Comparison of Technologies Among the Four Major Families of Industrial Robots

Do you know the four major families of industrial robots? ABB, KUKA, FANUC, and YASKAWA (Yaskawa) stand tall in the industrial robotics industry. Let's explore the strengths and weaknesses of the technologies of these four major families with Han Fengtao, a domestic robotics technology expert.

First, two non-conclusive conclusions:

1. As a relatively mature product, it is difficult for ordinary users to judge the technological gaps between the leading manufacturers' products. It's like asking about the technical advantages and disadvantages between Mercedes-Benz and BMW in car manufacturing; we, the onlookers, can only say, 'Ride in a Mercedes, drive a BMW.' Most of the key technologies used in car manufacturing that Mercedes has, BMW certainly has as well. Differences in other 'marketing technologies' do not affect the competitive technological landscape. The same applies to the industrial robotics industry. From a practical application perspective, the impact of technological gaps is far smaller than that caused by usage habits/functional design differences, unless there is a generational gap in technology.

KUKA

1. To evaluate the technological gaps among so many products and provide convincing conclusions, at least two prerequisites are needed: first, in-depth use and analysis of the typical products of several robots, which requires substantial resource support and long-term practice; second, the personnel themselves must possess very profound technical expertise to provide basically correct analysis results. Such individuals are extremely rare in China.

I have only used products from three of these companies and conducted relatively in-depth analysis of the technologies of two of them. Therefore, combining the above two conclusions, the main purpose of this answer is to provide some reference for Zhihu friends who want to understand basic information about the four major industrial robot manufacturers. It represents only personal views (and thus is inevitably influenced by personal preferences). Due to limited experience and capability, there are certainly many inappropriate points; comments and corrections are welcome.

ABB

The image conveyed by ABB's robot products to the outside world can be summarized as: professional, rigorous, and practicality first.

Professionalism is first reflected in robot control technology. ABB's 'xxxxxMove' technology is, if not industry-leading, at least top-tier. With over forty years of professional robot R&D and engineering experience, it's not an exaggeration to say it leads the domestic market by 15 years. Those interested in seeing the excitement can search for videos; those wanting to learn can search for related papers—there's plenty of substantial content. Meanwhile, IRC5 provides very comprehensive process software packages; basically, wherever robots can be used, ABB offers a solution.

The second aspect of professionalism is reflected in ABB's technical documentation. Its product manuals are extremely, extremely, extremely conscientious, with rich content, professional layout, and rigorous version control—highly recommended reading. Their content can completely surpass most domestic training materials written based on ABB robots. Unfortunately, only some basic operation manuals are provided in Chinese, and the translation quality is somewhat lacking.

Another aspect I believe is related to professionalism is that the promotional videos or advertisements you can find externally are mostly very professional product application demonstrations or performance showcases. It's rare to see ABB producing flashy, eye-catching videos, but this can win the favor of industry insiders.

ABB products, which prioritize practicality, are not outstanding in appearance, and their accessory selections do not chase the latest trends—practical, sufficient, and then a bit user-friendly, somewhat resembling Toyota's 'middle-of-the-road' philosophy.

In terms of control system solutions, ABB's current IRC5 main controller uses an x86 architecture, running the VxWorks system, responsible for upper-level tasks such as robot task planning, external communication, and parameter configuration. The servo drive part is handled by a separate Axis Computer, equipped with independent amplification modules. The teach pendant FlexPendant uses an Arm + WinCE solution, communicating with the main controller Main Controller via TCP/IP. Each module uses common solutions, not chasing novelty or taking shortcuts, but you can't find much to complain about.

The characteristic of practicality first is even more evident in mechanical design. ABB's robots are of a conventional type in mechanical solutions, with very few particularly outstanding designs. The level of customization for major mechanical components is relatively low compared to the other three companies. As a result, ABB robots are not as visually appealing as similar products from KUKA and FANUC. However, for a major manufacturer like ABB, boosting customer confidence through non-functional features like 'high aesthetics' is not a necessary requirement.

