You still can't make it through a weekend of TV watching without seeing those nutty commercials hawking the home-cleaning Roomba, a self-propelled robot-vacuum that cleans up everyday crud around the house. And to be honest, it does look pretty inventive. Anyhow, by the end of the commercial, everyone is so excited by the powers of the Roomba that they all make the same, creepy statement as if programmed by some type of puppet master: "I Love Robots." Call me crazy, but isn't "love" a bit too strong of a word, given the reputation that's so hard for the robot community to shake?

Yes, sarcasm abounds here, but my point is that robots may not be for everyone, especially as they relate to the industrial manufacturing community. Just like everyone's other favorite hot-button topic — offshore outsourcing — robots are out to solve all sorts of manufacturing issues on the cheap.

Whatever your take is, robots aren't going anywhere anytime soon, even if demand for them isn't always off the charts as this Assembly Magazine article points out. New orders for North American robotics companies fell 30 percent in the first quarter of 2006, according to statistics released by the Robotic Industries Association (RIA).

A 39 percent decline in purchases by automotive OEMs and component suppliers was the major contributor to the downturn, RIA reports. Not such great news for the robot business, given that the automotive industry is the largest customer for robotics, accounting for more than 60 percent of all robot purchases in North America.

According to RIA Executive Vice President, Don Vincent, there is a good reason for the downturn in demand:

The automotive OEMs and their tier-one supplier markets are cyclical in terms of their purchases of robots. We saw a big spike in automotive OEM and Tier 1 purchases at the beginning of 2005, when we had a record start to the year, so we're not surprised to see a downturn this quarter. Also, given the economic difficulties faced by the automotive industry, it is possible that new investments in technologies such as robotics were delayed.

Vincent says he is encouraged by the fact that sales of robots to non-automotive industries — such as food, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and life sciences — increased in the first quarter. He isn't the only one. Frost & Sullivan predicts that new markets present numerous opportunities for robotics makers in Europe.

European Robotics for Materials Handling Markets earned revenue of $762.3 million (U.S.) in 2004 and estimates to reach $1.28 billion (U.S.) in 2012. The reason: changing product types and varying product volumes necessitate flexible automation solutions. Manufacturers in consumer markets are opening up to the idea of investing in robots to reduce costs and maintain quality, thereby boosting sales of robotics in the packaging market.

"However, with the slump in demand from automotive OEMs, increasing number of robotics manufacturers will look to the food and beverage and life sciences sector for growth opportunities, which results in intense competition," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Kashyap Chandrasekar.

C.M.H. Manufacturing knows a thing or two about "intense competition," which is exactly why the company recently announced it will utilize a KUKA robot designed to complete multiple casting tasks, such as furnace and casting tending, sawing, sanding, milling/drilling, inspection and machining.

The Lubbock, Texas-based company's president, John Hall, said that while C.M.H. was designing the cell, it needed "the most flexible and highest-performing robot available." Thus the manufacturer standardized on KUKA robots, based on flexibility and performance.

RIA estimates that some 160,000 robots are now installed in American factories, placing the U.S. second only to Japan in robot use.

Your thoughts on robots in manufacturing?

Additional Reading

San Diego lab developing robots for battlefield use
by Bruce V. Bigelow
Unio-Tribune, April 19, 2006