Universal Robots certified for cleanroom applications

Universal Robots’ lightweight collaborative robot arms can now be implemented in controlled environments. After successful tests in accordance with VDI 2083 Part 9.1, the international industrial guideline concerning the various functions and measures of cleanroom technologies, the robot arms and the accompanying controller boxes made by the Danish company have been awarded the certification for cleanroom applications by the international certification organisation TÜV SÜD. In compliance with the industrial norm ISO 14644-1, the robot models UR3, UR5 and UR10 are now authorised for global use in cleanroom environments of the cleanroom class ISO 5. The controller box, in turn, has received authorisation for cleanroom class ISO 6. The controller box may be upgraded for deployment in cleanrooms requiring the class ISO 5 with a few technical modifications. In the Federal Standard 209E, often referenced in the USA, ISO 5 and ISO 6 are the equivalent of class 100 and class 1000 respectively.

“This certification will pave the way for a great number of new application opportunities for our robots,” said Esben H Østergaard, CTO and co-founder of Universal Robots. “We have taken another important step towards making our affordable and user-friendly collaborative robots accessible for companies of all industries and sizes.”

TÜV SÜD’s test seals for Universal Robots’ robotic arms and controller boxes now allow the deployment of UR robots in areas where aspects regarding purity and hygiene — such as particle emission, easy-to-clean surfaces and extreme reliability — are decisive criteria for precise automation processes. “UR robots can now increasingly be deployed in laboratory automation as well as throughout the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. There is also a significant variety of cleanroom applications in the food industry, the production of microchips and semiconductors as well as in the electrical and optoelectronics industries that can now implement our robots,” said Østergaard.