African Fusion talks to ABB South Africa’s robotics business unit manager, Ragnar Tonnessen about the new IRB 1660ID, a high performance mid-range robot that allows cables and hoses to be routed inside the upper arm making it ideally suited to arc welding.
Unveiled globally in June 2016, ABB Robotics’ latest compact robot for arc welding and machine tending, the IRB 1660 Integrated DressPack (ID), is arguably the most versatile robot in the mid-sized class. This largely due to the new robot’s hollow wrist, which makes it easier to program and simulate predictable cable movements.
“The hollow wrist allows the welding hose pack and cables to be housed in the protected space inside the upper arm. This enables better cable handling and easier torch access when space is restricted,” Tonnessen explains, adding: “The shorter and more compact wrist also improves the robot’s stiffness and end-point accuracy.”
Click to read full pdf article.