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WR65

The WR65 is an ultralightweight 6-DOF manipulator, built for work where the arm has to be moved, mounted on something mobile, or fitted into a tight cell — 3C electronics, metal processing, food packaging, laboratory and retail automation.

The WR65 is Weston Robot's designation for Realman's RM65. It is the same arm: Realman make the hardware and its firmware, and we supply, integrate and support it, with our own SDK and ROS packages layered on Realman's control interface. If you are cross-referencing a datasheet or a spare part, look for the RM65.

This page does not repeat or replace Realman's documentation. It highlights the information you reach for most often, and supplements it with what we have learned from supplying and supporting these units — configuration, verified values, and our own guides.

Realman's own documentation:

WR65 six-axis manipulator on its base, arm articulated

Getting started

Read Operational Safety before powering the arm for the first time, including the additional hazards specific to manipulators. A manipulator moving under program control is a crush hazard — keep clear of the working envelope until you have tested your motion limits.

Bring-up in outline:

  1. Mount the arm on a rigid surface that can take the reaction forces.
  2. Connect power and the control link, following the manual for your revision.
  3. Confirm the arm responds before writing any motion code.
  4. Move to the SDKwr_arm_sdk, or the ROS packages if you are integrating into an existing stack.

The SDK manual covers the software side in detail.

Key information

A quick reference for the things you reach for most often. Values are as configured on the units we supply.

Files and repositories you clone or download to work with the arm. The manuals below are the ones we ship with the arm and are the ones to work from.

ResourceWhat it isWhere
ManualFull product manualEN · CN
SDK manualUsing wr_arm_sdkSDK Manual
ROS manualsROS 1 and ROS 2 integrationROS 1 · ROS 2
JSON protocolThe wire protocol, if you are not using the SDKProtocol Manual
API examplesWorked samples against the Realman APIRM API samples
C++ SDKPrimary development interfacewr_arm_sdk
ROS packageROS 1 integrationwr65b_ros
ROS 2 packageROS 2 integrationwr_arm_ros2

Installing Weston Robot packages on your host? Add our package repository first: Weston Robot Apt Source.

CAD models, end effectors and Realman's own tooling are on the official pages linked at the top of this page.

Variants

The suffix on your unit tells you whether it has force sensing, which is what you need for contact tasks such as assembly, insertion or polishing.

OursRealman'sForce sensing
WR65-BRM65 StandardNone
WR65-ZFRM65 with single-axis forceSingle axis
WR65-6FRM65 Six-Axis ForceSix-axis force/torque
Confirm reach and force figures against your own unit

Realman have revised the RM65 since our manuals were written, and the line-up has moved on: they currently publish two variants (Standard and Six-Axis Force) rather than three, and their figures for the force-sensing variant differ from ours — 627 mm reach and ±0.5 % FS sensor accuracy against the 638.5 mm and < 0.1 % FS in our 2023 documentation.

Reach and force-sensor accuracy are the two values to confirm from the manual supplied with your arm, or from Realman's current page, before you rely on them. The figures below are the ones that are consistent across both.

Key specifications

Degrees of freedom6
Payload5 kg
Repeatability±0.05 mm
Body weight7.2 kg (-B) · 7.3 kg (force-sensing variants)
Working radius610 mm (-B) — see the caution above for the others
Power supplyDC 20–30 V, rated 24 V
Power consumption≤ 200 W maximum, ≤ 100 W comprehensive
Protection levelIP54 (arm body)
MaterialsAluminium alloy
ControllerIntegrated
CommunicationWiFi · network interface · Bluetooth · USB serial · RS485
Control modesDrag-and-drop teaching · teaching pendant · API · JSON

Joint limits and speeds

From our manual, and identical across the variants. Worth having in front of you when you are planning trajectories — a pose that looks reachable can sit outside J2 or J5.

JointMotion rangeMaximum speed
J1±178°180°/s
J2±130°180°/s
J3±135°225°/s
J4±178°225°/s
J5±128°225°/s
J6±360°225°/s

Control interface

The arm is driven through wr_arm_sdk, or directly over its JSON protocol if you are integrating from a language or environment the SDK does not cover — the protocol manual documents the messages.

wr_arm_sdk and wr_arm_ros2 are shared across the arm range; the ROS 1 package is per-model, so use wr65b_ros for the WR65 specifically.

Because the arm is a Realman RM65 underneath, Realman's own API samples and documentation apply to it. Where their material and ours disagree on software, ours describes the units as we supply them.

The WR65 is the ultralightweight member of the range. If you need more reach and can accept the extra mass, see the WRL63.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

Support

Collect the serial number, firmware version and logs before raising a ticket — Before you contact us lists what helps and includes the commands to gather it.

Submit a support request.