Which is Better? Scara vs. Cartesian Robots

Choos­ing between SCARA and Carte­sian robots can be dif­fi­cult. Both styles pro­vide excel­lent solu­tions for pick and place, assem­bly, and pack­ag­ing appli­ca­tions, but each robot has unique fea­tures and advan­tages. By under­stand­ing these dif­fer­ences, and care­ful­ly eval­u­at­ing your work­space, appli­ca­tion, and prod­uct, you can make the best decision.

What is a SCARA robot?

SCARA stands for Selec­tive Com­pli­ance Assem­bly (or Artic­u­lat­ed) Robot­ic Arm. SCARA robots are com­mon­ly used in assem­bly appli­ca­tions since SCARA arms are pri­mar­i­ly cylin­dri­cal in design, but can also be used for oth­er appli­ca­tions. Each robot fea­tures two par­al­lel joints that pro­vide com­pli­ance in one select­ed plane.

What is a Carte­sian robot?

Carte­sian robots, also known as gantry robots, are robots that hang on an over­head track that is above the work area. These are typ­i­cal­ly used for mate­r­i­al han­dling appli­ca­tions, but can also be used for weld­ing parts on a man­u­fac­tur­ing line.

SCARA Robots vs. Carte­sian Robots

Although SCARA robots and Carte­sian robots, there are a few deter­min­ing fac­tors to con­sid­er when choos­ing the right robot for your man­u­fac­tur­ing line.

Con­sid­er Your Work Envelope:

The SCARA robot pro­vides a cir­cu­lar work enve­lope. This broad move­ment range allows for added flex­i­bil­i­ty. SCARA robots have a small foot­print and can be built on a small­er scale.

Carte­sian robots work from an over­head grid. This type of robot is an accu­rate, quick solu­tion for mate­r­i­al han­dling appli­ca­tions. Its work enve­lope is rec­tan­gu­lar. The work enve­lope is deter­mined by the grid — so it can be quite large. The Carte­sian robot­’s over­head grid can take up over­all room but does free up floor space.

Assess Move­ment:

The SCARA robot pro­vides more flex­i­bil­i­ty than the Carte­sian robot. Its cir­cu­lar work enve­lope is cre­at­ed by 4‑axis motions. While rigid, the SCARA robot can move with more flex­i­bil­i­ty in a hor­i­zon­tal plane. Depend­ing on the appli­ca­tion, a SCARA robot can per­form with more speed than a Carte­sian robot.

The Carte­sian-style robot is capa­ble of X, Y, and Z direc­tion­al move­ments. Its rigid­i­ty allows for more pre­ci­sion. Easy to pro­gram and ide­al for appli­ca­tions that require move­ments such as straight-line inser­tions, the Carte­sian robot is a strong, depend­able mover.

Keep Your Part in Mind:

How big or small is your prod­uct? All the joints on a SCARA robot are locat­ed at the end of the arm, with lim­it­ed pay­load capac­i­ty. SCARA robots are best for small­er-sized parts.

Carte­sian robots, on the oth­er hand, are an excel­lent choice for larg­er parts. Their pay­load is larg­er and ful­ly sup­port­ed. Because they work from a grid, Carte­sian robots pro­vide bet­ter acces­si­bil­i­ty to larg­er parts.

Remem­ber Pro­tec­tion Needs:

SCARA robots can be safe­guard­ed from haz­ardous envi­ron­ments. All their joints can be pro­tect­ed and they can be sealed for under­wa­ter appli­ca­tions. Carte­sian robots, on the oth­er hand, require spe­cial cov­er­ing when work­ing in haz­ardous envi­ron­ments. They are not able to work underwater.

Find the right robot with Robots​.com

Both SCARA and Carte­sian robots have dif­fer­ent fea­tures, so find the right fit with Robots​.com. We offer new and refur­bished Fanuc, KUKA, Motoman, ABB, and Uni­ver­sal robots. Con­tact Robots​.com rep­re­sen­ta­tives online or at 877−762−6881 with addi­tion­al ques­tions about SCARA and Carte­sian robots.