Fast SCARA robot provides competition for deltas
TM Robotics has launched Toshiba Machine’s THP550 SCARA, the first robot in a new range of machines set to compete with the flexipicker style devices already on the market. Its impressive speed and Ethernet connectivity make it ideal for robot synchronisation on a production line. As a result, two or more SCARAs can work together, using a single vision system, and deliver a net capital expenditure saving compared to a single more expensive device.
The THP550 works in tandem with Toshiba Machine’s new TS3000 series controllers, which also feature an Ethernet connection for easy set up. Key to the functionality of both devices is the TM Robotics ‘one line = one camera’ philosophy, which cuts costs by sharing the vision from a single camera across multiple robots. This allows the system to sort large quantities of goods quickly and take advantage of easy programming via dedicated commands. In addition, the resultant, perfectly synchronised, automation can result in fewer damaged products than other methods of manufacture.
The THP550 offers a payload of 2kg, a 550mm arm length and a cycle time of 0.29 seconds. A composite maximum speed of 6.21m/s and repeatability of ±0.015mm on the X and Y axes means that the machine offers both the speed required by the most demanding applications and outstanding accuracy on highly repetitive pick and place tasks. Absolute encoders are standard while options include ceiling mount, IP65 wash down, clean room design and an extended Z axis. The easy to use TS3000 controller is programmed in SCOL, a language similar to BASIC, and features a built in PLC, creating the potential for total system management from the controller itself.
Nigel Smith, managing director of TM Robotics explains, “While SCARA robots have ease of integration, relatively low costs and versatility on their side, they have always been a little bit slower than the very fastest robot technologies. The introduction of the THP550 and other machines in the same series, mean that we can now compensate for that by offering a set up that provides all the speed advantages of a flexipicker with all of the simplicity, adaptability and flexibility of a Toshiba Machine SCARA.”
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