At HMI 2019, Igus will be showing how this can be done: with a new four- to five-axis "raw robot" made of plastic and a model of an online marketplace for suppliers and users.

The paths to low-cost automation are as varied as the applications. Machine builders and robot manufacturers want to build their own systems with few, inexpensive parts; production companies with their own automation systems rely on "semi-finished" robots and adapt control systems and components to their standards. Smaller companies, on the other hand, want ready-made systems that are easy to operate and inexpensive. The "raw robot" basis that Igus offers for this growing market segment is the electromechanical base frame, for example as a Robolink four- or five-axis articulated arm, delta or Cartesian robot. Thanks to a modular principle, lubrication- and maintenance-free robotic systems can be individually assembled. Motors, gearboxes, power electronics and control systems are freely selectable.

From individual components to complete automation solutions

Igus was able to further reduce the play in the new arm thanks to the plastic design and thus achieve greater precision in the Robolink. Thanks to integrated cable ducts, the cables run internally in the housed generation. This saves installation space and prepares the articulated arms for use in HRC applications. The new DC articulated arm can be individually configured and, depending on the type of application, can also be equipped with grippers, cameras or sensors from various manufacturers. An online platform, a model of which Igus will be presenting together with co-exhibitors in Hall 17, helps with this.

The digital marketplace is designed to help customers quickly find and integrate exactly the low-cost automation solution they need for their application. Regardless of whether they want to build something themselves using individual components or are looking for an affordable complete solution. This benefits customers without any robotics expertise who simply want to automate manual tasks, as well as professionals who want to put together their own specific solution. For suppliers, the marketplace model offers easy access to a rapidly developing market segment.

Stefan Niermann is head of the newly created Low Cost Automation division at Igus and invites component and robot manufacturers, integrators and end customers to the stand. pb

Hall 16, Stand A18