In summary, ABB robots have strong technical capabilities, comprehensive support documentation, a relatively mature online community, and a huge market share and application cases. So, when in doubt, choose ABB.

Alright, I admit I developed a liking from reading the documentation.

Accompanied by news of being acquired by Midea, KUKA has truly gained popularity this year. Probably many people outside the industrial robotics circle now know that a German robotics company is being acquired by the Chinese. Also a European company, KUKA products give a far more modern and lively impression than ABB. If ABB is likened to a senior engineer in a state-owned enterprise following procedures step by step, KUKA is an internet PM with fresh ideas constantly emerging. Chasing novelty and fashion are KUKA's labels.

But do not mistakenly think KUKA is a company muddling through. To have long been among the four major families, it must have several strong capabilities.

KUKA is the 'softest' robot manufacturer among the four major families. The latest control system, KRC4, also uses an x86-based hardware platform, running VxWorks + Windows systems, implementing all possible functions through software, including Servo Control, Safety Controller, Soft PLC, etc. The implementation of the teach pendant differs from ABB. The KRC4 human-machine interface runs on the main controller, and the teach pendant uses remote desktop login to the Main Controller to access the HMI, while using EtherCAT FSoE to transmit safety signals, reducing wiring and safety accessories, which can improve reliability.

Theoretically, using software to implement hardware functions can reduce the number of components, enhance system flexibility, and lower costs. However, many aspects are developed through outsourced collaboration, making it unclear whether costs have actually decreased or increased...

KUKA has been in the industrial robotics industry for over 40 years, accumulating substantial expertise and offering a wide range of process packages that cover common applications comprehensively.

Beyond these conventional operations, KUKA has developed many 'niche' cutting-edge technologies for which other companies currently lack competitive products.

In terms of product appearance alone, KUKA's designs are far more stylish compared to ABB. Searching 'Industrial Robot IF Award' on Google yields KUKA results dominating the first page.

KUKA is also the most adept at video editing among robot manufacturers.

In recent years, the company has released several questionable promotional videos that gained popularity outside the industry but were heavily criticized within it. The issue is that people outside the industrial robotics sector don't make purchases. Could it be that they anticipated a potential acquisition years ago and started building hype early?

In summary, KUKA is a manufacturer that 'takes the road less traveled.' Although its technical level is relatively weaker compared to ABB, it still represents top-tier industry standards. If Midea's acquisition succeeds, it would undoubtedly be a worthwhile deal.

If KUKA's style were applied to the consumer and commercial markets in China, it would likely perform much better than in the industrial sector.

FANUC

FANUC's headquarters is located at the foot of Mount Fuji. Thanks to its significant achievements in industrial automation, it is known as the 'Yellow Giant at the Foot of Mount Fuji.' Additionally, FANUC is one of the earliest companies genuinely recognized for using robots to manufacture robots (not as a marketing gimmick).

Personally, I believe that among the 'Big Four,' FANUC's products best combine industrial feel with design aesthetics. They clearly appear as industrial products at first glance yet possess an indescribable sense of refinement. This refinement isn't solely due to industrial design but stems more from a well-balanced integration of design, manufacturing, and debugging.

This balance results from FANUC's years of focus and integration across the upstream and downstream supply chains.

FANUC has three closely interconnected business segments: CNC systems and servo systems, robotics, and machine tools.

According to FANUC, the control components of these three segments utilize a unified platform (Common Control Platform), enhancing integration, reducing costs, and lowering integration complexity. Consequently, FANUC's robots benefit from top-tier in-house servo systems and motion control systems that form the robot controllers, along with in-house advanced machine tools and robots handling mechanical processing and production. Downstream, there is extensive CNC integration support (FANUC has shipped over 2 million machine tools globally). This cost and technological advantage is difficult for other robot manufacturers to replicate or surpass.

Regarding integrated software packages, FANUC provides users with approximately 70 option packages, meeting the vast majority of application needs. Simultaneously, FANUC is currently the only manufacturer in the industry that integrates vision systems within the robot controller, requiring only the purchase of standard industrial cameras to accomplish various complex vision applications.

