Reach is a primary consideration in any robotics application. Can the robot access all the entire work area? Does the guarding cover the robot’s entire range of motion? These are obvious but critical questions for a robot installer or integrator. However, another equally critical question is: how much of the robot’s reach is wasted by the large footprint area? Reducing the sometimes-massive footprint of robotic cells is an important challenge for robot designers. After all, floor space is a limited resource in every factory.
The recent SCARA robots are designed for high-speed, precise operation for pick and place, assembly, testing/inspection and packaging processes in a wide range of industries including consumer electronics, auto component, plastics, food and beverage, lab automation, appliances and medical device manufacturing. A compact, lightweight design provides significant space savings.
. “With the addition of SCARA robots to our small robot lineup, we’re able to provide customers with a cost-effective solution to achieve higher productivity, even when micron-level tolerances are required.” said Nishant Jhaveri, engineering manager, small and SCARA robots, FANUC America. The SR-3iA offers a 3kg payload, 400mm reach, and 200mm stroke, and the SR-6iA has a 6kg payload, 650mm reach and 210mm stroke.
Powered by the new R-30iB Compact Plus controller, the new SCARA robots offer the same intelligence and reliability available on all FANUC robots, including integrated iRVision, force sensing, conveyor tracking, fieldbus connectivity, integrated safety, and most other software options. FANUC’s new SCARA iRProgrammer software interface is easy to use for programming with Tablets or PCs, and can be accessed via a Web browser.
“The FANUC SCARA’s are built on the same platform as our entire product line,” said Jhaveri. “With the addition of SCARAs to our product lineup, we’re able to provide our customers with a selection of small robots.”
The robots have three axes of motion, using a ball screw to provide motion in the Z-axis. FANUC’s SCARA robots will be available in North America in Q1 2018.
For more information about the robot’s features, visit the FANUC website.