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Japanese producers are chargeable for 40% of robotic gross sales all over the world. To grasp the worldwide robotics market, a glance inside Japan is indispensable. iREX, which claims to be the world’s largest robotics present, is a good way to do exactly that.
iREX 2023 was packed. There have been 654 exhibitors, making it the most important present since its inception. The primary three days alone attracted 120,000 guests to Tokyo—thrice greater than Automatica in Munich and even 4 instances greater than Automate in Detroit.
After an absence of 4 years, I attended the present final week. Listed below are my observations.
1. Extra cobots with value-added functions
Collaborative robots (cobots) took on an much more distinguished function this time. Yamaha launched a 7-axis cobot. Common Robots launched its new UR30 some large-load cobots on the present. FANUC and DENSO positioned some merchandise from the identical class, which had already been launched earlier this yr, prominently.
FANUC, DENSO, and UR offered some fascinating demos of excessive drive torque tightening, precision meeting, sprucing, and screw seating inspection – functions that require clever use of built-in energy sensors. FANUC additionally highlighted its easy direct educating capabilities for welding, powder coating or with payloads as much as 30 kg.
The truth that a number of giant producers gave cobots such a distinguished presence highlights the strategic significance they’re now giving this product class.
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2. Zero educate robotics
Machine imaginative and prescient mixed with automated path era obtained a lift since my final go to. “Zero educate” is the brand new buzzword.
Conventional functions are random half selecting and simple palletizing. This has been proven by a mess of robotics producers, in addition to machine imaginative and prescient corporations which might be additionally providing robotic movement management – akin to Mujin from Japan or Mech-Thoughts from China. The previous additionally offered its TruckBot, an autonomous robotic that may unload each truck trailers and delivery containers at a price of as much as 1,000 circumstances per hour.
FANUC confirmed auto path era for arc welding. Each FANUC and Yaskawa confirmed zero-programming options for simple palletizing. Underneath the title “Motoman Subsequent,” Yaskawa offered some functions for verticals akin to dishwashing, meals inspection and sorting, and laboratories. At this level, these are extra demonstrations of what can technically be finished, as Yaskawa is simply beginning to provide these options to prospects.
FANUC confirmed auto path era for arc welding at iREX 2023. | Credit score: Georg Stieler
NACHI and OMRON confirmed corresponding functions for the dynamic placement of FPC connectors in digital merchandise. They claimed {that a} barely totally different model was already utilized in electronics manufacturing.
DENSO offered some spectacular functions of its real-time management software program, TwinCAT, realized in collaboration with Beckhoff, a voice-controlled cobot software and a few clear or shiny workpiece selecting in collaboration with Cambrian.
Extra machine imaginative and prescient together with automated and dynamic path planning additionally means good enterprise prospects for NVIDIA, which was additionally an exhibitor and entertains partnerships with a number of of the main Japanese robotic producers.
3. Variable-mix, variable-volume automated strains
The cubicles of OMRON and Yaskawa featured variable-mix, variable-volume automated strains. These strains showcased cell cobots and layout-free manufacturing, enabling adaptability within the manufacturing setting and on-site information administration for steady productiveness and high quality enchancment. Yaskawa is utilizing its I3-Mechatronics platform for this, a promising strategy after Japanese automation suppliers got here to embrace the idea of interconnected manufacturing processes comparatively late. Yaskawa’s new YRM-X controller controls a number of machines alongside an entire line.
4. Excessive-payload robots
Like in different nations, Japanese robotics corporations have a legacy within the automotive trade. That is nonetheless mirrored within the introduction of some high-payload robots. FANUC launched a brand new serial hyperlink robotic with a 500 kg payload, overflip functionality and built-in 2D and 3D cameras. Goal functions is the dealing with of heavy automotive components. Yaskawa offered the Motoman-ME1000, a SCARA robotic with a payload of 1000 kg tailor-made for the dealing with of electrical automobile batteries.
