High-Speed Food Processing with Fanuc's Hygienic SCARA Robot and Stainless-Steel Delta Robot

In food manufacturing facilities where hygiene is paramount and production speeds can be relentless, robotic automation faces a distinct challenge: delivering exceptional performance while surviving daily high-pressure washdowns with aggressive chemicals. 

To address this, Fanuc America has developed the DR-3iB/6 stainless-steel delta robot and SR-12iA/C SCARA robot. The company demonstrated both robots in a sausage packing application at Pack Expo 2025 where Automation World caught up with Wes Garrett, executive director, global accounts at Fanuc America, to learn more about these robots.

A four-axis design built for washdown

The DR-3iB/6 has a 1200 mm reach (450 mm height) and a four-axis design allowing it to handle 6 kg payloads at high speeds. It has a four-axis delta configuration, which can be an asset in food processing applications to provide the kind of adaptive motions needed.

Garett noted that this design choice does involve some calculated tradeoffs. "With the four axes we are going to give up some performance capability in terms of payload capacity with the additional weight as well as a little bit of speed," he acknowledged.

"With this robot's stainless-steel housing and IP69K rating, the DR-3iB/6 can take washdown pressures up to 1500 psi," Garrett noted. This capability is key to meeting USDA and FDA sanitation standards that govern food processing facilities.

He explained that specific cleaning protocols for production equipment are really driven by food manufacturers who typically clean equipment between shifts, but at least once a day. Thus, the robot’s ability to withstand any chemical or washdown pressures means production teams can maintain their sanitation schedules without compromising the robot's longevity or performance.

The DR-3iB/6 uses NSF H1 food-grade lubricant. Garrett pointed out that use of “food grade grease requires a more frequent maintenance cycle than standard grease, typically on a one-year frequency." 

Fanuc’s SR-12iA/C SCARA robot has a white epoxy paint covering and uses NSF H1 food grade lubricant on all axes. This robot features an IP65 rating supported by a set of bellows to protect the Z-axis spindle during washdown. Like the DR-3iB/6, the SR-12iA/C has four axes for precision movements along with a 900 mm reach and 12 kg payload capacity.

Vision guidance and force sensing

The demo at Pack Expo 2025 used Fanuc's iRVision 3D system to handle sausage picking and packing. Blob locating technology is used to identify sausages on the production line, finding not just the product but its exact center point for accurate picking. This is particularly valuable when products aren't perfectly positioned on the conveyor, said Garrett.

"We're finding that sausage in full 3D space, so if the sausages come in at different elevations we can adjust the pick height specifically for that," he explained. This adaptability handles product variations that are inevitable in high-speed food processing lines.

The vision system's intelligence extends to line tracking coordination. A single camera setup serves the delta robot on the depalletizing side, while a pulse encoder on the conveyor communicates with the SCARA robot. When products pass a certain count, the SCARA robot can track and place them accurately without requiring a secondary camera — a cost-effective approach that reduces system complexity.

While both robots can integrate Fanuc’s Force Sensing technology, its application in food processing is selective. "Force sensing is typically not used with food unless it’s a cutting application where you have to follow along a bone," Garrett explained. For most food handling operations, vision systems provide the necessary feedback for accurate product manipulation without the need for force sensors.

In the video below, Garrett answers specific questions about the robots in this sausage picking and packing demo.

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