What is SCARA Robot Used for?

SCARA robot, full name Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm, is a robot arm specially used for assembly operations. It has three rotating joints whose axes are parallel to each other and can be positioned and oriented in a plane. In addition, there is a mobile joint to complete the movement of the end piece perpendicular to the plane. This type of robot is usually equipped with a visual recognition system, which can be programmed to identify and grasp various parts to meet different operating requirements. It has a compact structure, agile movements, and strong adaptability to the working environment. Therefore, the SCARA is particularly suitable for those occasions that require fast and precise operations, such as electronic assembly, pharmaceutical packaging, and other industrial fields.

Application Features

The characteristic of the SCARA robot design is that the first two joints imitate the flexibility of the human wrist and can perform precise operations in the XY plane, while the last two joints are usually used to provide vertical movement or maintain the horizontal state of the robot arm. It is highly compliant in a specific direction (usually the XY plane) and exhibits good rigidity in other directions (such as the Z-axis direction). This design gives the robot SCARA excellent performance in-plane positioning and vertical assembly and is especially good at high-speed, high-precision assembly tasks. ATO Industrial Automation summarizes the following salient features:

1. SCARA robot has the characteristics of high-precision assembly due to its excellent repeated positioning accuracy (usually ±0.01mm to ±0.05mm). It is suitable for electronic component plug-ins, precision assembly, inspection, and other operations that require extremely high accuracy.
2. Due to its lightweight structure and efficient drive system, the SCARA robot can achieve high-speed movement and fast cycle time, complete a large amount of work in a short time, and significantly improve the output rate of the production line, especially in pick-and-place, sorting, and packaging. Excellent performance in repetitive tasks.
3. The SCARA robot has a small footprint and flexible working range and is suitable for operating in small or dense spaces, such as electronic manufacturing, semiconductor packaging, etc.
4. Through selective compliance design, the SCARA robot arm can adapt to small deviations in the position of parts during the assembly process and can contact the workpiece with appropriate force to avoid component damage due to excessive contact force. It is especially suitable for flexible assembly scenarios.
5. Modern SCARA robots are usually equipped with a user-friendly programming environment and multiple programming methods (such as teaching programming, offline programming, drag-and-drop programming, etc.), which facilitate users to quickly deploy and adjust tasks. In addition, some SCARA support modular design, and the end effector can be replaced or expanded according to production needs to achieve diversified applications.
6. SCARA robots are easy to integrate with other automation equipment (such as conveyor belts, vision systems, force sensors, etc.) to form a complete automated production line, realizing functions such as material handling, vision-guided assembly, and force-controlled assembly. Compared with other complex multi-joint robots, they have a higher cost-effectiveness.

Application Areas

Electronics Manufacturing
SCARA robots play a vital role in the electronics manufacturing industry. They are widely used in SMT production lines, responsible for high-speed, high-precision assembly tasks such as patch and plug-in of electronic components, and can accurately place components at designated locations on PCB boards. In addition, SCARA robots also play an important role in the assembly of internal components of consumer electronic products such as mobile phones, laptops, and TVs, such as the installation of display screens, batteries, buttons, and other components.

Auto Industry
In the field of automobile manufacturing, SCARA robot arms are used to perform some precision assembly tasks, such as installing small accessories, wiring harness plugging, etc. Their high precision and high-speed characteristics make them indispensable in the assembly line of automobile parts. For example, in the assembly of small and precision parts such as automobile dashboards, interior parts, sensors, and electronic control units, SCARA robots can provide accurate positioning and stable operation.

Food and Pharmaceutical Packaging Industry
SCARA robots also have a place in the food and pharmaceutical packaging industries. They can quickly and accurately complete food packaging, such as sorting, bagging, and sealing of biscuits, candies, and snacks. They also participate in the beverage filling process, assisting in the handling and positioning of bottles and the insertion and removal of filling heads. In the pharmaceutical industry, SCARA robots are used for drug sorting and biological sample processing. They can handle the handling and positioning of biological sample containers such as test tubes and microplates, as well as liquid filling and pipetting.

Laboratory Automation
In the field of laboratory automation, SCARA robots can perform pick-and-place tasks in laboratories, such as sample testing, drug manufacturing, etc. They can be combined with intelligent management hardware, Internet technology, Internet of Things technology, specialized management software, and other cutting-edge technologies to form a fully automatic intelligent experimental system, realizing full process automation from sample injection to report generation.

Plastic and Hardware Processing
In the plastic and metal processing industry, SCARA robots are used to quickly and accurately remove molded plastic products from injection molds, reducing manual operations and improving production efficiency. At the same time, they are also involved in stamping parts transfer, transferring stamped metal parts from the punch press to the next processing location or testing equipment in the stamping production line.

Logistics and Warehousing
In the field of logistics and warehousing, SCARA robots can pick, sort, and sort goods for shipment. Their high efficiency and precision make them play an important role in automated warehouses, especially in handling the loading of small and medium-sized parts and special-shaped parts.

Development Trend of SCARA Robots

The inflexibility and inefficiency of traditional robot systems in handling multi-variety and small-batch production, as well as the insufficient positioning and handling capabilities in complex operating environments, further limit their application scope and efficiency in modern manufacturing. With the continuous advancement of technology, SCARA robots are undergoing a series of innovations that enable them to better adapt to rapidly changing industrial needs. For example, more and more SCARA robots are integrated with advanced vision systems, enabling them to perform more complex operations. New SCARA robots are designed with more flexible wrist joints, which can perform more complex rotation and tilt operations. In addition, with the development of artificial intelligence technology, future SCARA robots will be more intelligent and able to learn and adapt to different working environments autonomously. And with the innovation of SCARA robot technology, the competition of general-purpose SCARA products has intensified. More and more manufacturers are accelerating the layout of special models such as large loads and high-speed machines. The "four major" industrial robots have completed the layout of SCARA products, and the competition in the SCARA market will be more intense in the future.