The Importance of Robot Certification:
Robots are key supporting equipment for advanced manufacturing and an important entry point into human lifestyles. Their research and development and industrial application are important indicators of a country's technological innovation and high-end manufacturing development level. Vigorously developing the robotics industry is of great significance for China's manufacturing industry to realize the transformation from "Made in China" to "Intelligent Manufacturing in China".
China currently has approximately 9% of the world's robots in service, and in 2015, the domestic market for industrial robots reached a record high of 75,000 units. Sales of domestically produced robots, particularly industrial robots, have been steadily increasing. Experts predict that my country's robot market will exceed 100,000 units in 2016. In the future, emerging countries will be the fastest-growing market for robots, while developed countries in Europe and America will be largely saturated, with a significant decrease in rigid demand. Asia will have a very large intelligent robot market, and China will be the largest market for the robot and intelligent equipment industry in Asia.
As China's robotics industry is currently experiencing unprecedented opportunities, improving the quality and technological level of robot products is a pressing issue for both robot companies and consumers. Certification technology, as a crucial driving force for industrial development and guiding its healthy growth, will also play a significant role in the development of robotics. Certification technology is a product quality and reliability evaluation system based on international standards, typically composed of evaluation elements such as testing, factory inspection, supervision, and random checks. Certified products are considered reliable, safe for human use, and environmentally friendly; it provides a holistic evaluation model throughout the product's entire lifecycle. Certification results convey trust between enterprises, users, and the government. Conducting robot testing and certification work, promoting the construction of my country's robot testing and certification system, strengthening international exchange and cooperation in robot testing and certification, and promoting international mutual recognition of robot testing and certification will help promote the healthy and orderly development of my country's robot industry, improve the quality of its development, enhance its competitiveness in both domestic and international markets, and simultaneously promote the construction and development of national independent testing and certification brands.
Current status of robot certification at home and abroad:
Looking at both domestic and international contexts, as an emerging industry, the implementation of regulations for robot testing and certification varies, for example:
EU: Based on the requirements of the CE Directive, robots are naturally covered by the product scope required by the CE Directive. Therefore, the EU has been conducting certification requirements for robot products for many years.
The United States has relatively clear regulatory processes for medical devices and industrial robots. While the US currently lacks specific regulatory standards for nursing robots and is awaiting the implementation of these processes, robot certification has been underway for over a decade.
Japan and South Korea: Japan has also developed corresponding certification marks based on the ISO 13482 standard and is conducting certification assessments.
In China, because robots are not included in the CCC certification product catalog, they are not products required for CCC certification (except for a small number of robots that fall under the categories of household appliances or audio-visual products and are subject to some 3C certification). Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish a corresponding certification system for industrial and service robots. The Chinese robot certification system has thus been developed.
Specific Scheme for Robot Certification in China:
In response to the current state of testing and certification in China's robot industry, the National Development and Reform Commission's document [2015] No. 360, "Implementation Plan for the Industrialization of Key Technologies for Industrial Robots," the joint announcement by three ministries regarding the "Robot Industry Development Plan 2016-2020," and the National Development and Reform Commission's "Three-Year Action Plan for Enhancing the Core Competitiveness of Manufacturing (2015-2017)" all point to the need to establish a robot standards system, set up third-party robot testing and certification institutions, and improve the certification and supervision system. These documents have provided direction for robot standards testing and certification in China.
Established in 2015 under the guidance of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the China Robot Certification and Testing Center (CEC) marked the beginning of China's robot certification system. Following the CEC's establishment, the China Robot Testing and Certification Alliance (hereinafter referred to as the Alliance) was also established in 2016 under the leadership of the NDRC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Certification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA), and the Standardization Administration of China (SAC). The Alliance's initial core members included eight entities, such as Shanghai Electrical Apparatus Research Institute (Group) Co., Ltd. The relationship between these eight entities in the certification implementation process is shown in the diagram below. The Alliance also has a Technical Committee, which aims to collaboratively develop certification schemes that meet market demands and industry development needs through the joint efforts of certification bodies, testing institutions, enterprises, and users.
Among them, Shanghai TILVA Certification Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing CSTC Certification Center are responsible for the implementation of certification as certification bodies, while the other entities are responsible for testing as testing bodies.
The alliance has now completed the top-level planning and design of China's robot certification system (see the diagram below for a schematic diagram of the top-level design).
Top-level planning and design of robot certification in China
Domestic robot certification work has been gradually launched under the framework of the China Robot Testing Alliance.
This is a certification scheme with a unified product catalog, unified implementation rules, unified certification mark, and unified standards. In the near future, alliance certification will represent the nation's certification in the field of robotics and will be part of the construction of China's robotics certification system. Its certification results will be accepted by government departments at all levels, industry, and users. It will guide the healthy development of the robotics industry in China. Due to space limitations, this report uses the following diagram to illustrate the robot certification plan.
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