Epson's First Cobot, the AX6, Goes on Sale in the US
Epson Robots launched the AX6, its first collaborative arm (900 mm reach, 6 kg payload), in the US on Sept 22, 2026, more than a year after Europe's preview.
Epson Robots, the Seiko Epson unit best known for SCARA arms, announced the AX6 collaborative six-axis robot in the United States on September 22, 2026. It is the company’s first cobot. Epson says the arm has a 900 mm reach and a 6 kg payload, is rated IP54 and ISO 5 cleanroom, and is available now through its distributor channel. The US release gives no price.
What Epson is selling
The AX6 joins Epson’s AX Series of six-axis robots. Epson America’s release describes power- and force-limiting features that, “with a proper risk assessment,” can allow operation without traditional safety barriers. The wording matters: the cobot label is a design claim that still has to be validated cell by cell, as it is for any collaborative arm.
Epson’s stated feature list is practical rather than flashy:
- A carbon-fiber arm structure, described as compact and lightweight
- A no-code interface plus a Python environment for custom libraries and modules
- End-of-arm buttons (three customizable, two dedicated) for hand-guided teaching
- An end-of-arm Ethernet port and pneumatic connections
- A multicolor status LED ring at the end of the arm
- Power from 100-240 V AC or 48 V DC
- A 3D simulator for testing programs before running them in the cell
The Robot Report, which interviewed Epson product manager James Shimano, adds that the controller runs software in a web browser, so most industrial tablets can serve as a teach pendant, and that the lightweight design was “specifically built with AMR integration in mind.”
Epson’s European product page adds figures the US release omits: 0.03 mm repeatability, up to 40% energy savings against equivalent-sized industrial robots, and safety functions including monitored standstill, speed and position limits, and power-and-force limiting. Those are Epson’s numbers; we found no independent test data.
Not a new robot: a delayed US launch
The AX6 has been public for more than a year. Epson Europe presented the AX6-A901S at Automatica in June 2025, pitching it at life-science and pharmaceutical work, and said sales would start in autumn 2025. Its European figures were the same 6 kg and 900 mm. The September 2026 announcement is therefore the US and channel launch of an existing product, not a fresh design.
Two details differ between sources. The 2025 European release named the controller RC-A101 (under 6 kg, 440 x 205 x 135 mm, sized for AGV/AMR mounting); The Robot Report’s 2026 piece names it RC-A1010. Whether these are the same unit under a revised designation is not stated in anything we read. Also, the 2025 release footnoted the IP54 and ISO 14644-1 Class 5 claims as based on design evaluation and not guaranteed at shipment, while the 2026 US release states the ISO 5 compliance without that hedge. Buyers with cleanroom requirements should ask Epson for the current certification documents.
Why it matters
Epson’s catalog on this site is dominated by SCARA and industrial six-axis arms such as the Epson C4 (4 kg, 600 mm) and the Epson C8, none of which is a collaborative model. The AX6 fills that gap, and lands in a segment that is crowded. For context on where the leading incumbents are going, see our coverage of Universal Robots’ Gen 7 platform and FANUC’s AI Welding Agent on the CRX.
Epson’s pitch is the portfolio argument: one vendor covering fast SCARA cells, industrial six-axis arms, and now cobots on a shared PC-based controller platform. For plants already running Epson, that is a real integration advantage. For everyone else, a 6 kg / 900 mm arm with a clean-room rating competes on price and support, and price is the number Epson did not publish.
Sources
- AX6 Collaborative 6-Axis Robot Combines Safe Worker Interaction with Intuitive No-Code Programming — Epson America, Sep 22, 2026
- Epson introduces AX6 cobot with compact design, no-code programming — The Robot Report, Sep 24, 2026
- Automatica 2025: Epson launches its first industrial collaborative robot — Epson Europe, Jun 24, 2025
- Epson Cobot AX6 — Epson Europe, Sep 26, 2026
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Frequently asked questions
What are the AX6's core specs? +
Epson's European product page lists 6 kg payload, 900 mm reach and 0.03 mm repeatability. The Robot Report, citing Epson's launch, gives the same reach and payload. All are Epson's own figures, not independent test results.
Is the AX6 available now? +
Epson America's Sept 22, 2026 release says the AX6 is available through Epson Robots' distributor partners. Neither the release nor Epson's product pages we read state a price.
Can it run without safety fencing? +
Epson says its power- and force-limiting features can allow operation without traditional safety barriers, but only with a proper risk assessment. That qualifier is Epson's own.
Is this really a new robot? +
The robot itself is not new. Epson Europe presented the AX6-A901S at Automatica in June 2025. The Sept 22, 2026 announcement is the US launch.
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