Fanuc is a company specializing in factory automation and considered to be the world's largest producer of industrial robots in terms of the number of robot arms installed in factories around the world. With nearly 500,000 units in service with customers around the world, it plans to "triple the current monthly output" at its main factory in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.
Table of Contents
Focus on robots
This is according to the Nikkei Asian Review report, which says Fanuc has a special focus on its line of CRX collaborative robots. The term "collaborative robots" refers to a type of robot that is designed to work in close proximity to humans, perhaps even directly controlled by workers using touch and guidance.
According to ISO standards, this type of robot differs from traditional industrial robot arms, which are faster, heavier and stronger, and too dangerous for humans to work with directly. There is a noticeable increase in global sales of collaborative robots, mainly because they are much cheaper, making them affordable for small and medium-sized businesses.
First on the market
The collaborative robotics sector is where it is growing the fastest. Fanuc launched the industry's first collaborative robot with a limited payload of 35 kg, the CR-35iA, in 2015. It has since introduced a number of new additions and now offers a range of eight cobots, with payloads ranging from 4 to 35 kg and a range of 550-1813 mm. The Fanuc Headquarters campus in Yamanashi Prefecture has a large number of factories covering 1.8 million square meters.
The factories produce industrial robots, CNC, servo amplifiers, servomotors, RoboShots, RoboCuts and RobotNanos. There are also machining machines, presses, a casting and paint factory.
source: roboticsandautomationnews
