Robotic gear manufacturer Harmonic Drive UK has shared a whitepaper exploring the UK robotics industry and outlining some of the challenges facing it. The whitepaper is available to download for free from the Harmonic Drive UK website and explores topics such as robot safety, collaborative robot (CoBot) systems and the requirements of components.
Investment in robotics is set to be one of the biggest focusses for UK industry in the coming years, particularly in light of 2017’s industry-led Made Smarter review. However, while much of the focus has been on implementing robotics into manufacturing plants, Harmonic Drive argues that improving the robotic output of the UK is equally important.
The whitepaper focusses on the design considerations of robotic applications and the trends in the industry that are driving them. For example, the whitepaper focusses on the rise of CoBots and explores the way that wider adoption of this technology has increased the importance of accurate movement, spatial awareness and repeatable performance.
“Historically, the UK has not been a major player in the robotics market,” explained Graham Mackrell, managing director of Harmonic Drive UK. “While we’ve seen differing levels of robot uptake in sectors such as manufacturing and medical, the country does not produce very many robots itself.
“Despite this, there has been a significant amount of Government investment in research into robotics and the industry is showing signs of growth. Other countries such as Germany have shown considerable economic benefits of producing robots, so the UK’s progress shows promise.
“Our whitepaper sets out the trends and challenges impacting the wider robotics market and explains the role that design engineers must play in ensuring a safe and successful adoption. Considering the components being used and the impact that they have on the overall design is critical.”