ABB IRB 660 vs Yaskawa Motoman GP180: Robot Comparison
Updated: 11 hours ago
IN A NUTSHELL
🔎 THE KEY DIFFERENCE Both are compared at 180 kg. ABB IRB 660 has the longer stated reach, which may help reach separated fixtures; it does not guarantee access at every tool angle. Their 4- and 6-axis mechanisms also offer different movement options. |
→ CONSIDER ABB IRB 660 Consider it when extra reach is useful while the compared load capacity is the same. This article compares 180 kg with a published reach of 3,150 mm; include the gripper and part in the load. |
→ CONSIDER Yaskawa Motoman GP180 Consider it when its stated load and reach already cover your task and its controls fit your equipment. This article compares 180 kg with a published reach of 2702 mm; include the gripper and part in the load. |
💡 THE TAKEAWAY Check the required tool angles and approach path: different axis counts change movement options. Choose only after both suppliers demonstrate the loaded task and quote the same complete installation. |
ABB IRB 660 vs Yaskawa Motoman GP180 is an engineering buying comparison for palletizing versus articulated handling. ABB IRB 660 is a four-axis palletizer; the other candidate is a six-axis handling robot. A level-product pallet cycle and a part requiring roll or pitch are different tasks. The choice begins with required orientation and process equipment.
The starting-price references in the linked reviews are USD 75,000 for ABB IRB 660 and USD 60,000 for Yaskawa Motoman GP180. The ABB figure is a family starting reference, not a quotation for the worked variant. The analysis distinguishes tool load, geometry, process equipment, controller ownership and installed cost. Neither a review price nor a robot-only specification defines a complete commissioned cell.
Quick verdict
ABB IRB 660: Palletizing across multiple infeed or pallet stations using 180 or 250 kg variants. The four-axis layout and 3,150 mm reach serve a different purpose from a six-axis handling or spot-welding arm.
Yaskawa Motoman GP180: General industrial handling and tending with 180 kg capacity and 2702 mm horizontal reach. The specified GP variant must be retained; load, reach and mounting data from a different suffix or family member do not transfer.
ABB IRB 660 vs Yaskawa Motoman GP180: technical specifications
Specification | ABB IRB 660 | Yaskawa Motoman GP180 |
|---|---|---|
Configuration used | IRB 660 180 kg | Yaskawa Motoman GP180 |
Attached-load reference | 180 kg | 180 kg |
Horizontal reach / arm length | 3,150 mm | 2702 mm |
Position repeatability | ±0.05 mm | ±0.05 mm |
Controlled axes | 4 | 6 |
Arm / installation mass reference | Variant-specific mass: confirm exact order code | 1020 kg |
Arm protection | IP67 | Confirm exact protection package |
Controller | ABB IRC5 or OmniCore | YRC1000 |
Indicative review starting reference | USD 75,000 (family reference) | USD 60,000 |
The table uses IRB 660 180 kg as the worked ABB configuration. It is one documented configuration for explaining the tradeoffs, not an automatic recommendation or a claim that the family has only this version. The linked reviews describe the underlying data. Confirm the exact mechanical generation, controller revision, installation orientation, environmental package and load chart against the supplied order code.
ABB variant map: keep load and reach together
Documented configuration / example | Payload and reach | Repeatability reference |
|---|---|---|
IRB 660 180 kg | 180 kg / 3,150 mm | ±0.05 mm |
IRB 660 250 kg | 250 kg / 3,150 mm | ±0.05 mm |
The four-axis layout and 3,150 mm reach serve a different purpose from a six-axis handling or spot-welding arm. The starting price does not establish the price of every listed configuration. Where the review gives only a family precision range, this article leaves the exact-variant value for supplier confirmation rather than assigning the best family figure to every arm.
Start with the process, not the payload headline
ABB IRB 660 is a four-axis palletizer; the other candidate is a six-axis handling robot. A level-product pallet cycle and a part requiring roll or pitch are different tasks. The choice begins with required orientation and process equipment. The acceptance case for this pair should be: The real infeed, farthest pallet corner, top layer, full gripper load, pallet change and failed-release response. The useful outcome to measure is stable completed pallets per hour, load margin and safe exchange downtime. A supplier demonstration must use the same workpiece range, tool mass, fixtures and normal operating conditions for both proposals.
A dedicated process arm and a general-purpose manipulator can sometimes perform similar motions, yet require very different integration. A torch needs process utilities and seam access; a spot gun imposes mass, inertia and clamp requirements; a pallet tool needs stable grip and stack coverage. Include those differences before comparing robot-only prices.
Payload, wrist moments and the complete end effector
For the worked configurations, the load references are 180 kg and 180 kg. Count fingers, adapters, cameras, valves, cables carried by the wrist and the actual workpiece. A nominally permitted part can become an excessive load once its gripping hardware is added. Use the relevant load diagram rather than assuming the maximum payload is allowed at every centre of gravity.
