Curtis Sylliaasen, Product Manager for Robots at Mitsubishi Electric, discusses how the new RH-10CRH and RH-20CRH SCARA robots streamline smart manufacturing with batteryless encoders, compact designs, and AI-driven precision.
As industries increasingly turn to automation to optimize efficiency and address labor shortages, Mitsubishi Electric has unveiled the MELFA RH-CRH SCARA robots—designed for reliability, cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration. In this interview with Robotics Business News, Curtis Sylliaasen, Product Manager for Robots at Mitsubishi Electric, highlights the key features, industry applications, and how AI-driven advancements in these robots enhance manufacturing productivity.
What are the key features of the MELFA RH-CRH SCARA robots, and how do they enhance smart manufacturing?
Key features of the RH-10CRH and RH-20CRH are the batteryless encoders and simplified design. The batteryless encoders eliminate the need for regular encoder battery replacements, reducing downtime and cost. The simplified design has fewer parts than its FR series equivalent. With fewer moving parts, the CRH robots have fewer components that require maintenance. The RH-10CRH and RH-20CRH enhance smart manufacturing by giving customers a reliable, cost-effective way to add robots to their manufacturing process.
How do these new SCARA robots compare to Mitsubishi Electric’s previous models in terms of performance and efficiency?
These SCARA robots are much more compact than their predecessors, with up to a 52% reduction in height, reducing the space required to implement a robot. These robots are also lighter than previous robots, allowing the robots to use smaller motors and less electricity.
What industries or manufacturing sectors will benefit the most from these robots, and what specific applications are they designed for?
These robots can be used in a wide range of industries from pharmaceuticals to general manufacturing. They can handle many different applications, including pick-and-place, labeling, and line tracking.
How does Mitsubishi Electric integrate AI and automation advancements into these robots to improve precision and productivity?
Mitsubishi Electric robots have several AI tools that improve the performance of our robots. For example, our Force Sense Control enhancement function uses AI to optimize force sensor settings to reduce setup and cycle times. Our MELFA-3D Vision enhancement function uses AI to find the best settings for the robot's vision system parameters, improving its ability to recognize parts when placed in a bin.
What role do these SCARA robots play in addressing labor shortages and optimizing production lines in modern factories?
These SCARA robots have a very low total cost of ownership compared to other robots. This makes them ideal candidates for retrofitting existing production lines that suffer labor shortages by significantly reducing the barrier to entry for automation.
What are Mitsubishi Electric’s future plans for industrial robotics, and how does this launch align with the company’s broader automation strategy?
Mitsubishi Electric will continue to release robots to expand its portfolio and meet the marketplace's ever-evolving needs. Our goal is to be our customers' primary supplier for automation technology, and this release fills a key gap in our portfolio.