A range of 6-axis, all-electric, articulated-arm robots has been introduced by Motoman to replace its mainstream UP-series, compared with which the new models offer significant improvements. Designated HP-series, the latest robots are slimmer to allow better access, yet offer greater all-round reach as well as improved positional accuracy and a slightly higher payload for any given model. They are also lighter, leading to a 15 per cent reduction in power consumption, and are more reliable, with a mean time before failure of 250,000 hours. Further benefits are a reduction in operating noise to below 75 dB, and improved protection against ingress of dirt, dust and fluids from IP54 to IP67, which applies to the whole robot, not just the wrist. Care has been taken in the design to simplify maintenance, allowing the robot to return to production faster. For example, rotary encoders were previously built in, whereas now they are removable for speedy replacement. There is also a cost saving, as the whole motor / encoder assembly does not need to be changed. There are four models in the range HP6, HP20, HP50 and HP165 the suffix number representing the nominal payload in kilograms. At the same time, Motoman has launched a new, patented robot controller, designated NX100. Replacing the XRC, the control is now Windows-based and has a colour rather than a mono teach pendant display. However, its big advantage is that it can control 36 axes simultaneously, an increase of nine. It is thus the first controller to be able to synchronise the movements of four robots and work handling equipment simultaneously, in the same way as Motoman's previous controllers were the first to handle two and then three robots plus peripherals. Other user advantages of the NX100 are many. There is more flexibility in the way the external axes are configured, now in groups of three so that they may be switched off for repair while the other robots continue to operate. The controller has a program capacity of 60,000 steps and 10,000 instructions, up from 5,000 and 3,000 respectively. Standard I/O is the same at 40 in and 40 out, but there is the new option of increasing these to 1,024, four times more than before. Maximum analogue I/O is increased from 12 to 40. An Ethernet card is built in as standard for better communication with the robots and peripherals. As with the HP robots, the new controller has been designed with ease of servicing in mind. Average downtime for simple repairs is five minutes, compared with 40 minutes before. A further innovation is the ability to specify IP54 protection instead of the standard IP33. Introduction of the HP-series follows Motoman's launch last year of application-specific robots, the ES165 for spot welding and the EA1900 for arc welding. The rationale behind their introduction is to integrate the services that are normally added when a generic robot like the HP is configured for the respective applications. This carries the risk of trailing cables and hoses becoming either snagged or fatigued through repetitive flexing. An additional advantage is that the robots can operate more closely to the workpiece, and access to difficult areas is improved.

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