Check moments and inertia at the worst tool orientation and during the required acceleration. Long, offset parts can create a wrist problem while staying below the mass limit. For a welding gun, include the complete utilities and balancing arrangement. For a pallet gripper, include the full layer or multiple picked cases and a credible grip-loss condition.
Workspace, axis count and required orientation
ABB IRB 660 has 4 controlled axes and the worked reach is 3,150 mm; Yaskawa Motoman GP180 has 6 axes and 2702 mm. The axis-count difference changes feasible orientation or posture. Do not treat a four-axis palletizer, five-axis small arm, six-axis manipulator and seven-axis spot robot as geometrically interchangeable. Check every required pickup, process, reject and recovery pose with the tool attached.
Use a tool-centre-point layout and include the carried-part envelope, machine doors, fixture walls, hose loops and neighboring equipment. Horizontal reach is not the same as vertical reach or useful reach below a shelf. A reachable endpoint can still fail because the wrist cannot attain the required approach angle or retreat without a collision.
ABB IRB 660: engineering assessment
Check the whole pallet pattern, farthest corners and tallest layer with the complete gripper. A nominally larger load does not prove a faster palletizing cycle or remove the need for safe pallet-exchange access. In this comparison, the worked configuration is IRB 660 180 kg, with 180 kg, 3,150 mm and the stated repeatability reference of ±0.05 mm. Its practical benefit should be demonstrated at the intended operating load rather than inferred from the family label.
The four-axis layout and 3,150 mm reach serve a different purpose from a six-axis handling or spot-welding arm. Identify who owns the final RAPID program, RobotStudio project, safety settings and backups. Existing ABB experience is useful when the actual maintenance team can restore a stopped application, identify a failed component and keep the cell supported through its planned service life.
Yaskawa Motoman GP180: where the alternative adds value
Build the layout around the actual fixture, grip point and machine door. Yaskawa Motoman GP180 should demonstrate a collision-free loaded path, useful throughput and maintainable error recovery on the quoted controller. Its reviewed combination is 180 kg, 2702 mm and ±0.05 mm positioning repeatability. The specified GP variant must be retained; load, reach and mounting data from a different suffix or family member do not transfer. Establish what that configuration adds to the actual task: a useful orientation, smaller workspace, longer path coverage, specific process equipment or a more familiar controller.
The source identifies YRC1000 for Yaskawa Motoman GP180. INFORM and MotoSim form the programming and simulation route described in the review. Compare the local team's ability to create, diagnose, back up and recover the finished application rather than judging software only by a short sales demonstration.
Precision and process quality
The two positioning references are ±0.05 mm and ±0.05 mm. These concern returning to a pose under stated conditions; they are not a finished-part tolerance guarantee. Absolute accuracy, path behavior, fixture stiffness, calibration, tool wear, thermal change and workpiece variation remain separate. Where a variant-specific precision value is not documented, obtain it for the quoted order code.
Measure stable completed pallets per hour, load margin and safe exchange downtime. For welding, inspect the accepted seam or spot result using a qualified process. For handling, count stable pickup and placement throughout the fixture range. For palletizing, test stack stability and top-layer clearance. A faster unloaded movement or one successful prepared sample does not establish sustained production quality.
Controller, interfaces and error recovery
ABB IRC5 or OmniCore and YRC1000 are the controller references for the reviewed configurations. Controller generation affects the program format, available interfaces and support plan. Confirm the actual pendant, network roles, protocol options, external-axis support and software licences; a capability mentioned in a brochure is not proof that it is enabled in the starting package.
Prepare an I/O and network schedule for the PLC, gripper, machine, process equipment, vision and protective devices. Specify acknowledgement timeouts, safe state and restart sequence. Demonstrate a lost grip, missing part, rejected result, interrupted machine cycle and communication loss. Retain editable programs, calibration files, controller backups and a recovery guide suitable for the intended operators.
Guarding, environment and installation
These are industrial robot applications. Design the complete safeguarding concept around the robot, tools, carried part, stored energy, machine and process hazards. Safe access, stopping behavior, interlocks, isolation and restart belong in the cell design. A newer controller or an additional axis does not make an industrial application suitable for unrestricted human access.
The arm protection references are IP67 for the reviewed ABB package and Confirm exact protection package for Yaskawa Motoman GP180. An unspecified value requires exact-package confirmation. Check the cabinet, tool, connectors and dress pack separately. Ingress protection alone does not approve every coolant, abrasive exposure, chemical or high-pressure cleaning method.
Obtain the installation mass and floor reactions for IRB 660 180 kg; the alternative's review gives 1020 kg. Keep carried payload separate from installation mass and cabinet weight. Design the support, anchoring, lifting plan, cooling space and service route using the exact drawings. Shelf-mounted and very heavy arms can make structural work a significant part of total installed cost.
