Robot combines high speed with accurate positioning

Citation

(2000), "Robot combines high speed with accurate positioning", Industrial Robot, Vol. 27 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2000.04927aad.005

Robot combines high speed with accurate positioning

Robot combines high speed with accurate positioning

Keywords: High speed, Accuracy, Robotics, Fanuc

The latest Fanuc table-top size robot combines high speed movements with precise positioning. This makes it ideal for applications such as assembly, machine loading, dispensing and laboratory testing.

Designated the LR Mate 200i, it features a small footprint of just 190mm wide and 250mm front to back (see Figure 1). This means that it can be located in restricted areas. If necessary, it can be mounted overhead and inverted without modification. The overall weight is only 39kg.

It also features hollow joint construction which allows all cables and supplies to the end-of-arm tooling to be internally routed to eliminate snagging and other accidental damage.

Figure 1 The LR Mate 200I

There are six axes of movement and the maximum pay load is 3kg. The end-of-arm tooling can be positioned to within ±0.04mm while axis speeds of up to 480° per second can be achieved.

All axes are powered by brushless ac servo-motors for minimum maintenance and are protected to IP54 against dust and liquid ingress. Absolute serial encoders are incorporated in order to eliminate any calibration at power-up.

For basic handling, the robot can be specified with the RJ-2 Mate controller. This offers 20 low voltage inputs (eight dedicated) and 16 outputs (four dedicated). There are six inputs at the end-of-arm tooling.

For more complex applications, the RJ-3 controller is recommended. This supports the Fanuc Karel application software and incorporates standard I/O modules.

There is a special combined hardware and software interface pack to connect the robot to injection moulding machines.

Fanuc sensor communications software allows the robot to exchange two-way data with ancillary devices such as barcode readers, vision systems and PCs. Users can control the robot actions through a VB graphic interface.

For further information, contact Maurice Hanley, Fanuc Robotics (UK) Limited, Seven Stars Industrial Estate, Wheler Road, Coventry CV3 4LB, UK. Tel: (+44) 01203 639669; Fax: (+44) 1203 304333.