Too expensive to purchase, too complex to program, too complicated to maintain.
Many small and medium-sized companies shy away from getting started with automation.
But are they jeopardising their competitiveness in the long term?
Getting started in automation is much easier than you think, say the experts at igus, a world leader in automation solutions. The new igus drylin XXL linear robot, available from Treotham Automation in Australia, is a perfect example.
This DIY package offers companies the opportunity to quickly and easily put a pick-and-place linear robot into operation for tasks related to palletising, sorting, labelling and quality inspection.
Palletising robots created in collaboration with external service providers are very costly and beyond the budget of many small companies. Therefore, igus has developed a cost effective solution using high-performance plastics and lightweight materials, such as aluminium.
“Thanks to this automation, plants can relieve their employees of physically demanding and time-consuming palletising work and free up resources for more important tasks,” says Alexander Mühlens, Head of Automation Technology at igus.
Quick assembly
The linear robot comes as a DIY kit, consisting of two toothed belt axes and a toothed rack cantilever axis with stepper motors and an action range of 2,000 x 2,000 x 1,500mm.
In the maximum length, up to 6,000 x 6,000 x 1,500mm are also possible.
The package also includes a switch cabinet, cables and energy chains as well as the free igus Robot Control (iRC) control software. Users can assemble the components into a ready-to-use linear robot in just a few hours – without external help, prior knowledge or a long training period. And if additional components such as camera systems or grippers are still needed, users will quickly find them on the robotics marketplace RBTX.
The Cartesian robot is used, for example, on conveyor belts that transport products away from injection-moulding machines. Here, the robot takes parts with a maximum weight of 10kg from the conveyor belt, transports them at a speed of up to 500mm/s and positions them on a pallet with a repeatability of 0.8mm.
Employees can focus on more important tasks
The system itself does not require any maintenance. The linear axes consist of corrosion-free aluminium, and the carriages move via plain bearings made of high-performance plastic, which, thanks to integrated solid lubricants, enable a low-friction dry operation without external lubricants for many years – even in dusty and dirty environments.
And programming of motion sequences is simple.
“For many companies that don’t have in-house IT specialists, programming robots is often fraught with problems”, says Mühlens. “That’s why we developed iRC, a free software that visually resembles commonly used office software and allows intuitive programming of movements. What makes it special is that the software is free and the resulting low-code programming can then be used 1:1 on the real robot.”
The core of the software is a digital twin of the linear robot, which can be used to define movements with just a few clicks. Even in advance, before the robot is in operation.
“Prospective buyers can use the 3D model to check whether desired movements are actually feasible before making a purchase, says Mühlens.
“We invite all interested parties to try out our robots live or via the Internet free of charge. We support them during commissioning and show what is possible with low-cost robots. It makes the investment virtually risk-free.”
For more information contact:
Treotham Automation Pty Ltd
1300 65 75 64
