ABB IRB 390 FlexPacker

The ABB IRB 390 FlexPacker is a four-axis delta robot built to hang over a moving packaging line and pick. It handles 15 kg out to a 1300 mm reach and holds 0.02 mm repeatability, the accuracy a fast picker needs to place items in the same spot each cycle. ABB introduced it in 2020, building on its FlexPicker heritage.

Mounting is inverted, so the arm rides on an overhead frame above the conveyor and works down into the flow. That means the cell has to carry an overhead structure to hang it from, which is worth planning early. In return you get a wide work envelope for a delta, enough to cover a broad stretch of belt from a single mount.

At 15 kg the payload is tuned for light packaging items, so heavier loads fall outside its lane. Where it earns its place is high-rate material handling of small, light products moving down the line. It's built for very high pick rates on light items.

That tight repeatability matters most when the target is a moving pocket or a tray cell that won't wait. Landing the tool center point on the same spot run after run keeps a high-speed line from jamming. On packaging duty that steadiness separates a clean drop from a missed one.

Vision-guided picking is one of its calling cards, so it pairs naturally with conveyor tracking as product streams past underneath. It runs on ABB's IRC5 / OmniCore controller and is rated IP67. As a four-axis delta it's a specialist, tuned for fast top-down picking rather than heavier, general handling.

If you're weighing overhead pickers for a packaging cell, another arm to compare is FANUC DR-3iB.