Robots by Series

Articulated robots are the most common robot type. “Articulated” is a term that represents the way axes and joints move. Axes and joints are usually designed to contain movement within a workspace envelope. When considering these types of robots, you can also find models designed to work side by side with people, using articulation to operate safely without bumping into people or other machinery. Scroll to the Collaborative Series to see our articulated robots designed to be safe to operate in the same workspace as people.

An articulated robot arm design uses a series of axes, ranging from 3-axis models to 7-axis models. A 6-axis robot is one of the most adaptable articulated robot configurations. With 6 axes, it can move forward and back, up and down. It can also yaw, pitch and roll, resulting in a complex set of movements that can simulate the motions of a human arm. This articulated robot advantage allows it to do things such as grab small items from a shelf and put them on a conveyor. The same complexity also makes articulated robots an excellent choice for robotic packaging solutions, palletizing and custom applications such as deburring robots.

Articulated robot advantages include more degrees of freedom (DOF) than other robots, making them more versatile. By integrating an articulated robot arm design into a production line, you can increase your productivity by accelerating speed and improving precision. You’ll also improve quality and increase flexibility to quickly accommodate process changes. Because articulated robot systems are a more common part of the production and manufacturing process, they have also become more affordable, making them a viable option for small and medium-sized businesses.

Automotive assembly robots can include articulated robots that serve as material joining robots, coating robots and sealing robots. Robots can be part of the line and handle tasks independently or can be collaborative—designed to assist humans in the production process.

Delta robots are umbrella-shaped robots designed to mimic the movement of the hand. This robot is ultra fast, however, so they can operate with much more accuracy and speed than people. Also known as parallel-link robots or spider robots, delta robots are often an excellent alternative to expensive all-in-one automation systems.

In delta robots, the motors are fixed within the frame, ensuring that mass and resistance stay above the workspace and away from the ultra-light arms and end-of-arm tooling. Delta robots are usually a light payload robot with tooling that might include a gripper finger, vacuum cup, a gripper arm or another custom application.

Because of their unusual construction, delta robots can move their arms with exceptional dexterity within their workspace in the x and y axes, but usually with limited movement along the z axis. Their work envelope is generally more controlled and limited than an articulated robot work envelope. Delta robots will require 4 or more axes to complete a task as simple as moving an item from a bin to a box, or as complicated as grasping pill bottles or moving flat items into a standing position or other types of part reorientation.

Delta robots’ exceptional dexterity make them an excellent choice when choosing precision assembly robots, a pick and pack robot as well as a pick and place robot. These high productivity robots are often good choices for robotic packaging solutions. Adding vision technologies allows this series of robots to complete more intricate tasks such as placing irregular food items into boxed compartments, such as transferring food items into boxes.

Delta robots are also suitable for use in plants with strict health and safety regulations. They can be configured to comply with food manufacturers standards for equipment washdown. Motors can be isolated in enclosures to ensure that food or pharmaceutical product is protected from potential contaminants such as lubricants, fragments of metal or plastic, or dust.

Delta robots are practical choices to perform repetitive tasks quickly and consistently. This solution is especially useful when replacing human activity that causes mental fatigue or repetitive motion injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain or tendinitis.

Because industrial robots can be configured in ways that offer almost endless functionality, it helps to sort them in a few working groups, called robots by series. Articulated robots and delta robots are two of the most popular robots by series. As you’re considering robotics for your production or manufacturing facility, there are six additional categories of robots by series to explore.

Although lights-out automation is an exciting concept, in many facilities, robots work alongside humans, taking over the tasks that are especially repetitive or dangerous. This allows your team to focus on more intelligent or cognitive work. Collaborative robots, or cobots, in manufacturing are designed to work side-by-side with people. They use safety stop features instead of fencing, reducing the robot’s footprint. Some models are built for light work, such as small assembly robots, while others are created to do the heavy lifting in industries such as automotive, metalworking, distribution and packaging.

By reducing the strain on employees, this robotic series improves worksite safety and frees people up to focus on more technically-oriented tasks. FANUC has more cobot models than any cobot manufacturer in the industry, including six models ranging from 4 to 35 kilograms in payload for nearly any manufacturing application.

In almost every industry, finished products must be packed into pallet configurations for shipping. Although each sector has different sizes of finished products with separate weight requirements and various shipping configurations, there is a palletizing robot option for almost every job.

Palletizing robots are job-specific equipment that serve as a part transfer robot. These heavy-duty robots are installed in ways that allow them to interact with the last stages of the assembly line to grip, lift, move and arrange payloads to preset configurations.

Material handling robot applications for high payload palletizing robots can include payloads up to 2,300 kilograms. FANUC was one of the first robot suppliers to develop a series specifically designed for palletizing and still leads the way in the industry.

FANUC arc welding robots can be found in many different industries. They’re highly customizable and can work in very tight or narrow spaces. These robots were first used in the automotive sector welding seats, axles and other components, taking over some of the most-dangerous tasks in the industry.

Today’s heavy duty robots are built to withstand the rigors of welding, so your staff can focus on less-hazardous activities. These welding robots feature a slim arm and hollow wrist design. Industrial arc welding robots can be programmed for laser welding, soldering and cutting.

FANUC offers a selection of models that can be customized to meet the welding demands of your organization. An arc welding robot comes with a variety of tools that increases versatility and makes the welding processes safer. FANUC also offers a series of arc welding cobots able to work in the same space with your welding operators.

Top mount robots are designed to be light enough to mount safely over the workspace as part of a robotic assembly system, making them a type of mobile robot. Top mounts or a gantry robot can allow it to move above the manufacturing or production process.

If you’re looking for a heavy payload robot, these lightweight top mounts can accommodate payloads of up to 70 kilograms. These 6-axis machines also provide exceptional versatility, making it easier and safer to tend to and manage jobs.

Top mount robots also keep down costs on machine tending and handling duties. These models feature a range of axes and variety of mounting options.

Paint robots bring more consistency and speed to your painting applications and improve safety in hazardous painting work environments.These coating robots have a smooth aluminum surface that resists contamination and is easy to clean. The aluminum surface also keeps paint robots lightweight so that they can run on less power. A hollow wrist feature allows for tubes to run through the robot, eliminating the need to run outside hoses.

FANUC’s articulated robot configurations can work with a wide variety of painting and coating applications. The 6-axis articulation allows you to optimize your articulated robot work envelope. Because we designed some models to operate in hazardous environments with a wide range of reaches, paint robots can eliminate the need to put people into situations that are dangerous to their health. All of FANUC’s painting robots have been designed and built in Rochester Hills, Michigan, since 1982.

FANUC’s SCARA robots are fast, precise, easy to use and an affordable solution to maximize productivity. In addition, FANUC’s SCARA robots offer best-in-class speed and performance. These high-productivity robots are designed to work as part of a robotic assembly system, for pick and place and as inspection robots in a variety of applications.

Although SCARA robots are often small assembly robots and may be considered a light payload robot, depending on the model, they can also handle a payload up to 6 kilograms. Because they feature a pedestal-mount design, they fit into smaller footprints and operate within an efficient SCARA robot work envelope. This offers exciting possibilities for a variety of robotic packaging solutions.