New robot series said to provide a speedy solution

Fanuc has added a new 3kg payload parallel link robot to its high-speed Genkotsu Series. The FANUC M-2iA is said to fill a gap between the existing 1kg and 6kg arms providing a large work envelope, with high throughput performance for mid-range assembly and handling tasks.

Fanuc states two variants of the M-2iA are available, a standard reach and a long reach, to address a wide range of applications in the food, electronics and general manufacturing sectors. Both arms are 4 axes, the fourth axis being a wrist rotation providing speeds up to 3,500 degrees per second.

The parallel link structure is said to allow higher speeds and greater accuracy than conventional SCARA type assembly arms. Handling a test payload of 1kg, the M-2iA will reportedly complete the standard pick and place trial of 25mm up, 305mm linear and 25mm down in just 0.27 seconds, 222 cycles per minute, at +/- 0.1mm repeatability. Aimed at assembly and packing operations, the parallel link structure is said to be the ideal line builder solution where space is confined; the cylindrical work envelope, up to 400mm deep and 1,130mm in diameter is concentric to the robot mounting base making it straight-forward to position and guard relative to peripheral equipment, according to the company.

The Fanuc M-2iA is controlled by the new energy saving R-30iB controller, the company’s latest generation of intelligent controller. The R-30iB is compact and when used in multi robot systems can reportedly be stacked to save space.