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Six-Axis vs SCARA vs Delta vs Cobot: How to Choose an Industrial Robot
Choose a robot type from the task: six-axis arms for reach and orientation in welding, machine tending and palletizing; SCARA for fast flat pick-and-place and assembly; delta for very fast light picking; Cartesian gantries for large, simple work areas; and collaborative robots where people work nearby and cycle times are modest. Payload, reach, cycle time and guarding then narrow the choice.
Published · Last reviewed by Geek Engineering senior engineering review.
Robot types compared
| Type | Strength | Typical applications | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six-axis articulated | Reach, flexibility, any orientation | Machine tending, welding, palletizing, material handling | Larger footprint and guarding; more programming effort |
| SCARA | Fast, rigid, precise in a horizontal plane | Small-part assembly, pick-and-place, screwdriving | Limited vertical travel and no tilting of the part |
| Delta (parallel) | Very high speed with light payloads | Food and pharmaceutical picking, sorting from conveyors | Small payload and work envelope |
| Cartesian / gantry | Large area, simple and accurate | Dispensing, palletizing, large-part handling | Fixed structure, less flexible motion |
| Collaborative (cobot) | Power and force limited, quick to redeploy | Machine tending, light packing, inspection near people | Lower speed and payload when running collaboratively |
The factors that decide a robot cell
- Payload including the gripper, not just the part
- Reach and the full motion path, including approach and clearance
- Cycle time with realistic accelerations, verified in simulation
- Part presentation: fixtured, on a conveyor, or random in a bin (which needs vision)
- End-of-arm tooling, usually the hardest and most custom part of the cell
- Guarding and risk assessment, including for cobots
- Integration with the line PLC and safety system
Robotic palletizing
Robotic palletizers handle multiple SKUs and patterns from one cell and fit smaller footprints than many conventional palletizers. Conventional layer-forming palletizers can be faster for very high, single-SKU throughput. The choice depends on cases per minute, number of patterns, pallet sizes and floor space. Pattern software and stretch-wrapping integration often matter as much as the robot.
AMRs and AGVs
Automated guided vehicles follow fixed paths. Autonomous mobile robots navigate with maps and sensors and can reroute around obstacles. Both need a traffic and safety assessment, reliable Wi-Fi, defined pickup and drop points, and integration with the systems that tell them what to move. The integration usually takes more effort than the vehicles.
Key takeaways
- Let the task pick the robot type, then size payload, reach and cycle.
- End-of-arm tooling and part presentation drive most of the engineering.
- Cobots still need a risk assessment.
- For AMRs, integration and traffic planning are the real work.
Related questions
Do collaborative robots need guarding?
Sometimes. A cobot limits force when it touches a person, but the tool, part and task can still be hazardous, for example a sharp part or a pinch point against a fixture. The risk assessment decides whether scanners, guards or reduced speed are needed.
When is a SCARA better than a six-axis robot?
When the work is in a flat plane and speed matters: picking and placing, inserting or screwdriving small parts. A SCARA is usually faster and more rigid for these tasks and takes less space than a six-axis arm.
Can a robot pick parts from a bin?
Yes, with 3D vision and suitable gripping, but random bin picking is harder to make reliable than picking from a fixture or conveyor. Test with real parts early, including tangled, overlapping and worst-case parts.
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