ABB Robotics has added two compact industrial robots, the IRB 1700 and IRB 1700ID, to its lineup. The company says they deliver cycle times up to 20 percent shorter than comparable robots on the market, with path repeatability down to 0.03mm.
The family spans five variants with payloads of 6kg to 12kg and runs on OmniCore controllers. Joint speeds reach 700 degrees per second. ABB lists material handling, arc welding, deburring, sanding and machine tending as target tasks, along with electronics work such as AI server rack assembly.
ABB also points to running costs. Power consumption is up to 15 percent lower than the IRB 1600 when both carry the same payload on OmniCore, according to the company's own comparison. Service intervals stretch to 20,000 hours between oil changes. For automation engineers, the footprint matters as much as the speed. ABB says the new robot occupies 50 percent less floor space than its predecessor, which is relevant in cells where layout is fixed and cycle time is the variable being squeezed.
The IRB 1700ID adds ABB's Integrated Dressing design, which routes cables and hoses inside the robot arm. ABB says this simplifies installation.
Craig McDonnell, Managing Director, Business Line Industries at ABB Robotics, said manufacturers across electronics, automotive and general industry face pressure to produce more while holding quality and cutting operating costs. He described the family as offering "a new level of speed, accuracy, reliability and energy efficiency."
The robots work with ABB's software tools, including RobotStudio, AI Robot Trainer, OmniCore EyeMotion and automatic collision-free path planning.
The IRB 1700 and IRB 1700ID make their public debut at China International Industry Fair in Shanghai, October 12–16, 2026. ABB is showing them on its stand in a working arc welding and sanding application.
