Motion plastics specialist Igus has released a new drylin XXL room palletiser robot, which it claims can support applications up to 10kg in weight.
The robot is designed to have a working envelope of 2,000 x 2,000 x 1,500mm and to suit palletising operations. It is available now from £8,000, which includes the control system.
Igus claims the robot can be set up and self-programmed within a few hours, without the help of a system integrator or any formal training.
“Palletising robots developed in cooperation with external service providers can cost between £80,000 and £120,000, more than the budget of many small companies,” said Adam Sanjurgo, product manager of low cost automation at Igus UK.
“We have therefore developed a much cheaper solution by using high-performance plastics and lightweight materials such as aluminium.
“Depending on the type of stage, the drylin XXL room portal robot costs between £8,000 and £12,000, a low-risk investment that usually pays for itself within a few weeks.
“Thanks to this kind of automation, companies can relieve their employees of physically demanding and time-consuming palletising tasks and redeploy the resource for more important tasks.”
The user should receive the robot as a DIY kit. Some of its key components include two timing belt axes and a rack and pinion axis with stepper motors.
At its biggest, the robot is supposed to measure up to 6,000 x 6,000 x 1,500mm and contains a control cabinet, cables and energy chains, as well as free control software, called Igus Robot Control.
The Cartesian robot moves in three linear axes – X, Y and Z – and has been built for use on conveyor belts that transport products from injection moulding machines.
It supports the removal of moulded parts from the production line and moves them at a speed of up to 500mm/s before positioning them on a pallet, with a repeatability of 0.8mm.
According to Igus, the system does not require any maintenance, as the linear axes are made using corrosion-free aluminium and slides that move over plastic bearings.
These are designed to use integrated solid lubricants to enable low-friction dry running. Igus claims that this eliminates the need to use fluid lubricants for many years, even in dusty and unclean environments.
At the centre of the software is a digital twin of the room portal robot, which can reportedly set movements with just a few simple clicks, even before the robot is in operation.