Japanese robotic maker Man-Machine Synergy Effectors confirmed a master-slave high-place working robotic at iREX 2023. | Credit score: Georg Stieler
5. Robust presence of Chinese language gamers
Fifty out of the 121 worldwide exhibitors had been from China. They had been primarily producers of cobots (AUBO Robotics, Elite Robots), cell robots, machine imaginative and prescient (Mech-Thoughts Robotics) and core parts. Japan, as a big market with shut geographic proximity, is a chance for Chinese language gamers to mitigate the cut-throat competitors at residence.
6. Japanese robotics corporations collaborate on SME automation
Possibly an important information for the Japanese robotics trade nowadays got here a day earlier than the beginning of iREX 2023. The Robotic Industrial Primary Know-how Collaborative Innovation Partnership (ROBOCIP), a bunch together with main Japanese robotics and automation corporations, introduced that they had been making a joint database to facilitate the introduction of robots at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
In response to a white paper by the Japanese authorities, SMEs are chargeable for 99.7% of Japanese corporations, but the value-added per employee for the nation’s SMEs in manufacturing is simply over 1/3 of that for its large companies. On the similar time, SMEs usually lack the funds for capital funding.
The brand new system is meant to hurry up the automation of this sector by sharing some primary data on robotic specs, operations and software program. It’s set to be obtainable in 2024 and is meant to scale back integration prices by as much as 60%. Entry might be free for smaller corporations at first.
Apart from robotics producers akin to FANUC, DENSO, Panasonic, Yaskawa, NACHI, Kawasaki, Epson, Daihen and Mitsubishi, the initiative is supported by the College of Tokyo, the Nationwide Institute of Superior Industrial Science and Know-how and the New Power and Industrial Know-how Growth Group. This system is open for additional members to extend the completeness of the database and finally the competitiveness of the Japanese manufacturing sector.
Sooner or later, the group is contemplating combining generative synthetic intelligence with its database to additional decrease the brink for automation. The same strategy by Google Deepmind and 33 analysis establishments not too long ago has proven some promising outcomes.
This announcement was in step with the theme of this yr’s present – “Sustainable Society Introduced by Robotics” – emphasizing options to world challenges and the creation of a sustainable society by way of collaborative efforts between producers, system integrators and customers.
Outlook
Initiatives to spice up productiveness by way of extra automation are urgently wanted in Japan. The nation’s economic system has been stagnating for 3 a long time and its post-pandemic restoration stays fragile.
A shrinking inhabitants additional limits the upsides to its progress. Regardless of Japan’s distinctive cultural traits, akin to its strategy to immigration, its developments can function a mannequin for different nations going through growing older populations.
The excessive degree of innovation seen at iREX and the concerted efforts by Japan’s main robotics and automation producers, akin to a joint database to share data as function and regulate robots (probably enhanced by generative AI quickly), present an optimistic outlook for the longer term.
As corporations are re-evaluating their geopolitical dangers and are shifting a few of their provide chains, Japanese manufacturing unit automation companies stand to profit.
Company tradition in Japan appears to be altering, too. Company governance reform pressures administration groups to reinforce company worth and return on fairness. The common age of CEOs at companies within the Nikkei inventory index has dropped by 12 years during the last decade. And Japan’s startup ecosystem continues to be small relative to its GDP, though it’s turning into more and more vibrant: investments grew 10-fold from 2013-2022, and the variety of VC funds quadrupled.
Notions of those modifications are already turning into seen at Japanese robotics and automation enterprises. Overseas corporations talked about they’re turning into extra open to collaboration with a brand new management era. I’m already excited for the following iREX in two years.
Concerning the writer
Georg Stieler is Managing Director, Asia, of Stieler Know-how & Advertising Consultants. He established the Asia department of his household’s consulting enterprise in Shanghai in 2011. Collectively together with his staff, he gives pivotal analyses and progress methods for a few of the globally main robotics and automation corporations. Along with his major function, Georg serves as an advisor for high-potential start-ups.
