■ The heavy-duty SCARA robot makes a strong debut and has already been reserved by customers for sample delivery.
■ The Smart Island workstation offers a one-stop “challenge” experience, bringing a whole new level of excitement!
■ Software as a Service! The SC series offers a wealth of software options for layered functionality.
STEP empowers China’s high-end intelligent manufacturing!
On October 13, the three-day 7th International Robot and Intelligent Equipment Expo came to a close in Dongguan. With its robots, motion control products, and specialized industry solutions, STEP presented itself with the spirit of "technological innovation—every moment counts," resonating in harmony with the smart manufacturing community and sparking brilliant insights and collaborations.
What exciting moments are worth savoring? Let’s take our time and recount them together.
#01 Running in Step with the World: STEP Robotics Performs a Duet of “Technology + Application”
After ten years of vibrant practice, STEP has bridged the gap from prototype development to mass production. Adhering to the strategy of "benchmarking against imports and surpassing them," the company has repeatedly set industry records in robotic technology and product performance: it now independently masters key components that account for over 60% of the total value of its robots; its factory robot density exceeds 1,080 units per 10,000 workers; and its palletizing robots can handle up to 1,200 packages per hour...
Technology serves as the foundation, with applications taking the lead. STEP has always placed great emphasis on researching and addressing the pain points and challenges faced in on-site processes. We provide customers with a wide range of software packages tailored for specific application scenarios—including welding, bending, loading/unloading, and palletizing—making robot operation simpler and more user-friendly.
STEP has set a benchmark for domestically produced robots striving to catch up and surpass others, with its robot shipments being the first among domestic robot brands to exceed 20,000 units.
At this exhibition, STEP robotic exhibits truly showcase a duet of technology and application.
■ The intelligent arc welding system, enhanced by internationally advanced dual-robot collaborative technology, enables two SA6/1400 robots to communicate via a high-speed bus, enabling real-time position interaction. Combined with a single-axis positioner, this system achieves coordinated control across 13 axes, providing technical assurance for preventing weld deformation during tank welding. Equipped with a high-precision line laser sensor, the system perfectly addresses the challenge of real-time weld seam tracking on reflective materials such as galvanized sheets, stainless steel, and aluminum alloys.
■ At the end of August, the new YR series heavy-duty SCARA robot was officially announced. This exhibition marked its first public debut in full physical form. With its exceptionally large size and expansive workspace, it drew enthusiastic crowds of visitors who gathered around to take a closer look. During the exhibition, we also received some exciting news: a major customer has already placed an order for one of the YR series models and requested that we send a sample for testing.
The YR series boasts a maximum motion radius of up to 1200 mm, a maximum payload of 50 kg, a standard cycle time of 0.7 seconds for a 10 kg payload, and a standard cycle time of 1 second for a 20 kg payload. Its repeat positioning accuracy is ±0.03 mm.
Huang Guohui, head of the desktop robot business unit at STEP Zhongweixing, stated that the YR series achieves structural weight reduction, enhanced rigidity, and optimized transmission through simulation-based optimization of statics and dynamics, as well as optimal component selection and structural parameter design that incorporates multiple constraints—including multi-joint torque limitations, component lifespan constraints, and load-to-inertia ratio constraints. This approach ensures that the robot’s strength and rigidity remain unchanged while maximizing its lightweight design. The YR series was developed specifically for the lithium-ion battery industry but can also be applied to other industries with heavy loads, high cycle rates, and high precision requirements, such as automotive components, food and beverage processing, and more.
Also on display are: the SCARA flexible loading and unloading solution—featuring robots paired with flexible feeding systems and vision systems, providing a one-stop solution to the challenge of flexible feeding for small-variety, high-volume production; and the SCARA dual-robot visual dynamic tracking dispensing solution, which enables high-precision, dynamic tracking dispensing along a production line through synchronized interpolation of SCARA robots plus additional axes—a highly cost-effective solution.
