Industrial robot as the most typical electromechanical integration equipment, digital technology, high added value, application range is very wide, as the support of advanced manufacturing technology and the information society of the emerging industries, will be for the future production and social development plays an increasingly important role. With the continuous improvement of enterprise automation level, robot automatic production line of the market will certainly be more and more big, will gradually become the main form of automatic production line.

Since the early 1960 s after human created the first industrial robots, robot showed strong vitality. The Japanese government for application and implementation of the industrial robots actively fostering policy, take the lead from the United States introduced the robot technology, with more than 10 years of time, only in Japan to realize the industrialization and popularization and application of industrial robots. Now, in the industrial developed countries, industrial robots have been widely used in automobiles and auto parts manufacturing, machinery processing industry, electrical and electronic industry, rubber and plastics industry, food industry, logistics and other fields. As an irreplaceable important in advanced manufacturing equipment and means of industrial robot has become a measure of a country manufacturing level and the important symbol of the levels of science and technology.

Abroad, industrial robot technology becoming mature, has become a standard equipment industry widely application. Thus, quickly formed a batch of influential and famous industrial robots, including: Sweden ABB, Japan FANUC, YASKAWA MOTOMAN, KUKA Germany, the United States AdeptTechnology, COMAU, Italy, the company has become the pillar enterprises in the country.

The study of industrial robots in China began in the 1970 s, due to the restriction of such factors as economic system at the time, slow development, research and application level is low. In 1985, as the industry developed countries began to a large number of application and popularization of industrial robots, our country in the heart of the "7 · 5" science and technology research plan on the development plans, industrial robot, led by the mechanical industry organization of spot welding, arc welding, spray painting, handling and other types of industrial robot research, other ministries also actively support, setting up a form the highlight China's industrial robot for the first time.

After entering the 1990 s, in order to achieve the high technology development and the national economy the main combination closely, 863 plan determines the special robot and industrial robot and its application engineering, the application to promote the development of key technology and basic research. After the general scientific and technical workers of hard efforts, has developed seven kinds of industrial robot series products, 102 kinds of special robot, to more than 100 robots application engineering.

In the late 1990 s, our country has established the nine industrialization base of robots and 7 scientific research base, including siasun robot company of shenyang institute of automation, Harbin institute of technology of solid automation equipment co., LTD., Beijing machinery automation research institute robot development center, haier robot company, etc. Industrialization base for the construction of the industrialization of hope, laid a solid foundation for the development of robot industry in China. After the general scientific and technical personnel of unremitting efforts, China has been able to produce with the international advanced level of plane type joint assembly robot, rectangular coordinates, arc welding robots, robot welding robot, automatic handling palletizing robot and AGV DaoYinChe series of products, such as some of the varieties of small batch production is realized. A group of enterprises according to the demand of the market, independently or cooperate with research institutes, the industrialization development of robot. Such as chery automobile and industrialization development of Harbin institute of technology cooperation for spot welding robot, precision CNC machine tools with Harbin institute of technology cooperation of xi 'an north village industrialization development of up-down material handling robot, kunshan huaheng cooperation with southeast university and other development arc welding robot, guangzhou nc welding robot, yancheng hongda development of arc welding robot.

But, our country hasn't like Japanese FANUC and German KUKA industrial robot manufacturer of scale, industrial robot industry at present in our country is just at the bud stage. With the development of modern manufacturing industry in our country, the demand of industrial robots in China is growing rapidly.

Industrial robot as the most typical electromechanical integration equipment, digital technology, high added value, application range is very wide, as the support of advanced manufacturing technology and the information society of the emerging industries, will be for the future production and social development plays an increasingly important role. Foreign experts predict that robots are the following car, computer industry a large new high technology industry. Along with our country industrial enterprise automation level unceasing enhancement, the industrial robot market will be more and more big, it is to the research, development and industrial robot manufacturers has become big business. Opportunity also means that the challenge, however, currently the world's largest industrial robot suppliers have vigorously develop the Chinese market, so China must vigorously develop the industrial robot, by giving full play to the advantages of China's manufacturing, improve the ability of independent innovation, seek distinctive path of development, with the support of relevant national policies to support and encourage a large number of national robot industry grow.

The demand of industrial robots and prospects

Our country is from labor-intensive to develop in the direction of modern manufacturing industry, the revitalization of manufacturing, to realize industrialization is an important task of economic development in our country. From the development of manufacturing, production methods are bound to experience of mechanization, automation, intelligent, informatization transformation. With the rapid development of national economy as well as the production technology progress and labor costs rising, how to further improve the productivity, improve quality, reduce labor intensity, improve working conditions has become a problem many enterprises have to consider. As an irreplaceable important in advanced manufacturing equipment and means, the application of industrial robots and popularize natural become ideal choice. Robot workstation, especially of robot automatic production line, not only greatly enhance the enterprise competitiveness, also brought significant benefits to the user, with the continuous improvement of enterprise automation level, robot automatic production line of the market will certainly be more and more big, will gradually become the main form of automatic production line.

At present, the world industrial robot capacity has reached more than one hundred ten thousand units, mainly distributed in Japan, the United States, Germany and other technology in the manufacturing industry of developed countries. In China now has more than 30000 industrial machine used in running, but compared with the developed industrial countries there is still a big gap. Automobile industry is the industrial robot application, from thousands of car manufacturing production workers possess the number of robots, Japan 1710 units, 1600 sets of Italy, France, 1120, 950 units in Spain, the United States 770 units, 610 units, 630 sets of Sweden, and our country is less than 90 units (auto industry staff of about 3.56 million, see auto industry association data) in November 2008. Therefore, our country automobile industry's industrial robot market is far from saturated. Only our country automobile industry is a huge industrial robot market, if considering the needs of the manufacturing industry as a whole in China, the industrial robot market is more big.

For a long time, because China's large population, labor force price is low, the production technical level is relatively backward, the application of industrial robots is limited by a lot. After the reform and opening, with the emergence of a large number of foreign investment, joint ventures and constantly improve the level of domestic enterprise technology, especially the rapid development of auto industry, China's industrial robot application of considerable changes have taken place. According to statistics, "9 · 5" period, China's demand for industrial robots rapidly growing at an annual rate of more than 30%. To 2000, our country ownership of the industrial robot has around 3500 units, mainly including spot welding, arc welding, painting, plastic injection, assembling, handling, stamping and other kinds of robots; To 7000 per 2005. In recent years, along with rapid economic condition, especially the rapid development of modern industry, an annual increase of industrial robots in China the Numbers and total ownership are growing fast. Widely used in industrial robots, which not only can effectively improve the quality of products, and to safeguard the personal safety, improve working environment, reduce labor intensity, improve labor productivity, reduce material consumption and reduce the production cost has very important significance.