The SCARA is a type of

industrial robot An industrial robot is a robot system used for manufacturing. Industrial robots are automated, programmable and capable of movement on three or more axes. Typical applications of robots include robot welding, welding, painting, assembly, Circu ...

. The acronym stands for selective compliance assembly robot arm or selective compliance articulated robot arm. By virtue of the SCARA's parallel-axis joint layout, the arm is slightly compliant in the X-Y direction but rigid in the Z direction, hence the term ''selective compliance''. This is advantageous for many types of assembly operations, for example, inserting a round pin in a round hole without binding. The second attribute of the SCARA is the jointed two-link arm layout similar to human arms, hence the often-used term, ''articulated''. This feature allows the arm to extend into confined areas and then retract or "fold up" out of the way. This is advantageous for transferring parts from one cell to another or for loading or unloading process stations that are enclosed. SCARAs are generally faster than comparable Cartesian robot systems. Their single pedestal mount requires a small footprint and provides an easy, unhindered form of mounting. On the other hand, SCARAs can be more expensive than comparable Cartesian systems and the controlling software requires inverse kinematics for linear interpolated moves. However, this software typically comes with the SCARA and is usually transparent to the end-user. Sankyo Seiki, Pentel and

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presented the SCARA robot as a completely new concept for assembly robots in 1981. The robot was developed under the guidance of Hiroshi Makino, a professor at the University of Yamanashi. Its arm was rigid in the Z-axis and pliable in the XY-axes, which allowed it to adapt to holes in the XY-axes.

History

The SCARA robot concept was inspired by the presentation of the SIGMA robot for assembly by A. d'Auria at the 7th International Symposium on Robotics in

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, in October 1977. This presentation had a significant impact on engineers in Japan studying assembly automation, prompting Hiroshi Makino to begin working on the SCARA robot design shortly after this event. The first SCARA

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

was built in 1978, followed by a second prototype in 1980. Fundamental studies were conducted on the characteristics and usability of these prototypes, which led to the development of SCARA robots by the industry in 1981. The development of SCARA robots was the result of a research and development

consortium A consortium () is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations, or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a ...

launched by the University of Yamanashi and thirteen Japanese companies. This consortium operated for three years, from April 1978 to March 1981, contributing to the success of SCARA robots in industrial applications. As recognition of its importance in the field of

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

, the SCARA robot was included in the Robot Hall of Fame in 2006, becoming the second

and the third Japanese robot to be included.

Gallery

File:SCARA robot patent JPS55112789A.png, Drawing from patent JPS55112789A by H. Makino File:SCARA robot patent US4341502.png, Drawing from patent US4341502 by H. Makino

References

External links

Why SCARA? A Case Study
– A Comparison between 3-axis r-theta robot vs. 4-axis SCARA robot by Innovative Robotics, a division of Ocean Bay and Lake Company {{Robotics - Robotic manipulators 1981 in robotics

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links