ABB’s largest ever robot is 25 percent faster than the competition

ABB today introduces its highest payload, multipurpose industrial robot, the IRB 8700. The robot has a reach of 3.5 meters and is capable of handling a payload of up to 800 kg (1000 kg with the wrist down; 630 kg with LeanID).

“When designing the IRB 8700, we emphasized reach and payload as well as performance,” says Ola Svanström, ABB Product Manager for Large Robots. “Thanks to ABB’s superior motion control technology at high moments of inertia, this – our highest ever payload robot – automatically adapts and adjusts its speed to accommodate heavy and wide parts. With a compact footprint, optimized counterweight, parallel linkages, stiff axes and fewer drive motors, the IRB 8700 keeps its momentum down and speed up.”

The IRB 8700, ABBÂ’s largest ever robot offers all the functionality and expertise of the ABB portfolio in a much bigger package. The robot has only one motor and one gear per robot axis, while most other robots in this size class use dual motors and/or gears. In addition, there are no gas springs; only a reliable counterweight and mechanical springs for counter balancing. Together these design elements mean the IRB 8700 has fewer components and is able to deliver short cycle times and higher accuracy.

The IRB 8700 is available in two configurations, one with a reach of 4.2 meters and a payload of 550 kg (620 kg with the wrist down; 475 with LeanID) and the other with a reach of 3.5 meters and a payload of 800 kg (1000 kg with the wrist down; 630 kg with LeanID. Both configurations have an incredibly high moment of inertia at 75 kgm².

Through a combination of robust design elements, including simpler parts configurations where possible, ABB Robotics applied decades of engineering experience whilst designing the IRB 8700. The result is a model which combines the high performance customers require with low overall maintenance needs.