Australian robot installations soar to new heights

Citation

(1998), "Australian robot installations soar to new heights", Industrial Robot, Vol. 25 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.1998.04925eab.003

Australian robot installations soar to new heights

Australian robot installations soar to new heights

Keywords Australia, Robots

A total of 526 robots were installed in Australia in 1997, according to the Australian Robotics and Automation Association Inc. (ARAA). This is a 110 per cent increase above the 250 robots installed in Australia in 1996 and brings Australia's nominal robot population to 3,043 units.

According to the Association, last year's record numbers were due mainly to large orders from motor vehicle manufacturers. A total of 307, or 58 per cent, of Australia's new robots were bought by car manufacturers. A further 74, or 14 per cent, were sold last year to companies that make parts or accessories for motor vehicles.

For the same reason, spot welding was the dominant application of robots installed last year, accounting for 276, or 52 per cent of 1997 installations. A total of 15 per cent, or 77 robots were installed for arc welding applications, followed by 11 per cent, or 58 robots used for palletising or packaging applications.

Each year the Australian Robotics and Automation Association (formerly the Australian Robot Association) counts the number of robots installed in this country in the preceding year. This census is part of an international effort co-ordinated by the International Federation of Robotics and the United Nations.

Australia's robot census is based on confidential information supplied to the Association by the country's leading robot suppliers. For purposes of this census, a robot is defined, in accordance with International Standard ISO 8373, as an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator that is programmable in three or more axes.

Almost all robots included in the latest ARAA census are utilised for manufacturing. Increasingly, technology is being developed to enable robots or near-robots to be utilised for non-manufacturing applications. For instance, the ARAA understands that 13 near-robots (not included in the above census) are currently being used in Australia to assist surgeons to carry out endoscopic ("keyhole surgery") operations. The International Federation of Robotics, with assistance from ARAA, is developing a standardised definition for "service robots" and it is hoped that such devices will be counted in future censuses.

Australia's robots are overwhelmingly imports, principally from Japan and Sweden, with small numbers arriving from other countries. Of the 526 robots installed in Australia last year, the Association estimates that only ten, or 2 per cent, were locally made. The ARAA's census indicates that six robots made in Australia were exported in 1997.

The ARAA estimates that the value of the Australian robot marketplace grew last year to A$74,700,000, a 140 per cent increase from the 1996 estimated market size of A$31,100,000. This value includes, in addition to the robots themselves, the cost of other components and services provided by Australia's robot suppliers when installing a robot workcell. It does not include the cost of components and services provided by the customer or by third parties. The ARAA estimates that the mean price of a robot system installed last year, including such components and services, was A$142,000.

For further information contact Michael Kassler, National Co-ordinator and Secretary, Australian Robotics and Automation Association Inc. Tel: (02) 9959 3239; Fax: (02) 9959 4632.