Four-axis manipulator
In the small assembly robot, "four-axis manipulator" refers to "selective assembly joint manipulator", that is, the arm part of the four-axis manipulator can move freely in a geometric plane.
The first two joints of the manipulator can rotate freely on the horizontal plane. The third joint consists of a metal rod called a sleeve and a clip. The metal rod can move up and down in the vertical plane or rotate around its vertical axis, but it cannot be tilted.
This unique design makes the four-axis manipulator have strong rigidity, which enables them to be competent for high-speed and highly repetitive work. In packaging application, four-axis manipulator is good at high-speed picking and placing and other material handling tasks.
Six-axis manipulator
A six-axis manipulator has two more joints than a four-axis manipulator, so it has more "freedom of action".
The first joint of a six-axis manipulator can rotate freely in the horizontal plane like a four-axis manipulator, and the last two joints can move in the vertical plane. In addition, the six-axis manipulator has an "arm" and two "wrist" joints, which makes it have the ability similar to human arms and wrists.
The six-axis manipulator has many joints, which means that it can pick up parts in any direction on the horizontal plane and put them into the packaged products at a special angle. They can also perform many operations that only skilled workers can complete.