Compact robot has high speed, high payload

TM Robotics said that the Toshiba compact robot, offering high speed and high payload, will find uses in packaging, electronics and laboratory industries.

TM Robotics has launched the Toshiba Machine TH350A compact robot in the UK and Europe.

It is said to be among the most compact robots in its class with a built in PLC.

TM Robotics said that the compact robot's arm lengths of just 350mm and repeatability of +/-0.01mm mean that the TH350A is best suited to applications where precision and accuracy are paramount.

Its payload of up to 3kg gives it the ability to cope with the demands placed on it in the vast majority of such applications.

However, when carrying a pay load of just 1kg it can deliver impressive cycle times of only 0.41s.

The robot's clean room class ten equivalent (0.1 micron) means it is suitable for use in low pollutant manufacturing environments.

Combined with the TH350A's high level of accuracy, the clean room classification makes it ideal for manufacturing electronic equipment, said TM Robotics to manufacturingtalk, such as semiconductors or hard drives for instance, or for laboratory use.

The robot is also expected to find applications in the general manufacturing industry as well as in end of line and secondary packaging.

* Robots will account for 10% of assembly and process operations - managing director of TM Robotics, Nigel Smith, said: "It has recently been predicted that by 2015 10% of Japan's workforce in assembly and process operations will be robotic.

The UK and Europe have quite a lot of catching up to do in order to remain competitive".

Around 920,000 industrial robots were in use worldwide in 2005.

Of these 52% were in Asia, 32% in Europe and 15% in North America.

Smith added: "Our (UK) ageing population and inflating wages mean we are more and more likely to become a community of knowledge workers.

Robots like the TH350A allow manufacturers to remain competitive as this happens".

* Bult in PLC - the TH350A's built in PLC can, regardless of robot operation and program, control I/O equipment.

The SCARA uses a Toshiba Machine TS1000 robot controller and can be programmed using SCOL, a proprietary language similar to BASIC.

As an option it can feature devicenet or Profi-bus connectivity.

A further option is the Toshiba Machine teach pendant, an external switch pad that can be used to direct the robot through a sequence of movements.

Weighing just 14kg with a maximum height including the cable harness of 635cm the robot is suitable for use in very small cells, further emphasising its versatility.

The TH350A will replace the TH350 in the Toshiba Machine portfolio of industrial robots.

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