FANUC Robotics America’s M-3iA is an intelligent, parallel-link robot designed to maximize speed and flexibility for assembly; it is a larger version of the company’s M-1iA delta-style robot. Available in a four- or six-axis model, the M-3iA offers the same parallel-link structure, and accommodates payloads to 6kg. In addition, it has the largest work envelope of any robot in its class at 1350mm x 500mm.
“In an effort to minimize waste, product designers must determine how a product looks best and that means that the robot must be able to pick up a product that sits flat and put it down either at an angle or standing straight up,” said David Bruce, the company’s product manager. “Our latest M-3iA/6A robot has the flexibility and accuracy to perform coin stacking and other applications in the food industry that have traditionally been handled by manual operators.”
The M-3iA six-axis model has a three-axis wrist for complex assembly tasks. The extreme flexibility offered by the three-axis wrist enables the robot to pick up and insert parts at simple or compound angles, and twist parts into place, similar to the flexibility offered by a manual operator.
“The M-3iA’s unique design makes it possible to automate the assembly of a variety of applications that could not be done with traditional SCARA-type robots,” added Bruce. “We refer to our series of parallel-link robots as fists because they provide the accuracy and flexibility of a human hand.”
A four-axis M-3iA has a single-axis wrist for simple assembly and high-speed picking operations, offering speeds up to 4000 degrees per second. In addition, a hollow wrist allows hoses and cables to be routed internally, which minimizes wear and tear on the tooling cables.
FANUC Robotics
www.fanucrobotics.com
::Design World::
Filed Under: Assembly, Factory automation, Mechanical, Motion control • motor controls, Mechatronics
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