Speed vs Flexibility: 4-axis vs 6-axis robots

There are sev­er­al mod­els in indus­tri­al robot­ics. Some are faster, while oth­ers are more flex­i­ble and able to oper­ate many dif­fer­ent appli­ca­tions. When choos­ing, cus­tomers have to con­sid­er the four-axis vs. the six-axis robot, or speed vs. flexibility.

What is a four-axis robot?

If assem­bly is your game, and you want fast, the SCARA four-axis robot may be the way to go. In the fight of 4‑axis ver­sus 6‑axis robots, the four-axis SCARA is the faster mod­el. They are very com­mon in assem­bly, pick and place, and pack­ag­ing appli­ca­tions. This four-axis robot is easy to use and can be bolt­ed to a table, pro­grammed, and then ready to work.

What are six-axis robots?

Six-axis, artic­u­lat­ed robots, as opposed to four-axis robots, have the edge when it comes to dex­ter­i­ty and flex­i­bil­i­ty. They allow for greater flex­i­bil­i­ty and can per­form a wide vari­ety of appli­ca­tions, such as mate­r­i­al han­dling, pick­ing, stack­ing, assem­bly, and pack­ag­ing. Four-axis robots can­not manip­u­late a part with the same free­dom that a six-axis robot does. Plus, SCARA four-axis mod­els are usu­al­ly small­er and have a lim­it­ed range, unlike the six-axis robots that can be large or small.

Along with their dex­ter­i­ty, six-axis robots edge out the com­pe­ti­tion in the four-axis ver­sus six-axis by being eas­i­er to pro­gram. The robot is more flex­i­ble and can han­dle the con­stant changes in prod­uct design and process.

What type of robot is the best?

In the great 4‑axis vs. 6‑axis robot­ics debate, it has always been known that 4‑axis robots have an edge as far as high­er speed and pre­ci­sion, as well as a low­er cost for the unit. How­ev­er, 6‑axis robots are mak­ing a come­back in the price area as tech­nol­o­gy advances and costs for units decrease.

Over­all, there is not a clear win­ner in four-axis vs. six-axis robot­ic sys­tems. It is a mat­ter of speed vs. flex­i­bil­i­ty, and ulti­mate­ly, it is up to the cus­tomer to see what their facil­i­ty and appli­ca­tion needs more.

Find the right robot with Robots​.com

Robots​.com, a cer­ti­fied inte­gra­tor of four-axis and six-axis robots, has sev­er­al mod­els avail­able, whether you are look­ing for speed and accu­ra­cy or flex­i­bil­i­ty and dex­ter­i­ty. We are con­fi­dent that we will have the per­fect robot for your facility.

For more infor­ma­tion, con­tact Robots​.com today online or by call­ing 877−762−6881.