Yaskawa has launched its new Motoman HD7/HD8 sanitary handling robots for the biotechnology sector

Yaskawa It expands its range of solutions in the field of robotic applications for health environments by incorporating a new series developed in Europe, with the introduction of the first two Motoman HD models with payloads of 7 kg and 8 kg respectively. The new high-performance 6-axis robots were created in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, specifically for use in the field of bioscience.

Yaskawa Motoman HD8 (left) and Motoman HD7.

The new Motoman HD series robots – hygienic design – are capable of performing a wide range of processing tasks in hygiene-sensitive environments, such as laboratories, the pharmaceutical sector and the food industry.

These solutions meet the stringent requirements required in aseptic and clean room environments: in addition to being suitable for use in sanitary areas up to the highest level of cleanliness GMP Class A according to EHEDG, EN 1672-2 and ISO 14159, they are also clean room compliant according to ISO 14644- 1, clean room class 5 in the case of HD7 and clean room class 4 in the case of HD8, according to the measurement and evaluation procedures specified in ISO 14644-14.

The basic requirement is hygienic design, an aspect in which the experience of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) has been fundamental. The Motoman HD7 recently won one of the world’s most important design competitions: the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2024, a Red Dot mark, recognized globally as one of the most coveted quality seals for excellent design.

The new manipulator features specific details to ensure easy cleaning, such as a special shaft seal and a circular design that has no dead spaces and completely eliminates external screws, gaps or recesses. In addition, mechanically and chemically resistant surfaces and materials are used for the type of materials and cleaning agents common in the chemical, food and bioscience industries.

Highest protection class IP69K and particularly smooth surface (surface roughness

The new series was launched with the Motoman HD7 and HD8 models, which offer a payload of 7kg and 8kg respectively. It is manufactured at the Yaskawa plant in Kočevje, Slovenia, where it was developed. The Motoman HD series is based on the high-performance 6-axis robots from the well-established Motoman GP range.

Like the Motoman industrial robots, these robots use Yaskawa’s latest Sigma 7 servo motor technology, achieving an extremely high level of performance in terms of motion, acceleration and precision. The range of movement of the 1 axis is +/- 180. The robots can be integrated with the YRC1000 universal robotic controller or the YRC1000micro compact controller, both of which offer a wide range of modern options in terms of control, communications, safety and security. Programming.