KUKA LBR iisy 8 R930

What it's for

Eight kilograms at a 930 mm reach: the KUKA LBR iisy 8 R930 bets on strength at the expense of reach. The manufacturer describes it as a robot for medium-heavy handling tasks, and assembly is the listed application. It has six axes and torque sensors, like the rest of the iisy family (KUKA LBR iisy 6 R1300, KUKA LBR iisy 11 R1300).

In assembly the iisy 8 suits parts weighing a few kilograms, where a lighter cobot already struggles and a classic robot would need fencing: it hands over the part and holds it in position while the human beside it does the tasks that call for skill. The second task is tending a press or a heavier feeder: a short arm is enough, because the machine stands right beside it.

In practice the biggest role is in factories, with assembly in small and mid-sized plants. Where parts arrive from the warehouse, the arm can be paired with transport from the same KUKA family, such as the KUKA KMP 600P. In a laboratory or on a clean line a specialized version is often more sensible (laboratories).

Important: the iisy 8 is not a robot for fast, heavy palletizing; the KUKA LBR iisy 15 R930 suits that better. If you are only starting to learn how a cobot differs from a classic arm, begin with “What Is a Cobot and How Does It Differ from an Industrial Robot”.

Who it's for

Makes sense for: Manufacturing companies that assemble medium-heavy parts and already have KUKA software: a uniform machine park means less training. Integrators looking for an in-between option between 6 kg and 11 kg of payload without moving to the pricier seven-axis iiwa series.

Less suited to: Cells that need a long reach (930 mm is not 1300 mm). Those who want the lowest entry price into cobots: KUKA gives no price, and the market offers many cheaper designs. Learning and small workshops, where 8 kg is overkill.

Before deciding, read “How to Buy a Cobot Step by Step” and check what the parameters mean in “How to Read a Robot Datasheet”.

Deployments

We know only that it is offered by the distributor zapamet.pl; the sources contain no customer names or installation counts, so we give none.

On the market, mid-payload cobots do assembly and machine tending in factories around the world, and in Poland, official distributors include Universal Robots (UR7e) and FANUC (FANUC CRX-10iA). The picture of the whole segment: “Cobots” and “Polish Robotics Companies”.

If you are looking for references, ask the distributor for a list of installations in the Polish industry before you compare offers.

KUKA LBR iisy 6 R1300: 6 kg, but a 1300 mm reach; choose it when parts are lighter and the cell is spread out.

KUKA LBR iisy 11 R1300: 11 kg and 1300 mm; more strength and reach, as long as the price from the inquiry doesn't scare you.

UR7e: 7.5 kg and 920 mm, available in Poland through elmark.com.pl; a direct competitor in the mid class (see “Universal Robots UR5e, UR10e and UR20 Compared”).

FANUC CRX-10iA: 10 kg, since 2019, available through spawalnictwo.pl; a proven Japanese design (series description: “FANUC CRX: The Cobot Series with 8 Years of Zero Maintenance”).

Techman TM12: 12 kg with built-in vision, offered by tfm-robotics.pl; interesting when the robot is to recognize parts itself.

Which to choose? If you already have KUKA software, stay with the iisy family; if price matters, ask for quotes from two distributors and compare the total cost of the cell, not the arm alone.

The launch date of the iisy 8 R930 is not given in the sources, but the iisy program itself starts with the KUKA LBR iisy 3 R760 from 2019, and the largest, the KUKA LBR iisy 15 R930, has been sold since 2022. The eight-kilogram version fits into this development as the middle of the range: 3, 6, 8, 11 and 15 kg.

The iisy was KUKA's answer to the need for a cheaper, simpler cobot than the seven-axis iiwa series from 2013 (KUKA LBR iiwa 7 R800). In June 2023 the maker added the autonomous platform KMP 1500P (KUKA KMP 1500P) to its range. Manufacturer profile: KUKA.