Power and automation company ABB is in the launch phase of its highest-payload multipurpose industrial robot, the IRB 8700. The robot has a reach of 3.5 m and can handle a payload of up to 800 kg.

“When designing the IRB 8700, we emphasised reach and payload, as well as performance. Owing to ABB’s motion-control technology at high moments of inertia, [the robot] automatically adapts and adjusts its speed to accommodate heavy and wide parts,” says ABB product manager for large robots Ola Svanström.

He adds that, with a compact footprint, improved counterweight, parallel linkages, stiff axes and fewer drive motors, the IRB 8700 has reduced momentum, but maintains its speed.

Although the IRB 8700 is ABB’s largest ever robot and offers all the functionality and expertise of the ABB portfolio in a much bigger package, it has only one motor and one gear per axis, while most other robots in this size class use dual motors and gears.

In addition, there are no gas springs, only a reliable counterweight and mechanical springs for counterbalancing. These design elements mean the robot has fewer components and can, therefore, deliver shorter-cycle times and higher accuracy.

The IRB 8700 is available in two configurations, one with a reach of 4.2 m and a payload of 550 kg, and the other with a reach of 3.5 m and a payload of 800 kg. Both configurations have a high moment of inertia at 725 kg/m2.

ABB robotics local business unit manager Ragnar Tonnessen notes that the size and payload of the robot, which is designed and manufactured in Sweden, make it unique. Typically, industrial robots are about the size of adults, but this unit is far larger and swings heavy items around at high speed with uncanny precision, he elaborates.

He points out that the IRB 8700 is the result of demand in the automotive industry, where mechanics operating the robot want to pick up a completed chassis from one line and move it to another line.

Tonnessen says that, although a motor-vehicle body is not very heavy, “you need a 1 t robot that lifts and grips the object properly”, as it could become distorted during moving.

He notes that, in terms of size, a couple of competitors also have large robots with heavy payloads, but not all of them can move as quickly. He says that the ABB robot is faster than any other robot in this weight range.

“Benefits of using this robot include increased productivity because [it can] do what two robots traditionally did in the past, thereby reducing costs. It also makes production more flexible,” Tonnessen says.

He explains that the robot allows for full-axis motion and it can also be used to move large glass plates for brick handling and heavy materials lifting.

“I think it could be a good fit for the South African market, as there are many applications in South Africa for the general industry. There are plants doing brick handling, for example, where this robot would be able to do more than the tools currently being used in that specific industry,” he concludes.