With the third generation of its servo geared motors, Stöber has developed high-performance and precise drive solutions which, according to the manufacturer, are the most compact on the market in terms of their versatility. Above all, the new generation of planetary gearboxes offers enormous variance. The gearboxes can not only be combined with different Stöber motors in direct mounting, but also with all third-party motors in any size.

Various challenges arose during the development of the new drives: Compared to the previous version, for example, the performance had to be improved and the components significantly more compact - while maintaining the same costs. A balancing act that Stöber mastered with new production technologies and optimized assembly lines.

Marc Schneider, team leader in Stöber gearbox assembly, simulating the new production line via virtual reality. © Rummager

"Work and assembly planning in particular, not to mention the optimization of ergonomics at each of our workstations, is one of the most important, but unfortunately also one of the most time-consuming tasks," says Marc Schneider, team leader in gearbox assembly at Stöber. "Instead of building physical prototypes based on our CAD or Excel data and modifying them again and again, we rely on virtual reality in advance to design and optimize the assembly lines."

Virtual reality as a development partner
With the VR tool from the Karlsruhe-based start-up R3DT, which Stöber has chosen, entire systems can be simulated in the design phase and experienced one-to-one using VR glasses. A simple principle with a big impact: 3D CAD data from workstations, for example, is imported into the VR software and processed alongside other relevant key figures. This makes them available as virtual prototypes at the touch of a button.

Simulated assembly - efficient practical tests in the early planning phase. © Rummager

"VR goggles on and we are already standing in the virtual environment at the previously designed workstations. We can reach for tools with our hands and check the screwing - without joysticks or other controllers," explains Schneider. Frequent testing means that design errors are detected in good time. Corrections to the design or even the ergonomics of a workstation can be made immediately - even in the early planning phase. By using the VR tool, Stöber identified potential for improvement even before real prototypes were built.

This means that the real prototypes are already very close to being ready for series production. In addition to the enormous time savings and the avoidance of costly subsequent changes, Marc Schneider is pleased to be able to involve his colleagues right from the start in this way. "We are very motivated to make our day-to-day work more ergonomic. Another advantage is that the VR tool gives the entire team the opportunity to learn new technologies in advance," says Schneider. "What's more, we can now react more effectively to our customer's constantly changing product mix in assembly. An exciting project!" as