Robotics specialist Fanuc has launched the M-2iA four axis pick and place delta style robot, developed to meet a trend driven by food manufacturers looking to improve the hygiene of handling raw and unpackaged foods.
According to the Japan-based company, the M-2iA is one of the few IP69K certified robot systems on the market able to withstand high pressure and temperature washdown procedures.
The Fanuc M-2iA has a payload of 3kg, filling a gap between the company’s existing 1kg and 6kg arms.
It comes in two sizes, standard or long reach, with a cylindrical work envelope of 400mm deep and 1,130mm in diameter.
Fanuc UK managing director Chris Sumner says robot uptake in the food industry has grown “considerably” in the last five years.
Yet, he says: “Most recent demands from producers relate to food safety and the use of robots to improve hygiene, by removing the human element, during the manufacturing process.”
Sumner explains that although robots certified to the IP67K standard (dust/waterproof) have been commonplace for many years, the very nature of a robot arm, with its many crevices and less durable construction materials, has in the past prevented it from working in harsher environments.
“Our current focus is on hardening our robots for sanitation, making them able to withstand the harshest of environments and high pressure water hose cleaning, which is often used during food manufacture,” he adds.
Fanuc’s M-2iA is a high speed, ceiling mounted picking and assembly robot with a 3kg payload and ±0.1mm repeatability.
Compact in design, it picks from a conveyor at extremely high rates – up-to 220 cycles per minute – and with a wrist rotation of 3,500 degrees per second.
Designed with a durable epoxy coating, food-grade lubricant and over 20+ end effector options, it is said to be ideal for handling unpackaged and raw foods including placement of products into trays and assembly operations.
