Wittmann Battenfeld Unveils Lightweight A‑C Servo Axis, Boosting Cartesian Robot Payload by 6 kg

During a virtual product launch, scheduled for the upcoming Fakuma show, Wittmann Battenfeld unveiled an upgraded A‑C servo axis. Located at the robot arm’s end, the A, B, and C axes form the “wrist” that grants Cartesian‑style robots precise end‑of‑arm‑tool (EOAT) manipulation.

At the press briefing, Managing Director Michael Wittmann announced that the new unit weighs 40 % less than its predecessor, while boosting average payload capacity by 6 kg. The improvement stems from integrated direct drives that power wrist motions. Compatible with Wx142‑Wx153 robots and similar W8 Pro series models, the A‑C Servo Axis can be retrofitted to existing Wittmann Battenfeld robots and is slated for delivery in Q4 2020.

Wittmann Battenfeld’s new A‑C servo axis achieves a lighter footprint, thereby elevating the robot arm’s total payload.

Externally, the unit’s dimensions (250 × 248 × 179 mm) remain virtually unchanged. Internally, a new direct‑drive mechanism and a reengineered support frame cut the weight and increase the robot’s payload, while maintaining identical drive performance for A‑axis (0–270°) and C‑axis (0–180°) rotations.

The decentralized drive‑control architecture places controllers adjacent to the motors, enabling field upgrades of the new wrist without extensive rewiring, Wittmann Battenfeld noted. The R8 control system can manage up to 12 servo axes—both linear and rotary—with a 4‑ms cycle time and requires no extra software.