In recent years, with the rising prices of labor and energy and other factors of production, the production costs of the machine tool industry are also rising. The problem is not limited to this, because the machine tool industry is a technology and skill-intensive industry, the skills and science of the workforce. Literacy is very important for enterprises, so the recruitment of machine tool industry is harder than that of other industries. Moreover, the drop in birth rate also makes our country’s demographic dividend gradually disappear. The advent of “Lewis turning point” indicates that the future will be manufactured. Semi-automated and automated production in the industry and even in the entire industrial field is an irreversible trend.

Whether it is the Shanghai International Machine Tool Show or other large-scale international machine tool show, this trend has been hinted to some extent. From the situation of the recent Shanghai International Machine Tool Show, this trend is even more obvious. The number of exhibitors and exhibits on industrial robots that were seen at the exhibition site increased, such as the well-known ABB company, KUKA, and Shanghai Fanuc Robotics. The flow of people in front of their booths is proof. FANUC's series of robots for automotive production lines are widely welcomed by the market: They are used in "automated body systems automation systems", such as robotic robots (Robot P-250iA), arc welding robots (Robot M-20iA), spot welding robots, handling robots, etc. Wait. Liu Dawei, sales manager of Metalworking Division of Fanuc Co., Ltd., said that the company’s sales this year have increased significantly compared to last year, especially for automotive users and the machine tool industry.

KUKA Corporation attaches great importance to the series of robotic applications of its products in the field of automobile production, whether it is arc welding, spot welding laser welding and cutting, coating, bending, wrapping, assembly, stamping, etc. are exhibited; In the field of metal cutting, KUKA's robots such as handling, loading, and unloading, and deburring use a modular structure, and the addition of an extension arm can maximize the working space.

CNC machine tools and metal processing, automation is not only the user's pursuit of high precision and high efficiency, but also industrialization, information technology, "two" integration of the inevitable requirements. Each session of the Shanghai International Machine Tool Show, exhibits in various exhibition halls exhibited the results of cross-infiltration between mechanical and electronic technologies and information technology. For example, the 2MNKA9820 nano-precision micro CNC grinder of Shanghai Machine Tool Works Co., Ltd. adopts a series of mechanical and electronic advanced technologies such as hydrostatic guide rails, ultra-precision linear motors, gas static pressure spindles, built-in electric spindles, and so on. 50nm ultra-high repetition positioning accuracy and extremely high turning accuracy, achieving nano-level machining accuracy.

Obviously, the representation of the metal processing machine moving toward a higher realm is to achieve a complete sense of intelligence, and the precursor to this goal is naturally automation. Another exhibit at the Shanghai Machine Tool Plant showed the combination of robots and CNC internal-composite grinding machines, which has taken a step toward automation.

The downstream users of machine tools are increasingly pursuing today's high-efficiency and high-precision metal processing equipment represented by automation. Emphasizing the market and satisfying users' various needs have naturally become the focus of the work of the machine tool manufacturers. Hu Hong, president of Qinchuan Machine Tool Group, told the author that Qinchuan Machine Tool has introduced several high-end CNC machine tools for the aerospace industry and the automotive industry this year. QMK50A CNC blade grinding machine is a five-axis CNC grinding machine. All five axes adopt full-closed-loop servo control. The wheel axis of rotation uses Siemens torque motor to ensure high-precision grinding of various complex curved workpieces. ; QMK008 precision broach CNC forming grinding machine with high precision grating feedback CNC spindle and high precision and high efficiency of anti-interference ability of the SEIMENS8400 digital servo system, high-precision broach grinding; other such as VMT80/100 vertical milling A series of high-end machine tool exhibits such as the Compound Machining Center and YK7332B CNC Grinding Wheel Grinding Machine were also developed by Qinchuan Machine Tool to meet the requirements of aero-engine parts processing. Three of the exhibits are major national special projects. Hu Hong said that Qinchuan Machine Tool Co., Ltd. has formulated a complete "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" development plan. In the strategic direction of the company, it will firmly grasp the key point of innovation, and further advance the high-end products, aiming at advanced foreign standards, at each Each link and each component must satisfy the user's requirements to the greatest degree, especially highly automated production equipment.

Now, no matter in which industry, from production processes such as cutting, spot welding, arc welding, painting, handling, loading and unloading, assembly and inspection, to packaging and storage, industrial robots can be seen everywhere on the production line. A modern, unmanned, fully automated production line prototype has emerged in various industry sectors. It will bring enormous economic and social benefits, and its impact can be said to be no less than the first industrial revolution. . In the face of this new opportunity, many companies are eager to try to enter the field as soon as possible to take the lead. Guangzhou CNC has been involved in the research and development of industrial robots a few years ago, and has made breakthrough progress: The company will firstly use dozens of robots for mass production in its own production workshop; Dalian Machine Tool has launched research and development for CNNC. A flexible machining combination consisting of a machining center, a two-spindle CNC lathe and a robot. This flexible processing combination has a leading significance to the transformation of the mode of production organization, and it contains the charm of industrial automation and alluding to the mode of production of the future manufacturing industry. Shenyang Machine Tool Group is also preparing to enter the industrial robot manufacturing field on the basis of its experience in developing the Feiyang CNC system.

Of course, it is far from enough that a modern automated assembly line has only industrial robots to replace the artificial ones. The latest achievements in science and technology contained in other fields are also indispensable. In fact, industrial robotics technology is being applied to intelligent machines and intelligent systems. The direction of development, penetration, and its development trends are mainly structural modularization and reconfigurability, openness of control technology, PC and networking, digitalization and decentralization of servo drive technology, and practical application of multi-sensor fusion technology. The optimization of work environment design and the flexibility of operations, as well as the networking and intelligence of systems, are the directions and development trends of domestic high-end machine tool product upgrades. Machine tool companies have mastered these technologies and it is inevitable to enter the field of robotics. It is a matter of course that the realization of automation and the provision of automation to other user industries is a matter of course.

In short, whether it is a necessary path for the industrialization process or the change in China's national conditions or the changes in the global industrial economy, this conclusion can be drawn from observations at major international exhibitions such as the Shanghai International Machine Tool Show. The automated and intelligent production line will eventually become a reality in all areas of manufacturing, although we still have a long way to go from this goal.