Pick and place without fault

Process reliability thanks to high-performance plastic

With the e-skin flat, the cables can withstand the high loads caused by rapid movement on several axes. © Igus

The new e-skin flat from Igus increases the availability of the HP70. At the same time, the maintenance costs for the end customer are reduced enormously. The manufacturer relies on a low-wear and abrasion-resistant high-performance plastic for the e-skin flat. The energy supply system has a modular design so that the cables can be replaced within a few minutes in the event of a failure and users can also visually inspect them at any time.

The e-skin flat can also be used in a variety of ways outside the HP70 from Weiss: thanks to its IPA classification EN ISO class 1 in accordance with DIN 14644-1, the solution is even suitable for use in cleanrooms, and the plastic also offers ESD protection. Cleanrooms are becoming increasingly important in various industries. In addition to the hygienically demanding applications in medical technology and the pharmaceutical industry, pick-and-place applications are often the linchpin in the semiconductor industry. Cleanrooms ensure that no faults occur during the production of expensive chips, and the components installed in the machines must be correspondingly suitable.

Igus achieves the reliability that is so important to Weiss with the special Chainflex CFclean stranded rope containers, which are integrated into the individual chambers. Igus knows from its tests that the energy supply systems are durable. Over 81 million double strokes were tested in the company's own clean room laboratory in cooperation with a Fraunhofer Institute. Nevertheless, it was important for Weiss to see the durability of the e-skin for himself. The decision to use the e-skin flat therefore took a long time. "The test phase alone took almost 20 months," explains Tim Siering. In the Weiss test laboratory, the e-skin has run over a million cycles, covering a distance of 10,000 km. The result was satisfactory for both Weiss and Igus: "We didn't have any material breakage or recognizable material fatigue," says Siering. In general, the engineers at Weiss quickly noticed that the flat ribbon cables ran much more smoothly, stably and with less wear compared to the previous hose solution.

They implemented the project together: Bastian Lenz (left), Technical Sales Consultant at Igus, and Tim Siering, Technical Sales Manager at Weiss. © Igus

The tests carried out at Weiss were also very valuable for the manufacturer. "Of course, we carried out a lot of tests here, especially in the horizontal movement. At Weiss, we have an upright application that combines two movements," explains Bastian Lenz, who supervised the project as a technical sales consultant at Igus. For Igus, the installation in the HP70 is the first major series application of the e-skin flat in Germany.

Trusting cooperation as the key to success

Lenz and Siering have known each other for many years and have already completed several projects together. Both have created a basis of trust that made the success of the application possible in the first place. "We received optimal support from Igus," emphasizes Siering. Among other things, the HP70 project was the impetus for Igus to also produce the existing white e-skin in black. The request for this came from customers who use the pick-and-place application in their processes on a daily basis. "In practice, the HP70 passes through many hands, and we want to avoid soiling the white e-skin flat," says Siering.

In the meantime, the e-skin in the HP70 has also proven its worth with customers on site. Companies worldwide use the solution in their pick-and-place applications and can be sure that the module performs reliably and without cable breaks. What began in the Odenwald with the collaboration between Weiss and Igus is now a prime example of technology-driven innovation, as practiced every day at Weiss.

Hanover Fair, Hall 6, Stand E26