Used for: Manufacturing Research
Mecademic Meca500 (R3/R4)
Mecademic · Starting from $20,210 · Get a current price · Simulate it first
Overview
Very small 6-axis industrial robot arm from Montreal-based Mecademic: 0.5 kg rated payload (1.0 kg under special conditions), 330 mm reach, 0.005 mm repeatability, 4.6 kg arm and 24 VDC supply with a maximum draw of 200 W. It mounts at any angle, is rated IP40 and is driven over Ethernet (TCP/IP) from C++, C#, Python, Java or a PLC via Profinet, or through the built-in MecaPortal web interface. Mecademic's manual covers two hardware revisions, R3 and R4; they share these specs and differ in joint speed and in how the emergency stop works. Typical jobs are precision assembly, dispensing, lab automation and material handling.
Will the Mecademic Meca500 (R3/R4) do your task? Simulate it before you buy.
Four cobots on the same palletizing task, simulated before purchase.
We build your station in a simulator with the Mecademic Meca500 (R3/R4) and one or two alternatives, and send you video plus cycle time, parts per shift, reach and payload check, and a payback estimate. Scoping is free, and every project is quoted individually.
Software & 3D models
- URDF: yes
- MuJoCo: not found
- Isaac Sim (USD): yes
- Gazebo: not found
- CAD (STEP): not found
- SDK: yes
- ROS: yes
- ROS 2: yes
- RoboDK: yes
Checked 2026-10-17. Links are not published; we share them with clients.
Variants & pricing
| Variant | Status | Available | Current price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meca500 Standard (R3 / R4 revisions) | available | — | $20,210 |
Get a price for the Mecademic Meca500 (R3/R4)
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Full price history
| Price | Date | Variant | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20,210 | 2026-10-17 | Meca500 Standard (R3 / R4 revisions) | Unchained Robotics (DE reseller) | Page shows 'EUR 17,960.00 - 19,860.00 excl. VAT' for the 'Standard' version (price includes power supply unit; cause of the range not stated; 'Add to cart' and 'Get a Quote' buttons); amount_original is the lower end. The page does not say R3 or R4; only its linked manual is R4. USD at the ECB reference rate 1.1253 of 2026-10-16, excl. VAT. Earlier research cited EUR 17,490 for this page, but that figure is no longer shown. |
| Contact | 2026-10-17 | Meca500 Standard (R3 / R4 revisions) | Mecademic | Mecademic's own site returned HTTP 403 to every fetch, so no manufacturer list price could be read; a Mecademic knowledge-base article says options can add significantly to the base price. |
Locomotion
fixed mount, any angle
Manipulation
Arms: 6 DOF · Hands: Tool flange (end-of-arm tooling is powered through the robot, per the manual)
Use cases
precision assembly, dispensing, lab automation, material handling
Software
OS: MecaPortal web interface; Ethernet TCP/IP API (firmware 9.3.x); Profinet from a PLC · SDK: ✓ · ROS: ✗ · Open source: ✗ · Languages: Python, C++, C#, Java
Key facts
- Mecademic Meca500 user manual (R3 and R4, firmware 9.3.x; read 2026-10-17 from a copy hosted by reseller Unchained Robotics because mecademic.com and resources.mecademic.com return 403): repeatability 0.005 mm, rated payload 0.5 kg, maximum 1.0 kg under special conditions, arm 4.6 kg, any mounting angle, max power 200 W at 24 VDC, 5 to 45 C, 10-80% RH non-condensing, IP40.
- Joint ranges (manual): J1 ±175, J2 -70 to +90, J3 -135 to +70, J4 ±170, J5 ±115, J6 ±36,000 deg. Max joint speeds R3 | R4: J1 150 | 225, J2 150 | 225, J3 180 | 225, J4 300 | 350, J5 300 | 350, J6 500 | 500 deg/s.
- TCP speed: the software limit is 5,000 mm/s for Cartesian moves, but the manual says the attainable TCP speed is about 3,500 mm/s (R4, 50 mm TCP offset, full stretch); max_speed_ms uses the attainable 3.5 m/s.
- R3 vs R4: the R4 E-stop cuts power only to the motor drives (controls stay powered); R3 cuts power to the whole robot. R3 and R4 arms and power supplies are not interchangeable. The manual calls R4 'the latest' revision, so R3 may no longer be sold; no source states its end of sale, so no variant is marked discontinued.
- Reach 330 mm and the EUR price come from the Unchained Robotics page (fetched 2026-10-17); RoboDK's Meca500 R3 entry also lists 330 mm, 0.5 kg and 0.005 mm. Unchained's page shows IP40 and 4.6 kg, matching the manual.
- Naming: id is revision-neutral (mecademic-meca500); the entry covers the R3 and R4 revisions, which share headline specs. A black-finish version mentioned on the reseller page is not covered.
- Image: Meca500 product photo from Unchained Robotics' product page (850 x 850 px PNG, white background, whole arm, no gripper); Mecademic's own site could not be fetched. The photo does not say whether it shows an R3 or R4. The frame crops the bottom of the mounting plate; Mecademic's own images could not be fetched (HTTP 403), so no whole-base photo was available.
About Mecademic
Montreal-based maker of very small, high-precision industrial robot arms, led by the six-axis Meca500 and the MCS500 SCARA.
https://www.mecademic.com · Founded: None · HQ: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Last updated: 2026-10-17 · Full dataset (CSV/JSON, CC BY 4.0)