COBOTTA PRO routes pneumatic lines and I/O wiring through the arm to the tool flange. That moves part of the utility route away from the outside of the moving arm. The choice still starts with the end effector: DENSO offers an Air Piping type and a Through Wiring type, with different signal-line provisions. Choose the route that matches the tool, then identify the connections at both ends.
The distinction appears in the DENSO WAVE COBOTTA PRO specification, covering the 900 and 1300 models. Its tool-equipment table and footnotes are more useful for this question than a photograph of a tidy arm.
Air Piping and Through Wiring are alternative configurations
The specification lists two signal pins for the Air Piping type and eight for the Through Wiring type. The air-piping row lists two diameter-4 lines for the Air Piping type. Footnote 2 explicitly says to choose either configuration. Reading the rows as one combined package would create an imaginary option with all the listed signal pins and air lines.
| Configuration | Listed signal line | Listed internal air route | Question to settle with the tool supplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Piping type | 2 pins | Φ4 × 2 | Which pneumatic services and signals must reach the tool? |
| Through Wiring type | 8 pins | The air-piping row is specified for the other type | Which electrical signals need the through-arm route? |
Other entries in the same equipment table include Ethernet, analog input, RS-485, hand input/output and power. They need their own interface check; a count of signal pins alone does not describe the tool’s full communications or power connection. Match the exact tool documentation to the ordered robot configuration before choosing an adapter or cable assembly.
The route ends at an interface, not inside your gripper
A useful way to draw the installation is: site utilities → robot-base connection → internal arm route → flange connection → end effector. DENSO’s internal routing addresses the middle of that chain. The tool drawing must still show how its ports and connector meet the flange, including any adapter plate or short connecting section.
Consider a proposed pneumatic gripper with position sensing. The air route and the sensing connection answer separate questions. List what the gripper requires at its connection point, then have the supplier map each requirement to the chosen robot option. A request that says only “internal air and I/O” leaves those endpoints unresolved. This is a planning example; the appropriate connection depends on the selected gripper and robot configuration.
The same drawing should show anything carried outside the internal route. A camera, extra sensor or tool changer may introduce its own connections. Identify their support points and clearance through the intended motion, rather than assuming that selecting an internally routed arm finishes the tool assembly.
The base connector position changes the installation drawing
DENSO lists the connector panel at the back of the robot base, with a bottom-side option. That choice matters when the arm sits close to a machine, on a narrow stand, or above a cabinet. The installation drawing should show where cables enter and how the connectors remain accessible after the robot is mounted.
For example, a stand designed around rear access may need a different cable opening if the bottom connector option is selected. Work this out while the stand and robot options are being specified. Moving the cable entry changes the route into the arm; it does not change which services the end effector needs.
Put the utility choice beside the tool drawing
Send the integrator the proposed end-effector drawing, its pneumatic and electrical requirements, the chosen Air Piping or Through Wiring option, and the intended base connector position. Ask for a connection drawing that names the mating parts and shows the complete path from the site connection to the tool. Use the current product specification and the installation documentation for the exact ordered model; the product page is not a pin-assignment procedure.
Keep that drawing with the load and reach assessment. The industrial robot arm selection guide explains how the gripper, adapter, part and supported connections contribute to the moving load. Internal routing is useful because it organizes one part of the installation. Its practical value becomes clear when the remaining connections, access and tool load are drawn together.