robotic automation technology instead of manual operation method to reduce the number of production personnel and reduce the number of personnel to prepare, this will fundamentally solve the problem of “l(fā)abor shortage” and reduce the labor cost that has risen sharply.
Second, the development of industrial robot applications
At present, robot automation technology at home and abroad is developing rapidly and is widely used. Different robot applications are different, especially industrial robots, which are widely used in the manufacturing industry. Industrial robots are machines that automate work and can be run in a pre-programmed program. The main purpose of industrial robots is to reduce staffing and improve quality stability. Japan is known as the "robot kingdom" and introduced the first robot from the United States in 1967. After 1976, with the rapid development of the manufacturing industry and the sharp increase in market demand, Japan's labor force was significantly insufficient at that time. Industrial robots were unprecedentedly welcomed in the enterprise, which made the rapid development of Japanese industrial robots and greatly reduced the shortage of labor. At present, the development of industrial robot technology in the United States, Germany, France and other European and American countries is also quite rapid.
According to statistics, the current use of industrial robots in various industries at home and abroad are: welding accounts for 31%, loading and unloading, handling accounts for 28%, assembly accounts for 22%, and others such as testing, spraying, stamping, etc. For now, the automotive industry is the most widely used robot. The main process links of automobile production: stamping workshop, body welding, paint. Industrial robots are used in a large number of workshops such as engine and transmission manufacturing and assembly operations. Industrial robots have replaced manual work in most of the workshops except for the assembly shop in the automobile manufacturing plant, realizing unmanned operations.
Application of common robot technology:
1. Application of welding robot
The welding robot is an industrial robot engaged in welding work. Welding robots are classified into arc welding robots, laser welding robots, and spot welding robots according to the type of use. Welding robots are widely used in the automotive industry. Spot welding and arc welding robots are still the most widely used. According to incomplete statistics, there are nearly 4,000 welding points for a whole vehicle. Manual welding is not only easy to damage the health of workers, but also difficult to ensure quality. Welding robots can replace labor, overcome environmental impact, and greatly improve welding speed and quality. The welding quality is significantly better than manual, greatly improving the stability of spot welding quality and the productivity of the work. Welding robots have been widely used in the automotive industry, automotive chassis, seat frame welding, etc., especially in the automotive chassis welding production has been widely used. Figure 1 shows the Toyota Motor Welding Line, which can reach nearly 30 solder joints in 60 seconds. Toyota's welding line has achieved unmanned production.
2. Assembly robot application
Assembly robots are industrial robots used in industrial production to assemble assembly lines to assemble parts or components. It is a high-tech, sophisticated and mechatronic product. It is a high-tech product integrating optical, mechanical, microelectronics, automatic control and communication technology. It has high functionality and added value. The assembly robot has high precision, good flexibility, small working range, and can be used with other systems. It is mainly used in the manufacturing industry of various electrical appliances. At this stage, the accuracy and speed required for installation on the car are getting higher and higher, and there are more and more small accessories, and manual installation has been difficult to meet the production needs. The robot used for assembly work plays an increasingly important role in the assembly of small doors, dashboards, front and rear baffles, lights, batteries, seats, and assembly of engines, greatly improving the assembly of automobiles. s efficiency.
3. Handling robot application
The handling robot is an industrial robot that can perform automated handling operations. The handling robot can be fitted with different end effectors to perform workpiece handling in a variety of different shapes and states. Handling robots can be widely used in various industries. Automatic handling of machine loading and unloading, stamping automated production lines, automatic assembly lines, pallet handling, containers, etc. The handling robot can be directly replaced by labor without being restricted by the industry's process technology, saving a lot of labor and achieving less human production. Figure 2 shows the handling position of the handling robot. By using one handling robot to load and unload, it directly replaced 4 people.
4. Detection robot application
The inspection robot is a robot that can check the quality of the product. Many production lines now have manual positions for full inspection of products. The detection robot can detect and judge the target product through multiple sensors such as vision, light perception and touch. Currently mainly used in semiconductor, circuit board, pharmaceutical packaging industry.
Third, the consideration of the application of robots
The requirements of all walks of life are the same, and industrial robots cannot be used completely. Application robots cannot be blind. Before applying the robot, consider it from three aspects:
1. Technical basis
The robot is not a single individual. The application of the production line needs to consider the technical transformation of the original equipment and other related technical transformation problems; whether the robot can replace the original process tempo and product characteristics after the replacement; the original space layout of the equipment will be limited. Need to re-layout adjustment; process operation mode should not be changed, and so on. Need a comprehensive consideration, a reasonable choice.
2. Economic benefits
The purpose of using robots is mainly to save labor and increase productivity. Application robots have to consider their financial return on investment (ROI). Assume that the purchase cost of a robot and the technical transformation cost of ancillary equipment is 800,000 yuan, which can replace two people. Calculated according to the current labor cost of 80,000 / year.
Its investment reporting rate is:
The annual return on investment is 30%. When the fourth year, the entire investment cost can be recovered and the profit return can be realized. Industrial robots can achieve high profit returns.
3. Personnel factors
After the robot is replaced, the way the employees operate is completely changed. No more repetitive work is required, and employees are required to have higher robotic skills. Such as robot teaching, position adjustment, troubleshooting, maintenance and so on. After applying robots, companies must focus on cultivating relevant skilled workers.
Fourth, the conclusion
Industrial robot technology is a typical representative of advanced manufacturing technology, and its technology is becoming more mature. Its application not only improves labor conditions, reduces operator labor intensity, but also reduces labor, improves production and stabilizes product quality. It has obvious advantages. In today's environment where China's labor force is becoming more and more scarce and labor costs are rising, industrial robots will develop rapidly and are favored by manufacturing companies. Industrial robot technology will gradually become the main development form of the factory automation production line.
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About the author: Ding Chunyan (1982- ), male, Shanghai native, in-service postgraduate degree. Shanghai Hitachi Electric Co., Ltd., chief engineer of process technology, mainly engaged in production technology development and lean improvement work