Starting price and installed-cost comparison
The numerical starting references are USD 75,000 and USD 60,000. The first is a family-level review reference; it is not assigned to the selected variant as a firm offer. New, legacy, refurbished and process-package quotations can have different scope and condition. Confirm the supplied revision, warranty, support, delivery and commissioning responsibilities before using either number in a payback calculation.
Request comparable bills of materials covering robot and controller, tool, fixtures, process utilities, sensing, safeguarding, machine interfaces, support structure, integration, simulation, commissioning and training. Include freight, tax and on-site work where applicable. Assign responsibility for faults spanning vendors. A lower arm price can be outweighed by an extra positioner, unsuitable fixture, structural change or software maintenance burden.
Decision gates for the actual cell
Gate | This pair | Evidence to require |
|---|---|---|
Process fit | Palletizing versus articulated handling | The real infeed, farthest pallet corner, top layer, full gripper load, pallet change and failed-release response. |
Configuration | IRB 660 180 kg versus Yaskawa Motoman GP180 | Full order code and matched load drawing |
Load | 180 kg versus 180 kg | Tool, part, moments and inertia |
Workspace | 3,150 mm versus 2702 mm | All required orientations and a loaded path |
Quality | ±0.05 mm versus ±0.05 mm | Stable completed pallets per hour, load margin and safe exchange downtime. |
Installed value | USD 75,000 versus USD 60,000 | Aligned quotation, scope and support plan |
Begin with the actual process: palletizing versus articulated handling. Palletizing across multiple infeed or pallet stations using 180 or 250 kg variants. General industrial handling and tending with 180 kg capacity and 2702 mm horizontal reach. Eliminate a candidate if it cannot meet the complete load, pose, quality or safeguarding requirement. If both pass, compare useful throughput, operator changeover and the maintenance burden of the supplied system. A different robot category can be appropriate only when the whole cell concept changes with it.
Give both suppliers the same tool CAD, part range, fixture model, target output and access pattern. Agree measurable pass criteria before the trial. Use representative variation and normal safety settings; include replenishment, rejects, process interruptions and recovery after power loss. Keep the tested configuration, program and acceptance record as part of the delivered system.
Complete product reviews
Frequently asked questions
Which should I choose: ABB IRB 660 or Yaskawa Motoman GP180?
ABB IRB 660 is a four-axis palletizer; the other candidate is a six-axis handling robot. A level-product pallet cycle and a part requiring roll or pitch are different tasks. The choice begins with required orientation and process equipment. Choose the complete proposal that passes the real load, process-quality, workspace and safeguarding requirements, then compare installed cost and the skills needed to maintain it.
Which ABB configuration is compared with Yaskawa Motoman GP180?
IRB 660 180 kg is used as the worked configuration, with 180 kg and 3,150 mm. The four-axis layout and 3,150 mm reach serve a different purpose from a six-axis handling or spot-welding arm. Confirm the full order code and generation with the supplier.
What starting prices are used?
The linked review references are USD 75,000 for ABB IRB 660 and USD 60,000 for Yaskawa Motoman GP180. The ABB value is a family starting reference, not a quote for every variant. Confirm the current supplied package, condition, controller, process equipment, safeguarding, delivery and integration scope.
Does payload include the tool?
Yes. Include the complete end effector, adapters, attached equipment and workpiece, then verify the permitted centre of gravity, wrist moments and inertia. The worked references are 180 kg and 180 kg. A part below the mass headline can still violate an eccentric-load or inertia limit.
Are the reach and axis counts directly interchangeable?
No. The comparison uses 3,150 mm with 4 axes and 2702 mm with 6 axes. Check tool offset, required orientation, joint limits, vertical or below-base access and the full loaded path. A four-axis or five-axis mechanism does not offer every six-axis orientation.
Does repeatability guarantee process quality?
No. The positioning references are ±0.05 mm and ±0.05 mm. Measure the finished result with representative fixtures, tooling and part variation. For this comparison, the process criterion is stable completed pallets per hour, load margin and safe exchange downtime.
What is the main limitation of Yaskawa Motoman GP180?
The specified GP variant must be retained; load, reach and mounting data from a different suffix or family member do not transfer. Build the layout around the actual fixture, grip point and machine door. Yaskawa Motoman GP180 should demonstrate a collision-free loaded path, useful throughput and maintainable error recovery on the quoted controller.
What should be demonstrated before purchase?
The real infeed, farthest pallet corner, top layer, full gripper load, pallet change and failed-release response. Include machine or process interlocks, normal guarding, missed grip or rejected part, communication loss, changeover and safe restart. Retain the exact configuration, controller backup, program and agreed acceptance record from the trial.
