robot

    At present, the main materials of robot manufacturing are still high-strength steel and aluminum alloy. The application of carbon fiber, magnesium alloy and other composite materials is limited by the application cost and technical level, and there is still a large space to expand. Lightweight is one of the core problems in robot design and manufacturing. How to effectively reduce self-weight is of great significance for robots. Firstly, lighter self-weight can save energy consumption, reduce the charging frequency and prolong the use time of robots, and reduce the use cost in long cycle use. Secondly, many working environments have strict requirements on the self-weight of robots. Heavy structural materials will directly affect the safety of use. Lightweight materials are necessary for robots in limited working environments. Moreover, the lightweight and high-strength material can also improve the load ratio of the robot, give the robot more functional conditions, improve the market competitiveness of the robot.

The performance advantages of carbon fiber materials have received certain attention in the early robot manufacturing industry, and there are many application cases in various types of robots. However, both the proportion of the whole robot materials and its application form in the robot need to be further improved and innovated. The carbon fiber parts manufacturing industry should not only keep up with the development pace of the robot industry, but also consciously strengthen the deep integration between the two industries.

One is to speed up the product research and development of carbon fiber composite materials to provide different raw materials for carbon fiber components for the robot industry.

   Carbon fiber robot products put into use are mainly structural parts for robot body, such as robot shell, robot arm tube, robot joint shell, etc. Most of these materials are thermosetting carbon fiber composite materials. However, the high temperature resistance and wear resistance of the commonly used thermosetting carbon fiber composite materials cannot meet the special requirements of high strength and wear resistance of the high-precision parts in the robot. In order to make up for the gap in the application of continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites in China, the thermoplastic products such as continuous carbon fiber reinforced PA6, PPS and PEEK introduced by the new materials further improve the high temperature and wear resistance of carbon fiber composite materials on the basis of the original high strength and lightweight, and enrich the raw material types of carbon fiber robot parts. A new application direction of carbon fiber composites has been developed.

The second is to promote the in-depth application of carbon fiber composite materials in the robot industry from the perspective of raw material cost and application value.
    From the perspective of carbon fiber parts manufacturing, only by optimizing the process flow, through high production efficiency and reliable product performance can we effectively guarantee the application advantages of carbon fiber materials in the robot manufacturing industry. For example, a carbon fiber retractable robot arm tube, although much more expensive than a traditional metal arm tube, provides the robot with more than a third of the lightweight effect, an annual electricity savings of about 60%, a 1.5 times longer operating time, and three new ancillary features through additional loading equipment.

The third is to build a platform for the joint development of carbon fiber application industry and robot industry to promote the common development of both sides.
    With the gradual maturation of the industrial process of globalization, the demand for industrial robots is always in a strong situation, but the market puts forward higher and higher requirements for robots. Perfect, efficient, precise, safe and energy-saving industrial robots need the full cooperation of talents from various disciplines such as mechanics, materials science, automation, computer and bionics. The carbon fiber application industry should not wait for demand, but also actively participate in the robot design and manufacturing industry to seek new development opportunities in the cross-industry platform.