FANUC also maintains a profit margin that is surprisingly high for the industrial sector. Taking 2015 as an example:

KUKA: Total revenue of $2.97 billion, EBIT margin of 6.6%, net income of $86 million.
Yaskawa: Total revenue of $3.72 billion, net income of $230 million, profit margin of 6.2%.
ABB: Total revenue of $35.48 billion, net income of $1.93 billion, profit margin of 5.4%. (Robotics constitutes only a small portion of ABB's total revenue; data is for reference only.)
FANUC: Total revenue of $6.08 billion, net income of $1.73 billion, profit margin of 28.5%.

After praising, some criticism follows.

It's unclear how many people have noticed that it's challenging to find FANUC's technical or product documentation online, a situation resulting from FANUC's deliberate actions.

In 2009, FANUC notified the renowned industrial robotics forum 'Robotforum Support for Robotprogrammer and Users – Index' to delete all user-shared random documents and technical materials related to FANUC robots from its website. It is reasonable to believe that other discussion platforms received similar notices.

However, currently, almost all robot manufacturers provide some level of product technical documentation for download on their websites. Even other Japanese manufacturers considered 'less open,' such as Denso and Mitsubishi, offer sufficient documentation to understand most functions of their robots.

Open documentation not only helps users familiarize themselves with products more quickly but also reduces the workload for manufacturers' technical support. However, FANUC clearly thinks otherwise. Conversely, FANUC's policies regarding technical support for used robots have drawn criticism.

If you purchase a used FANUC robot, you must pay FANUC a re-license fee of approximately $10,000 per unit before official use, so that FANUC can update the robot's owner in its database. Without payment, there is no technical support, no software upgrades, no repair parts, and you might not even have the manual—pray.

That said, over the decades of China's modernization, similar fees nearly imposed by foreign enterprises are likely not uncommon across various industries. It's understandable for companies from developed countries to leverage their first-mover advantages in less developed markets, but enduring continuous backwardness and being exploited is intolerable. Domestic companies engaged in technological industries, even if they don't survive well, contribute significantly to the nation and its people by driving down the prices of foreign products.

Digressing, in a nutshell, FANUC demonstrates the power of focus and supply chain integration.

YASKAWA

Since YASKAWA has its own servo systems and motion controller products, and its technical level should be among the top tier among Japanese brands, the overall technical solution of its robots is very similar to that of FANUC. Except for purchasing reducers externally, other components such as controllers, servo systems, and mechanical design are all completed in-house.

YASKAWA's design philosophy for robots is simplicity and sufficiency. Among the four major brands, YASKAWA robots have the lowest comprehensive price. Additionally, with the local support from Shougang Motoman (as far as I recall, YASKAWA should be the first robot company to officially enter the Chinese market, having established a joint venture with Shougang to form Shougang Motoman as early as 1997), there should be quite a few users of YASKAWA robots in China.

However, my understanding of YASKAWA is relatively limited, mainly for two reasons.

The first reason is that YASKAWA's small robots are too unattractive. The pursuit of simple and practical thin body design, paired with blue paint, makes them look very crude and unbearable.

The second reason is still that they are too ugly. Just kidding. In fact, the design philosophy for YASKAWA's small robots is very similar to that of ABB, both prioritizing practicality far over appearance. The difference is that ABB, with its European origins, designs robots with better rigidity, paired with light-colored exteriors. While not exactly beautiful, they at least have a serious industrial feel. YASKAWA's small robots have a thin appearance, and when combined with their blue paint, they always feel unworthy of the reputation of the four major brands.

Summary

1. The four major brands are very strong, truly strong.
2. The four major brands are selected based on sales volume. Since these four companies have comprehensive product lines, their sales volumes are relatively large. Other robot manufacturers often focus on specific fields. Although their sales volumes are smaller, their technical levels in niche areas are not weaker than those of the four major brands.
3. This is just a bunch of random comments. Feel free to take a casual look. No matter how much you know about others' robots, they are still others' robots. It's most reliable to focus on developing domestic robots.
Data archive number: 1171. Content organized from the old site database.