ABB IRB 1600

Built by ABB, the IRB 1600 is a compact six-axis arm that the record tags as tuned for arc welding cells. It carries a 10 kg payload out to a 1450 mm reach, and it's sat in the catalog since 2005. The positioning here leans on high acceleration and short cycle times for dense multi-robot welding lines, the kind of layout where several arms crowd one line.

Mounting options span Floor, Wall, Shelf, Tilted, and Inverted, so cell designers can orient the arm around tight fixture layouts. That range suits the compact envelope the strengths list calls out for packed welding cells, where floor space is scarce. The arm itself weighs 250 kg, a fair chunk for so compact an envelope.

For arc welding, it pairs a 0.05 mm repeatability with the IRC5 controller. Welding programmers working these cells touch topics like seam tracking and the work envelope as they lay out torch paths and tune motion. High acceleration is the trait the record foregrounds for short-cycle duty.

Beyond welding, the record lists material handling and machine tending among its jobs. The 10 kg payload keeps it to light tooling, and the 1450 mm reach stays modest for large-part welding. On protection, it's rated IP54 body / IP67 wrist (sensitive parts); IP67 optional Foundry Plus 2.

On paper the standout is precision at pace. The record pairs a 0.05 mm repeatability with a six-axis frame ABB builds for high-acceleration cycles. For shops chasing tight, repeatable welds with light tooling, that combination is the IRB 1600's strongest card.