With robotics industry sales in the doldrums—due to the recession and the travails of the automotive industry, in particular—robot vendors were trying a variety of techniques to stimulate interest at the International Robots, Vision & Motion Control Show June 9-11, in Rosemont, Ill., near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

In lieu of its usual show floor booth, for example, ABB Robotics ( www.abb.com), Auburn Hills, Mich., hauled its “Robotics on the Move—Partnership in Productivity Tour” truck trailer into the exhibit hall. The traveling, walk-through exhibit has been making the rounds of North American manufacturing plants, engineering companies, technical colleges and regional manufacturing expositions. The trailer typically draws large crowds in rural areas and smaller cities, but was making its first appearance in a major metropolitan area at the Chicago-area show, said Ted Wodoslawsky, ABB Robotics vice president, marketing, who noted that traffic levels through the unit were good.

Open spaces

Kuka Robotics Corp. ( www.kukarobotics.com), likewise, was trying something different. Instead of an extensive booth display with multiple robots stepping through their paces, the company’s exhibit space was simply a wide open, carpeted area with a few chairs and a table in the middle. The only Kuka robots in sight were a few stationary units positioned on pallets around the perimeter.

“We have more than 290 different robots, so the odds of us having the specific robot here that you need are probably low anyway. So we thought we’d try just having a few chairs where we can sit down with customers and talk with them about their applications and the challenges they’re facing,” explained James C. Cooper, vice president of sales and marketing for Kuka Robotics Corp., based in Clinton Township, Mich. Cooper said he doesn’t believe that the large, open space diminished traffic at the Kuka booth space, adding, “it actually probably helped us by drawing more attention.”

Whatever approach they tried, robotics vendors at the show conceded that robot orders and sales are still running soft. The Robotics Industries Association (RIA, www.robotics.org), a co-sponsor of the show, reported in May that orders to North American robotics companies were down by 31 percent in this year’s first quarter, compared to the first three months of 2008, despite showing a 16 percent gain over the fourth quarter of 2008. According to estimates by RIA sources, attendance at this year’s Robots, Vision & Motion Control Show was down by 25 percent to 30 percent compared to the last show held two years ago.

Bright spots

Despite the dour numbers, however, many robot vendors were rolling out new products at the show, and most were quick to point out relative strengths in the market. David Arceneaux, operations manager and assistant division manager at robot vendor Staubli Corp. ( www.staubli.com), Duncan, S.C., noted that market segments including pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and life sciences are holding up better than others. Staubli was showing its new TS80 SCARA robot at the show, and has rolled out several other new robots so far this year that are aimed largely at non-automotive applications, Arceneaux said.

ABB’s Wodoslawsky observed that sales to the automotive industry—on which the robot industry has historically been heavily dependent—are currently “almost nil.” Compared to the past, when North American auto companies ordered 10,000 to 15,000 new robots per year, he said, “if we see 2,000 to 2,500 this year, we’ll be doing well.”

Wodoslawsky confirmed, however, that food and beverage, along with solar, are two industries that are holding up well for robotics. North American sales of ABB’s high-speed Flexpicker—a parallel, or Delta-style, robot that is well-suited to food and solar markets—have already equaled the total number of Flexpickers sold in 2008, he noted.

Fanuc Robotics America Inc. ( www.fanucrobotics.com), Rochester Hills, Mich., is also taking broader aim at non-automotive segments. The company introduced its first high-speed, parallel robot at the show, the M-1iA. With a six-axis model (including a three-axis wrist) weighing in at just 17 kilograms, the lightweight unit is designed for small parts handling, high-speed picking and assembly operations.

 Big and strong

The Fanuc booth also offered a study in extremes. The booth featured a demonstration of a pair of the new, vision-equipped M-1iA units assembling and disassembling a 10-key keyboard. But right next to those small, lightweight units was the company’s other new entry at the show—a behemoth billed as “the world’s strongest, super heavy-duty robot.” The new M-2000iA/1200 has the highest payload—at 1,350 kilograms—and the strongest ...