The word SCARA is an acronym that stands for Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm or Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm. SCARA robots consist of four independent motion axes in a configuration that enables the robot to position its tooling in terms of X, Y, Z, and Theta (or rotation around the Z coordinate) within the robot’s work area. There are several variations of SCARA robots in use today, however, the most common configuration provides a work envelope that resembles a fan (hand fan) or kidney shape. SCARA robots are known for their fast motion capabilities while also providing more accurate and rigid positioning than that of a parallel arm.

SCARA robots are used in applications where parts need to be moved from one position to another that do not require any additional articulation aside from being rotated. Their speed enables them to be good choices for simple material handling applications such as pick and place as well as packaging. Their high level of accuracy and rigidity also make them well suited for basic assembly processes and dispensing.