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What is the electrical & automation content of industrial robots? And what is the added value of knowing the electrical and automation content? Recently, ARC has conducted research including interviews with many experts in the field to answer these questions. Many suppliers of automation systems work with ARC to define their market size and growth in machinery segments and to determine the electrical and automation content in the machinery segments they serve.
The reason for such an approach is simple: statistics, charts and databases report on the production volume of many machinery segments but do not provide information on the share of the electrical & automation content. In most of the ARC market analysis reports on automation devices, numbers are broken down to the device and component level, e.g. PLC, CNC, HMI, I/Os, Servo Drives, not only by regions but also by industrial segments.
In industrial robots, contrary to many machinery segments. the production per type is a mass-quantity business, whereas other machines, for example, packaging or printing machines, are often customized. The industrial robots market is thus characterized by strong year-over-year growth, the high number of machines produced by type and a relatively lower complexity of the mechanical design. ARC conducted a specific research project as it became evident that the electrical and automation content of industrial robots is typically higher than in other machinery segments.
The first industrial robot that ARC analyzed from this perspective was a 6-axis handling robot of KUKA and ABB with a payload of 50kg and a reach of 2.1 meters. Its electrical and automation content covers: control cabinet, electrical wiring, contactors, fuses, power supply, servo drives, servo motors, robot control, converter for resolver signals to digital signals, cabling from the robot control cabinet to the robot and torsion-proof cabling within the robot. Not included are any gripper equipment, video control and safety equipment.
The outcome of this ARC research, including interviews with robot experts, confirmed that the electrical and automation content of industrial robots, as seen in the example of a 6-axis articulated handling robot, is significantly higher than in other machinery segments. The result of this ARC research is included in the most recently published market analysis report on Industrial Robots.