Industrial robots are programmable multi-axis manipulators designed to automate handling, assembly, welding, painting and packaging tasks. They replace or supplement human labour in industrial production.
Common types include articulated-arm robots (6-axis, standard for versatile applications), SCARA robots (for fast pick-and-place tasks), delta robots (maximum speed for packaging), Cartesian gantry robots for large working areas, and collaborative robots (cobots) for safe human-robot collaboration.
Leading manufacturers include KUKA, FANUC, ABB, Yaskawa Motoman, Stäubli, Universal Robots (cobots), Mitsubishi Electric, Kawasaki, Comau and Epson.
Industrial robots are used in automotive production (welding, painting, assembly), in electronics manufacturing, in food and pharmaceutical packaging, in foundries, in metalworking, and increasingly in logistics and in small and medium-sized enterprises with cobots.