ABB launches three robot families including faster, lighter IRB 1200s
2 July 2025 
ABB Robotics has announced a new generation of its IRB 1200 high-performance small robots that are faster, lighter and more precise, boosting productivity and efficiency in a wide range of applications. The company has also developed new ranges of low-cost robots and cobots (collaborative robots) specifically for the Chinese market – the world’s biggest robot market and ABB’s largest national market.
The new-generation IRB 1200 robots comes in four variants – with load capacities of 5, 7, 8 and 9kg – with the biggest claimed to offer a best-in-class payload capacity, making it suitable for larger or heavier loads.
The new IRB 1200 robots, powered by ABB’s OmniCore controller, are claimed to achieve class-leading motion control, with path accuracies of 0.6mm and pose repeatabilities down to 0.011mm, even for multiple robots operating at speeds of up to 1600mm/s.
A 5% shorter cycle time results in higher productivity, making the robots ideal for complex, high-throughput applications such as surface finishing, assembly and dispensing.
The new robots boost throughput and efficiency using the same footprints. They are also 20% lighter than the previous generation, simplifying mounting and reducing energy consumption.
ABB’s new robots for the Chinese market are:
- The compact, easy-to-use Lite+ models, designed to lower the barriers to entering automation for smaller operators in applications such as material-handling and pick-and-place. Available across Asia, they can integrate with ABB’s IRB robots to provide flexible, end-to-end production for industries such as electronics manufacturing.
- The PoWa, a compact cobot built for speed, collaboration, and efficiency. With operating speeds of up to 5.8m/s, it is suitable for fast pick-and-place, palletising and machine-tending tasks. The cobot’s no-code programming and plug-and-play capabilities mean it can be operating within 60 minutes of unboxing, making it particularly attractive to SMEs.
All three new robot families will be manufactured at ABB’s Robotics’ Shanghai Mega Factory. All are powered by ABB’s OmniCore control platform which integrates AI, sensor, cloud and edge computing systems.
ABB’s has also developed a pioneering, AI-driven natural language software tool for teaching robots. Combining generative and analytical AI, it speeds up the teaching process in three steps: ‘see, speak, do,’ with the robot visually perceiving its environment; processing verbal instructions in real time; and translating them immediately into precise actions.
China is the world’s largest robot market and accounted for more than half of all robot installations globally in 2023. More than 90% of ABB’s robots for Chinese customers now manufactured locally.
China’s mid-market robotics segment has grown at a CAGR of 24% between 2021 and 2024, and is expected to continue growing at 8% annually in the period to 2028.
“China’s growth in sectors such as electronics and from small- and medium-sized businesses is driving the increasing demand for accessible, user-friendly solutions, and we are responding to that demand,” says Sami Atiya, president of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business. “With our new robot families, we are not only expanding what is already the most comprehensive and integrated offering in the market, but we are helping new industries and customers automate with new mid-market value propositions.”
