KUKA introduces compact robots for delicate work

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 8/1/2006

KUKA Robotics has introduced a series of compact robots, including the KR5 SCARA robot family and the KR5 Sixx robot family.

Both product lines have a five-kilogram capacity and are designed for high-speed, long-reach tasks. The KR5 SCARA (Selective Compliant Articulated Robot Arm) robots operate in four axes, and the more flexible KR5 Sixx robots in six axes.

The robots are smaller, less expensive and much quicker than KUKA's larger robots, says the company's marketing director Kevin Kozuszek. When combined with KUKA's PC-based controls, these compact robots are ideal for pick and place, assembly or materials handling applications, he says, where speed, flexibility and ease of use are important.

The robots have the greatest potential in assembly applications, says Kozuszek, but they are also appropriate for materials handling in such industries as the pharmaceutical industry, where companies must quickly and safely handle vials of blood or other lightweight, delicate materials.