Do China's "intelligent manufacturing" accelerator

Industrial robots are "the crown jewel of manufacturing". In the star-studded intelligent and high-end equipment hall of the first China International Import Expo (hereinafter referred to as "CIIE"), the smart factory demonstration can be said to be a unique "Wulin Conference" of the world's industrial robots. The "Industry 4.0" model created by Kuka, one of the "four families" of global industrial robots, moves a small smart factory to the front: a dozen robots each perform their roles, some are stretching their arms to pick up components, and some are swinging to and from the left and right to quickly assemble, like the science fiction scene in Hollywood movies out of the screen, people can't help but sigh that technology is the front productivity.

Judging the level of intelligence or automation, the use of industrial robot technology is a very important sign. In the future 'Industry 4.0' or smart manufacturing, smart factory scenario, robots are an essential key role.

It is reported that during the Expo, TuV Rheinland issued the "Industry 4.0 proximity evaluation system", the purpose is to provide standards for domestic manufacturing plants to evaluate their own degree of industrial development, to clarify the gap between the current status of the factory and "Industry 4.0". One of the main features of the "industry 3.0" stage is automation, at this stage many domestic factories are considering investing in industrial robots and automated production lines, China has become the world's largest industrial robot demand country, therefore, attracted the global industrial robot giant show "iron muscle" is not surprising.

The Times make heroes. In recent years, the development speed of China's robot industry has been at a higher level in the world, and a number of excellent local robot manufacturers such as Siasun, Xinshida, Efte and Estun have emerged. Under the influence of "One Belt and One Road", the number of domestic robots and automated production lines exported to emerging market countries has been rising year by year, and some Eastern European countries are also within their sphere of influence.

Although the current domestic high-end robot exports to the European and American markets are not much, but with the gradual advancement of the "Made in China 2025" strategy, the eyes of domestic robot manufacturers will eventually fall in the world's excellent camp. So how do you enter the European market safely? As we all know, the "CE marking" is regarded as the passport for manufacturers to enter the EU. Xu Shu told this reporter that in order to legally obtain the CE certification mark qualification, robot products must meet the relevant requirements of the European Union on mechanical safety (machinery Directive 2006/42/EC), electromagnetic compatibility (Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Directive 2014/30/EU) and robot harmonization standard (ENISO 10218).

"Functional safety" is very common in Europe, but it is still a relatively new concept in our country. Functional safety involves the analysis of the entire life cycle of a product, including design, manufacturing, use and maintenance. How to make the product meet the requirements of "safety integrity level" in the whole life cycle has become a concern in the field of industrial robots. Xu Shu introduced that for robots and some peripheral products, TuV Rhewe recommends IEC61508, IEC 62061, ISO 13849 standards, and its functional safety certificate has become one of the requirements for international buyers when bidding.

Depending on the environment in which the robot is used, there are other safety requirements that need to be met. In this regard, in the spray application scenario of the automobile production line, because the chemical substances of the paint are flammable and explosive, the spray operation site is like a gasoline station. The robot is controlled by electricity, and if it is not properly protected, it will lead to fire and explosion. Therefore, in the spray project, the European Union and other requirements of the robot must have explosion-proof performance. In addition, some parts involved in the robot, such as controllers, servo systems, protective components and reducers, should also meet the safety requirements.

Of course, the European Union is a consortium composed of many countries, when entering a specific country, in addition to meeting the general safety requirements of the EU, it is also necessary to consult some local safety supervision requirements of the exporting country. Here, it is recommended that domestic production line manufacturers and robot manufacturers should communicate with end users such as buyers or owners who are familiar with local laws and regulations in order to understand the specific situation.

With the acceleration of the process of industry automation, the demand for industrial robots in China's market has exploded in recent years, and China imported more than 84,000 sets of industrial robots in 2017, a record high, an increase of nearly 32,000 sets from 2016. According to China robot network statistics, Japan has always been the largest import source country of industrial robots in China, accounting for more than 60% of China's industrial robot imports each year, followed by Germany and Sweden.

"Corresponding to the EU 'CE mark', foreign robot products need to obtain 'CR mark' when entering the Chinese market." CR certification is a basic entry requirement for the safety and reliability of robots and components in the domestic market.

Due to the rapid development of the domestic industrial robot market, the number of robot system integrators has expanded rapidly. The latter is at the downstream application end of the robot industry chain and can provide application solutions for end customers. Now, not only in the automotive and electronics industries, but also in almost all industries such as food, toys and medical devices, robots can be used. To this end, after the purchase of robots, we must take into account the potential safety hazards of the use of the environment to prevent machine injury, explosion and other safety accidents.

In addition to industrial robots, smart products, including smart appliances, smart cars and wearable devices, belong to the typical category of smart manufacturing. In addition to complying with conventional mechanical safety, electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility, they also consider network and information security. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in Europe in May 2018, is actually the most stringent personal privacy protection regulation in Europe in the context of intelligent manufacturing, and like any complex electromechanical system, industrial robots are also subject to cybersecurity threats. For example, firmware and software that are often in an open state with low security levels, open source software provided by robot operating systems, and weak encryption measures for communication systems are all sources of industrial robot network security risks. The GDPR has regulatory effect on private data relating to the production patterns, living patterns or usage habits of factories and individuals.

When the robot Wulin Conference staged at the Expo is both "tooth-and-claw" and orderly, it predicts the virtual and reality of the future factory, and the operation of them is only a few engineers. This raises concerns about new technologies: is the end of "smart manufacturing" the unmanned factory? Will robots take jobs away from production line workers in traditional factories? The essence of "intelligent manufacturing", "Industry 4.0" will be the whole life cycle of the product is the whole value chain, the whole ecosystem of change, is the fast-paced, highly customized production mode of enterprises. The traditional manufacturing industry will extend to the service industry to meet the customized needs of customers, and "people" can be liberated from a large amount of labor and engage in more creative services, which in turn will give birth to a new "manufacturing industry". "Just like the emergence of the robot industry, gave birth to the outbreak of the robot system integration market, at this stage, the number of robot system integrators has far exceeded the number of robot manufacturers, and there is a trend of further expansion, when and how the new field will be presented, will also follow the trend of industrial development, conditions are mature, then it will come naturally."