one end. Cantilevered construction provides accessibility to parts for pick-and-place applications such as laboratory automation for example. Cartesian coordinate robots with the horizontal member supported at both ends are sometimes called gantry robots; mechanically, they resemble gantry cranes, although the latter are not generally robots. Gantry robots are often quite large and may support heavy loads. Applications Popular applications for Cartesian coordinate robots are computer numerical control machine (CNC machine) and 3D printing. The simplest application is used in milling machines and plotters where a tool such as a router or pen translates across an X-Y plane and is raised and lowered onto a surface to create a precise design. Pick and place machines are another application for Cartesian coordinate robots. For example, overhead gantry Cartesian robots are applied for continuous parts loading and unloading on CNC lathes production lines, performing 3-axis (X, Y, Z) pick and place operations of heavy loads with high speed performance and high positioning accuracy. In general, overhead gantry Cartesian robots are suitable for many automation systems. See also List of 3D modeling software Robotic arm Industrial robot Cartesian parallel manipulators References - Robot kinematics 3D printing Numerical control