ABB is extending its family of small six-axis industrial robots with the launch of the IRB 1300. The IRB 1300 offers a 27 percent improvement in cycle times and is nearly 60 percent lighter and 83 percent smaller than ABB’s IRB 1600. With a footprint of just 220 mm by 220 mm, the IRB 1300 is designed for use in small spaces, enabling more robots to be deployed in a confined area.

The IRB 1300 is available in three main versions – 11 kg/0.9 m, 10 kg/1.15m and 7 kg/1.4 m. ABB claims the 11kg payload for the 0.9 m reach variant is higher than any other competing robot in its class. With improved payload and reach for materials handling, machine tending, polishing, and assembly and testing applications, the robot is aimed at electronics, food, beverage, pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods processing, packaging and logistics applications.

“The IRB 1300 is an exciting addition to our portfolio of small industrial robots and means we can now offer an even greater breadth of capability and performance,” said Antti Matinlauri, Head of Product Management for ABB Robotics. “We’ve designed the IRB 1300 to help our customers achieve new standards of speed and accuracy as they develop solutions to lift heavy, complex or irregular shapes, even in small workspaces.”

The robot is powered by ABB’s OmniCore controller that can be equipped with a range of additional equipment, including fieldbus protocols, vision solutions and force control.

The industrial robot offers 20 Input/Output ports, 50 percent more than the IRB 1600, to enable it to be used with more sophisticated grippers or end-effectors, allowing users to improve productivity by handling an increased number of work pieces simultaneously.

Supplied with IP40 ingress protection as standard, it has the option of IP67 protection against solid particles and water ingress, or Foundry Plus2, designed to protect against the extremely harsh conditions in foundries and other metal processing plants. It can also be supplied to IPA Clean Room protection standard.