The global market for industrial robots components keeps growing. According to research from The International Society of Automation (ISA), the market reached $12.1 billion in 2022, marking a 14.7% increase from the previous year. This surge was primarily driven by the production of collaborative and SCARA robots.
However, as we move forward, the rapid growth witnessed in the past may slow down. The ISA projects that from 2022 to 2027, the market for these components will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.8%. The key components considered in this research range from motors, servo drives, precision gearboxes, encoders and sensors, to robot controllers, end effectors, machine vision hardware, and teach pendants. These components are central to the functionality of both industrial and collaborative robots.
The demand for collaborative robots in industrial settings has witnessed a significant boost in recent years. The momentum, driven by the ease of use and growing scenarios of human-machine collaboration in production, is expected to persist until 2027. High-payload collaborative robots, in particular, are gaining traction, presenting stiff competition to traditional articulated robots.
On the other hand, SCARA robots, affected by downturns in the semiconductor and consumer electronics sectors since 2021, have found a silver lining. The burgeoning new energy industry, including sectors like lithium-ion battery manufacturing and photovoltaics, has become a new source of demand for SCARA robots.
As a consequence, components for collaborative and SCARA robots are anticipated to see the swiftest growth rates, boasting projected 5-year CAGRs of 25.1% and 9.0%, respectively. In contrast, delta robots’ component market is predicted to trail behind with a forecast CAGR of 6.9% over the same period.
Interestingly, the rise of collaborative and SCARA robots is poised to benefit specific markets. For instance, the force and torque sensors market is expected to see 54% of its sales come from products paired with collaborative robots by 2027, up from 35% in 2022.
2022 saw an uptick in the prices of key components due to various factors, including supply chain disruptions and chip shortages. However, as these pressures ease, component prices are expected to decline, dropping by approximately 1% annually from 2024 onwards.
But the industrial robots market isn’t just about ‘off-the-shelf’ robots. The ISA research also highlighted an emerging market segment: non-standard integrated robots. These robots, produced by machine builders, are considered an untapped market with tremendous growth potential. Unlike traditional robots, integrated robots offer a more flexible and competitive supply chain, presenting new opportunities for component suppliers.
As the demand for these integrated robots rises, OEMs are taking note of their benefits, including flexible kinematics and easier operation. Although their current market share is minimal, the growth potential for this segment is undeniable.