#02 The Smart Island Workstation Becomes the “Popularity King”
Speaking of STEP’s smart manufacturing business segment, the pan-electronics integration sector is a key component. It can meet customers’ highly customized needs and also integrates robots in a modular and functional manner, delivering them to customers in the form of standardized workstations. STEP’s pan-electronics integration business boasts advantages such as independently developed technologies, engineering design and manufacturing capabilities, as well as robust delivery and after-sales support services.
At this exhibition, the Smart Island workstation—centered around multiple robots—showcased a perfect automated solution for multi-variety, small-batch, mixed-line production, vividly demonstrating STEP integrated capabilities in the broader electronics sector. The booth attracted a constant stream of visitors and became the “most popular exhibit” at the event.
■ The Smart Island utilizes SCARA robots paired with STEP six-axis robots, demonstrating its capability to serve flexible manufacturing scenarios involving small-batch, multi-variety production and mixed-process lines. It can cover a wide range of application scenarios, including testing, dispensing, pick-and-place, and fastening operations.
#03 Forum Speeches, Media Spotlight Xin Shida’s voice echoed throughout the venue.
On October 12, STEP also attended two concurrent forums, where it presented its robot and motion control product concepts, garnering widespread attention from the audience.
Zhou Guangxing: From mastering core technologies to becoming a leader in niche markets.
Zhou Guangxing, Deputy General Manager of STEP and General Manager of the Robotics Division, believes that, thanks to its mastery of the core technologies underlying robotic motion control systems, STEP robots boast comprehensive performance advantages that place them firmly ahead of the industry.
The technological advantages of STEP Robotics are also evident in software development. Zhou Guangxing explained: “Our goal is very clear: to provide users with powerful and easy-to-use application packages. To achieve this, we must master the underlying processes—deeply understand the processes and empower robotic applications—and ensure ease of operation: tailored to the actual skill levels of industrial workers, making our robots simpler and more user-friendly.”
Zhou Guangxing also shared case studies of projects undertaken by STEP, including Haier’s first domestically-produced intelligent robot assembly line, China Electric Engineering Corporation’s tower base welding workstation, Kangli Elevator’s intelligent production line for welding and bending elevator car frame and door panels, and an intelligent production line for welding large-scale steel structure components.
Cao Haixiao: The SC Intelligent Control Platform Empowers China’s Smart Manufacturing.
Since its launch last year, the SC series has attracted considerable attention from the industry and currently includes two models: SC20 and SC30. STEPeng defines these products as programmable automation controllers (PACs). In this regard, Cao Haixiao, head of STEP Motion Control Products BU, pointed out that a PAC is more akin to a PC, integrating advanced motion control, system-level operations similar to those found in IPCs, and platform-based operations under an operating system.
Compared to PLCs, PAC platform-based products can provide functions such as robot control, CNC numerical control, PLC logic control, and IoT edge computing all on a single platform. Moreover, these products do not require special hardware or firmware upgrades—simply by switching between different software configurations, they can easily achieve robot and CNC control across multiple coordinate systems.
△ The SC30 multi-axis synchronous control system on display
Cao Haixiao stated that STEP has adopted the slogan “Software as a Service” internally, aiming to abstract hardware functions into software and leverage the richness of software to enable the seamless integration of future features. The SC series boasts powerful performance, which, in addition to its embedded high-speed FPGA and innovative patented synchronization algorithm, also stems from its patented multi-machine collaboration technology.
He further explained that, unlike the typical approach taken by most manufacturers, a single SC-series device can simultaneously control multiple robots or CNC machines paired with robots, enabling mixed programming for multiple machines—all through simple software switching and using just one interface.
Cao Haixiao believes that the technological achievements of the SC series can contribute to China's realization of a leapfrog development in intelligent manufacturing, with promising market potential across various industries including robotics, textiles, lithium-ion batteries, machine tools, and even aerospace manufacturing.
During the exhibition, STEP also welcomed visits from numerous media outlets. Among them, Robot Online conducted an online live broadcast from STEP booth, using their cameras and words to cheer on China’s high-end intelligent manufacturing.
Smart manufacturing for a better future—though the road ahead is long and fraught with challenges.
Step by Step, Dreams Come True
See you at the China Industrial Fair (Shanghai) on December 1!
