Cost-effective, lightweight plug & play combination
consisting of gearbox, encoder, controller, force control
system and motor for service robotics. The potential for
service robotics is enormous: in kitchens and bars, in the
area of nursing, or in agriculture and logistics,
lightweight robots facilitate the automation of monotonous
or non-ergonomic tasks. To make the implementation of such
new concepts easy and, above all, cost-effective, igus is
presenting a new modular gearbox kit for cobots at the
Hannover Trade Show. The fully integrated tribo strain wave
gear with motor, absolute-value encoder, force control
system and controller is the main component of this kit.
"With our Low Cost Automation solutions, we enable design
engineers to cost-effectively take part in the future of
service robotics", says Stefan Niermann, who is responsible
for the area of Low Cost Automation in the extended igus
management structure. "This opens up space for new ideas in
the area of automation: robots that can dispense coffee in
retail shops or clear out the dishwasher at home. Cobots,
that can be used in the area of nursing as well as in
industry – and everything made in Germany." The gearboxes
play an especially important role in this context as they
are the heart of any modern robot. For this reason, motion
plastics specialist igus introduced a new generation of
tribo strain wave gearboxes for movement on the 5th robot
axis last year. Friction and wear are optimised by means of
lubrication-free tribo-polymers. The use of plastics enables
an extremely compact design and cost-effective production.
The drygear strain wave gear can be used along the last axis
of an articulated arm, linear robot or delta robot, for
example, in front of different gripper systems. The new
modular gearbox kit for cobots that igus is showing at the
Hannover Trade Show 2021, supplements the wide range of igus
products in the area of Low Cost Automation. This plug &
play solution facilitates the speedy implementation of
exciting cobot ideas, without any thought being given to the
power electronics.
Fully integrated strain wave gear for low cost cobot
applications
The modular gearbox kit in sizes 80 and 105 consists of
tribo strain wave gear with integrated motor controller,
force control electronics, absolute-value encoder and motor.
In the gearbox, a tribo wave generator and a tribo flex ring
with external teeth, as well as a brushless DC motor with
external rotor are used. On the basis of the gearbox, an
individual robot can also be designed as a cobot with the
help of joining links, thanks to the additional electronic
components. "For our lightweight strain wave gears, we see
market opportunities in robots whose total weight is less
than 8kg", clarifies Alexander Mühlens, head of Low Cost
Automation at igus. "This is because, where robotics in Low
Cost Automation is concerned, the self weight is always
important and not only the payload and a low price.
Lightweight robots are easier to transport and can be used
more efficiently on driverless transport systems, on 7th
robot axes or, in the near future, even on drones." The low
weight is also a significant advantage when the systems are
used in cobots, as smaller masses mean that lower forces are
generated when collisions occur. HRC capabilities are
possible thanks to the electronic components in the fully
integrated strain wave gear. Thanks to absolute-value
encoder technology, forces as well as torque can be
determined and safely limited by means of the motor current.
For this purpose, igus relies on a double encoder, in which
a measurement is carried out in front of and behind the
joint in order to detect forces and torque levels and react
accordingly.
The igus range of products in the area of Low Cost
Automation is growing continuously
The new fully integrated strain wave gearboxes are to be
used this year in the new version of the ReBel, the igus
service robot. As a result, this generation of robots will
be considerably slimmer and, thanks to the integrated BLDC
motors with power electronics, will be more cost-effective.
Alexander Mühlens points out: "Our goal is to offer the
ReBeL on the market for 2,900 euros even for small order
quantities. It should be able to carry 2kg, have a range of
up to 650mm, as well as a self weight of less than 10kg and
a minimum running time of 2 million cycles." The cobot
gearbox kit supplements the wide portfolio of igus in the
area of Low Cost Automation - from gearboxes and a large
variety of robot kinematics to the control system. Low Cost
Automation means cost-effective prices for new users and
also automating as much as necessary. As as result, the
investment pays for itself in just a few months. The new
modular gearbox system will also be available on
RBTX.com 
.
On the online marketplace, interested parties can put
together their robot kinematics with vision, safety or
gripper components that matches their requirements and their
budget exactly. The igus promise is that everything fits
together, both on the hardware side and software side – in
accordance with the igus "Build or Buy" approach, namely
putting together a robot oneself or obtaining a ready-made
solution.
!!!!!
i
gus GmbH develops and produces motion plastics. These
lubrication-free, high-performance polymers improve
technology and reduce costs wherever things move. In energy
supplies, highly flexible cables, plain and linear bearings
as well as lead screw technology made of tribo-polymers,
igus is the worldwide market leader. The family-run company
based in Cologne, Germany, is represented in 35 countries
and employs 3,800 people across the globe. In 2019, igus
generated a turnover of €764 million. Research in the
industry's largest test laboratories constantly yields
innovations and more security for users. 234,000 articles
are available from stock and the service life can be
calculated online. In recent years, the company has expanded
by creating internal startups, e.g. for ball bearings, robot
drives, 3D printing, the RBTX platform for Lean Robotics and
intelligent "smart plastics" for Industry 4.0. Among the
most important environmental investments are the "chainge"
programme – recycling of used e-chains - and the
participation in an enterprise that produces oil from
plastic waste. (Plastic2Oil).
