Nearly 45% of production can potentially be automated with robots.
A wide range of industrial robots is available to meet various needs. When selecting the right type, it’s essential to follow the principle of “form follows function”—the robot’s design should align with its intended purpose.
Given the diverse tasks industrial robots can perform, different robot types are specifically designed to handle various applications.
Explore the advantages of each type of industrial robot below!
What Is an Industrial Robot?
According to ISO 8373:2012, an industrial robot is “an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator, programmable in three or more axes, which can be either fixed or mobile for industrial automation applications.”
Industrial robots come in various designs depending on their intended tasks, but the most common type is the robotic arm. These robots can be categorized based on factors such as movement, application, architecture, and brand.
Types of Industrial Robots
The most common industrial robots are stationary, meaning they are securely mounted to a surface such as a floor, ceiling, or wall. Among these, robotic arms are the most widely used. There are five main types of stationary robots, each designed to perform tasks like sorting, welding, and finishing with precision and efficiency. According to the International Federations of Robots, the five main types of industrial robots includes SCARA, Articulated, Cartesian, Delta, and Polar.
Articulated Robot
Advantages:
- Highly flexible due to multiple joints, allowing a broad range of tasks to be performed.
Disadvantages:
- More expensive than other types of robot arms.
- Requires advanced control systems for precise operation.
Articulated robots are the most common industrial robot structure, accounting for 60% of installations worldwide, according to the International Federation of Robots. Resembling a human arm, these robots feature a structure similar to a shoulder, elbow, and wrist, enabling dynamic movement.
These robots typically have between two and ten joints, providing flexibility and a smooth range of motion. The more joints a robot has, the more fluid its movements become. Most articulated arms can pivot with six degrees of freedom—slightly less than the human arm’s seven—but still sufficient for a wide range of industrial applications.
At the end of the robotic arm, a gripper—similar to a human hand—can be attached. Grippers range from simple suction cups to complex, finger-like mechanisms capable of grasping and manipulating objects. Depending on the task, the end effector may also be a drill bit, sander, laser, or other specialized tool.
Thanks to their exceptional flexibility, articulated robots are widely used across various industries. Common applications include printing, packaging, welding, machine tending, material handling, and metalworking.
SCARA Robots
Advantages:
- Cost-effective and highly accurate.
- Well-suited for a variety of assembly applications.
Disadvantages:
- Limited range of motion.
- Less efficient than Delta robots for high-speed applications.
SCARA, short for Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm, refers to robots with two parallel rotary joints. While SCARA robots move faster than Cartesian robots, they are slightly less precise. Although they operate along all three axes, their strength lies in lateral movements.
These robots have transformed small electronic manufacturing due to their compact size, simplicity, and affordability. They are particularly effective in assembly applications, where precision and speed are crucial. The "C" in SCARA stands for "compliance," which refers to their slight flexibility in the horizontal plane. However, they remain rigid in the vertical plane—hence the term "selective compliance."
This selective compliance makes SCARA robots ideal for inserting components into circuit boards or other single-plane surfaces. Their design provides the necessary rigidity for fitting parts into precise slots, a task that other robotic arms may struggle with. However, this structure also results in lower weight limits and fewer degrees of freedom compared to other robotic types.
Cartesian (Rectangular) Robots
Advantages:
- More cost-effective with simpler controls.
- Highly accurate due to linear movement in three dimensions.
Disadvantages:
- Limited to linear motion along three axes.
Cartesian robots operate along three linear axes: forward and backward, up and down, and side to side. Their name comes from the Cartesian Coordinate system (X, Y, and Z), meaning they move in straight lines along the horizontal and vertical planes, at ninety-degree angles to each other.
These robots are commonly used for material handling, 3D printing, packaging, drilling, and storage/retrieval tasks. Due to their straightforward, linear motion, Cartesian robots offer high precision. They are also more cost-effective and easier to control compared to more complex robotic systems.
Delta Robots
Advantages:
- Quick and precise motion.
Disadvantages:
- Limited weight capacity and range of motion.
Delta robots are widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, and electronics industries. Often referred to as "spider-like" due to their design, these robots consist of jointed parallelograms connected to a base, with the entire system typically mounted above the workspace.
Originally developed to pick up pieces of chocolate and place them in boxes, Delta robots are known for their light, agile design, which enables them to execute rapid and highly accurate movements. However, their lightweight structure also limits their payload capacity and range of motion.
Polar (Spherical) Robots
Advantages:
Simple control systems, extended reach, and quick operations.
Disadvantages:
Limited flexibility compared to articulated arms and requires a larger footprint.
Polar robots, also referred to as spherical robots, feature an arm with two rotary joints and one linear joint. They operate along polar coordinates, providing a spherical range of motion.
The first-ever industrial robot, "Unimate," was a spherical robot. Introduced in the 1950s, Unimate worked on General Motors' assembly lines, handling tasks such as transporting die castings and welding parts onto auto bodies.
Although still in use, polar robots are generally considered somewhat outdated compared to the more flexible articulated robotic arms. Nevertheless, they can be a more cost-effective solution.
When choosing the right robot, it’s essential to evaluate the specific tasks it needs to perform. Prospective buyers must also consider how the robot will integrate with existing infrastructure. With a variety of options available, manufacturers can weigh the costs and benefits to determine the most suitable model for their needs.
