The new FANUC Robotics M430iA has been designed specifically for the food industry and is the result of many years development. Using well proven FANUC mechanical and control technology the new robot has been designed from the ground up and resembles no other model in its wide range.

Speed and easy wash down are the two obvious requirements for a food robot but of equal importance is the ability for it to keep working without attention for extended periods of time and for users not to need specialist skill to benefit from its capabilities.

Looking at the robot it’s immediately apparent that its 5 axes (or optional 6 axes) arm is designed to be smooth – over its entire exterior surface there are no areas where contaminants can become trapped. The paint is a high gloss finish and is resistant to acids and alkaline materials.

Washing down the robot with a hose is no problem as it is sealed to meet IP 67 standards and double seals on the major axes, joints one, two and three not only keep fluids out but ensure that its food grade grease stays within the durable casings. Joints four and five use nylon gears and do not require any lubrication.

High speeds are achieved with the M430iA – carrying out the industry standard benchmark test where the arm moves up vertically 25mm, horizontally 300mm and then down 25mm, the new robot achieves 120 cycles per minute (cpm) with a 1kg payload and 100cpm with a 2 Kg payload.

Using a conventional anthropomorphic configuration the arm generates very high torques to achieve these high speeds – joint one will rotate at 300º per second if required – to enable this FANUC has used two high speed heavy duty motors for each of the major axes using its Dual Drive Torque, Tandem Control Technology.
Designed to be base mounted to a machine or hung from a gantry, the arm is extremely compact with motors well clear of the operational area. The small ‘footprint’ occupied by the M430iA and its long 900 mm reach ensures a large work envelope that allows the possibility to position many operations within a small area.

Making the M430iA’s precise movements possible is a new intelligent controller – the R-30iA series. The new FANUC Robotics controller provides enhancements to performance, an increase in the number of robot arms it can control and a fully integrated vision control system.

The R-30iA controller has superior vibration control which allows its motors to have shorter acceleration and deceleration times – essential for high-speed food picking operations. Further control enhancements, including high performance constant path, help to speed up programming significantly.