Taking the R-0iB robot from the compact robot series as an example, this article introduces the robot manipulator. Given the continuous iteration and innovation of FANUC products, the R-0iB is no longer the flagship latest model promoted by FANUC Robotics. However, this does not affect our study of the robot manipulator's structure.
The R-0iB is a 6-axis vertical articulated robot specifically designed for arc welding applications, also known as the ARC Mate 0iB. Building upon previous robot models, it achieves further weight reduction and compactness in the robot arm. Its slender arm, small installation footprint, and lightweight body make it highly suitable for arc welding operations that require precise movements.
For a robot manipulator, besides its features and application scenarios, it is essential to first understand its visible mechanical structure. The R-0iB can be configured with or without a pedestal. Equipping a pedestal can reduce the robot's self-interference area. The mechanical structures of the robot manipulator under both configurations are shown in the figure. The letter "J" in the figure is the abbreviation for Joint, representing the robot joint axis, where J1 stands for Axis 1, J2 for Axis 2, and so on.
The definitions of the movement directions for each axis of the R-0iB and the orientation of the flange coordinate system are shown in the figure. In the figure, all joint axes of the robot are at the 0-degree position. "+" indicates the positive direction of the axis movement, and "-" indicates the negative direction. Labels are also attached to the robot manipulator to indicate the definitions of the joint axis movement directions. Robot operators should memorize these definitions to skillfully manipulate the robot manipulator via the teach pendant.
Robot users also need to be familiar with the nameplate and the origin calibration alignment marks on the manipulator. The nameplate is engraved with information such as the robot manipulator's model, production date, and weight. When the origin calibration marks of an axis align with each other, the axis is near the 0-degree position. When performing robot origin calibration, the operator should first manually manipulate each joint axis to the position where the origin calibration marks align. The nameplate and origin calibration marks of the R-0iB robot are shown in the figure.
After understanding the mechanical structure of the robot manipulator, we need to further explore its performance parameters. These mainly include the movement range of each joint axis, working radius, payload capacity, maximum movement speed, repeat positioning accuracy, IP protection rating, operating ambient temperature range, operating ambient humidity range, altitude adaptation range, base mounting hole dimensions, and end flange mounting hole dimensions. Some performance parameters of the R-0iB robot are listed in the table.
| Model | R-0iB | |
| Number of Controlled Axes | 6 Axes (J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, J6) | |
| Working Radius | 1437mm | |
| Mounting Method | Floor mounting, Ceiling mounting, Angle mounting | |
| Operating Range and Maximum Speed | J1 | Without pedestal: ±120°, 255 °/s; With pedestal: ±180°, 255 °/s |
| J2 | -90°~ 160°, 215 °/s | |
| J3 | -180°~275°, 225 °/s | |
| J4 | -190°~190°, 425 °/s | |
| J5 | -140°~140°, 425 °/s | |
| J6 | -360°~360°, 625 °/s | |
| Maximum Payload at Wrist | 3 kg | |
| Permissible Payload Torque at Wrist | J4 | 8.9 N·m |
| J5 | 8.9 N·m | |
| J6 | 8.9 N·m | |
| Permissible Payload Moment of Inertia at Wrist | J4 | 0.280 kg·m² |
| J5 | 0.280 kg·m² | |
| J6 | 0.280 kg·m² | |
| Repeat Positioning Accuracy | ±0.08 mm | |
| Noise Level | Below 70 dB | |
| Robot Weight | Without pedestal: 99 kg; With pedestal: 145 kg | |
| Installation Conditions | Ambient Temperature | 0~45 °C |
| Ambient Humidity | Long-term: below 75% RH, Short-term: below 95% RH | |
| Vibration Acceleration | 4.9 m/s² | |
| Altitude | Below 1000 m |
In an industrial robot integration project, robot application engineers often need to provide mechanical design engineers with the dimensions of the robot base mounting holes and the end flange mounting holes. This enables the mechanical design engineers to carry out the relevant mechanical design work for the robot base and end effector. Therefore, when studying a robot, these aspects must also be learned.
On the 6-axis end flange of the R-0iB robot, the dimensions of the end effector mounting holes are shown in the figure:
The dimensions of the base for the R-0iB robot without a pedestal are shown in the figure:
The dimensions of the base for the R-0iB robot with a pedestal are shown in the figure:
Besides the dimensions of the flange and base, when external devices such as a wire feeder need to be installed on the robot arm, it is also necessary to provide the mechanical design engineers with the dimensions of the equipment mounting plane located on the J3 axis housing. The dimensions of the external device mounting surface at the J3 axis are shown in the figure.
In robot integration projects, we also need to provide electrical design engineers with the electrical interfaces on the robot manipulator, so that they can design the control circuits between the robot manipulator and peripheral equipment (such as the robot end effector). The R-0iB robot manipulator has relatively few electrical interfaces. The most important ones are the electrical interfaces for the power and signal cables of the servo motors on the robot. Additionally, there are pre-installed electrical signal cable harnesses and gas pipeline interfaces for convenient routing. The positions of the power cable and signal cable connectors on the R-0iB are shown in the figure.
If the optional EE cable interface is selected, the EE interface is reserved near the external device mounting plane of the J3 axis. The EE interface is a 5-pin connector that connects to the power and signal cable connectors on the base via a 5-core cable harness, making it more aesthetic and convenient. The position and pin definition of the EE interface are shown in the figure.
The R-0iB also pre-installs two air tubes with an outer diameter of 6mm inside the manipulator cable harness. The black air tube is used for supplying compressed air, and the blue air tube is used for supplying shielding gas for the welder. The air tubes are routed from the base all the way to the external device mounting plane of the J3 axis. The routing path of the air tubes is shown in the figure.
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