Shanghai, November 3, 2015 - At the 17th China International Industry Fair (CIIF 2015) held in Shanghai today, ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, showcased its leading smart technologies including robotic automation systems, drive systems and low-voltage products for applications in body-in-white, laser beam welding, smart parts assembly, palletizing, food and beverage, smart home and energy efficiency, reflecting ABB's leadership in Internet of Things, Services and People (IoTSP) based technologies.
As is known, China has become the world's largest and fastest-growing market for industrial robots. In 2014, the annual sales of industrial robots in China surpassed 57,000, 56% higher than its previous year or accounting for 25% of the global supply. According to the International Federation of Robotic (IFR), Chinese manufacturing industries currently have a robotic density of just 36 units per 10,000 employees in comparison with the world average (66 units) and the front-runner South Korea (478), Japan (315 units) and Germany (292 units), indicating the huge market potential in China.
As the first phase of a three-stage plan for China to become a manufacturing power, China officially unveiled the "Made in China 2025" plan this May and listed robots among the 10 key sectors that China will focus on. Along with the booming robotic industry, the development of robotic applications including software and hardware as well as talent cultivation have increasingly become the key for deploying robots on the production lines.
Dr. Chunyuan Gu, Chairman and President of ABB (China) Limited said: "As one of the world's leading robot manufacturers and system integrators, ABB has more than 40 year experiences worldwide and over 20 year experiences in China for the development and application of industrial robots. ABB has been continuously helping customers improve productivity and production quality with 'Collaboration. Simplification. Integrated Solution' and pioneered robotic applications in food and beverage, metal polishing, palletizing and 3C (Computer, Communication and Consumer electronics), helping customers create more values and supporting China manufacturing to evolve from low-end to high-end, from big to strong."
At CIIF 2015, ABB displayed 10 leading robot automation solutions including YuMi collaborative assembly, IRB 360 high speed sorting, IRB 6700 smart palletizing- a secondary application, IRB 6700 spot welding with SafeMove, IRB 120 smart laser carving station, IRB 1200 toy car demo cell and IRB 8700 advanced FlexLean Body-in-White solution, meeting the demand of various industries for robotic automation.
Take the YuMi® collaborative assembly demo for example. One YuMi® works together with a human worker side by side. YuMi handles simple assembly such as screwing and position controlled, while the human performs a more complex task with sensitive parts. Materials are fed to YuMi via the FlexFeeder(TM) system which is also developed by ABB, together to achieve efficient, flexible and safe collaboration. As the world's first truly human collaborative robot, YuMi is specifically designed to address the needs of Small Parts Assembly, especially in the consumer electronics sector. A key differentiator is that it is part of a total Small Parts Assembly solution that includes adaptable hands, flexible parts feeders, force control sensing, vision guidance, in addition to state-of-the-art control and software. YuMi can operate in very close collaboration with humans thanks to its inherently safe design.
The IRB 8700 advanced FlexLean Body-in-White solution is specifically designed for the automotive manufacturing. Thanks to the Standardized and freely configurable products, it quickly integrates IRB 8700 robots, programming system, FlexTrack and Roller Hemming in to a leading solution for flexible production, enabling several car models to be assembled on one production line and helping manufacturers easily tackle the challenges from production upgrading and market changes. As ABB's newest large industrial robot, IRB 8700 is capable of handling a payload of up to 800 kg, meeting the demand of automotive and general industries for high payload robot. When designing IRB 8700, ABB emphasized reach and payload as well as performance, making this new robot 25% faster than the competition while able to automatically adapt and adjust its speed to accommodate heavy and wide parts.
In addition to the robotic products and solutions, ABB brought the high efficient drive systems which help customers improve energy efficiency, decrease emissions and lower environmental impact. Among them is ACS580MV, an all-compatible ABB general-purpose drive tailored for the Chinese market. It has fully taken into account China's national standards and specific requirements from the voltage level to protection design, in order to ensure that the drive can work normally in a variety of complex, harsh working environments in industries such as cement, utility and water. Via the app provided by ABB, service engineers and installation personnel can use smartphones to visit the installed drives for remote management and maintenance, easily realize the Internet of Things, Services and People.
Today, the CIIF2015 also served as a platform for ABB to showcase its newly-introduced low voltage products including contactors and soft starters. As ABB's new-generation AC contactors, The AF and AX series contactors are highlighted with compact design, reliable performance, and quick installation and maintenance, ensuring distinct operation in unstable networks. The AF series can be widely used in wind power generation, railway and solar industries; and the AX series contactors and overload relays are suitable for construction and industry sectors such as motor control, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) and water pumping.
Initiated in 1999, the China International Industry Fair (CIIF) has been held in Shanghai annually during the first week of every November. After years of development, CIIF has become the most influential and authoritative international equipment manufacturing brand exhibition in China and the Asia-Pacific region. With 9 professional exhibition halls, the CIIF 2015 is expected to attract a total of 2,100 exhibitors and more than 120,000 domestic and international visitors.
ABB is a Global 500 company and a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 140,000 people. ABB has a full range of business activities in China, including R&D, manufacturing, sales and services, with 19,000 employees, 39 local companies, and an extensive sales and service network across 126 cities.
For more information on ABB, please visit http://new.abb.com/cn, Sina Weibo: @ABB China, Official WeChat Account: abb_in_china, Official WeChat QR Code:
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