New cleanroom-standard SCARA pick and place robots deliver the hygiene requirements for foods

Fanuc has launched two ultra-hygienic additions to its SCARA pick-and-place robot range which are ideal for replacing manual labour in handling foods.

Handling operations are now the most popular application for industrial robot purchases, representing 52% of UK installations in 2021. But as well as speed and dexterity, today’s food manufacturers are also looking to maintain rigorous hygiene standards when automating their handling applications. This is why Fanuc has developed the cleanroom-standard, pedestal-mounted SR-3iA/C three-axis and SR-6iA/C four-axis robots.

They are billed as ideal for replacing manual labour in food handling tasks, and they also boast novel anti-contamination features to meet the highest food safety and hygiene standards in even the most challenging environments.

The SCARA models sport a white epoxy coating as opposed to the yellow usually associated with the Fanuc brand. This is not an aesthetic choice; the white coating provides extra durability. Certified to IP54-rated levels of protection against ingress of water, dust or other contaminants, the new models are perfectly suited for use in situations that require thorough clean down, also meeting ISO Class 5 cleanroom standards.

Specially designed bellows that protect the critical spindle during cleaning eliminate another potential hygiene headache for operators, while NSF-H1 certified grease and anti-rust bolts are also available.

Besides their ultra-hygienic properties, the new SCARA models also offer a compact footprint, allowing for the integration of smaller work cells with no loss of performance. Their 360-degree envelopes are designed to allow integrators to exploit the full reach of the robots within smaller cells, also minimising physical interference with nearby devices or work areas.

Services including power supply, solenoid valves and pneumatic airlines are fully integrated within the robot arm, further helping to reduce interference contours and snagging.

Despite its compact footprint, the SR-3iA/C boasts a 3 kg payload, a 400 mm reach and a maximum push-down force of 150 Newtons. Meanwhile, the SR-6iA/C has a 6 kg payload, a 650 mm reach and a maximum push-down force of 200 Newtons. And, depending on the application, up to 120 cycles/minute is possible, with no loss of precision: the robots are accurate to ±0.01 mm in the linear axes and 0.004O wrist rotation. The wrist also offers ±720O of motion and 3,000O/second speed, with continuous rotation as an option.

Fanuc’s SR-3iA/C and SR-6iA/C are also compatible with the company’s latest R-30iB Compact Plus controller. The web-based user interface, which employs Fanuc iRProgrammer software, delivers fast, intuitive, platform-independent set-up capabilities, with teaching and programming provided via a tablet or PC. No specialist tools or interface units are required.

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