ROBOTICS CLUSTER

6.2. INDUSTRIAL ROBOTICS
The definition as to what constitutes an industrial robot has varied over time. Initially, standard definitions
from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the IFR, the Robotics Industries Association
(RIA), and other national and international robotics groups differed slightly on particular issues, such as
As their name implies, industrial
robots are used in industry, largely in
a manufacturing or factory automation
role.
how the major robot design configurations are classified (selective compliance assembly robot arm (SCARA)
robot, gantry robot, articulated robot, etc.). Still, these groups were in agreement on where industrial robots
are generally employed and what they are used for: in industry, functioning in a manufacturing or factory
automation role.
Initially, the technology of the time limited the industrial robotics segment to immobile, inflexible, single-task
robots that had little interaction with humans or the world around them as they performed their tasks. As
capabilities increased over time, the formal definition of an industrial robot was broadened to include mobile
systems, as well as autonomous operation. As it stands today, the formal definition of an industrial robot
given by ISO-Standard 8373:2012 is:
An automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or
more axes, which may be either fixed in place or mobile for use in industrial automation applications.
Advancements in robotics and control technology have made it possible for industrial robots to expand
their range of applications within their traditional market sectors of large automobile, electronics, and
semiconductor manufacturers (and their Tier One suppliers), and to perform more complex tasks. Other
classes of manufacturers, including smaller firms, are also now automating industrial processes using robots,
and at an increasing rate.
6.2.1. Dramatic Growth
According to the IFR, and as described in Figure 2, the total number of industrial robotics installations has
increased dramatically year-over-year beginning in 2010, which was up sharply as the industry rebounded
following the economic downturn in North America and Europe. In 2014, the most recent figures available,
Sales of industrial robots are up
sharply following the worldwide economic
downturn of 2007 to 2009.
229,000 industrial robot systems were sold worldwide, up 29% over 2013, accounting for approximately
US$32 billion in revenue when services are included (IFR, 2015-1). The IFR estimates this figure will jump to
400,000 units by 2018.
The recent levels of high growth are unprecedented. Prior to 2010, the number of shipped systems was
basically flat year-over-year, with any fluctuations the result of normal business cycles in key geographic
areas, as well as the industry’s overdependence on the automotive sector with whom its fortunes were
tightly bound.
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