CoboMover extends the working vary of cobots as much as 5 m. Credit score: Güdel
Güdel Inc. is increasing the attain of collaborative robots and light-weight industrial arms. At FABTECH this week, the corporate unveiled CoboMover, a seventh-axis linear observe that extends the working vary of robots as much as 5 m (16.4 ft.), permitting them to function a number of workstations and carry out quite a lot of duties with out handbook repositioning.
“The CoboMover is designed to assist integrators and finish customers increase the vary of cobot and light-weight robotic purposes, with the identical reliability, repeatability, and ease of use which Güdel’s international prospects have develop into accustomed to,” said Brenda Courim, head of gross sales at Güdel Inc. “The CoboMover is extra than simply one other linear axis—it’s a sport changer.”
Güdel Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Güdel Group, a Langenthal, Switzerland-based supplier of automation services. The firm provides linear movement modules, robotic observe movement items, and gantry robots, in addition to parts to the automotive, aerospace, logistics, heavy industrial, press automation, and energy-generation industries.
Güdel US is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., in a devoted 45,000 sq. ft. (4,180.6 sq. m) facility, offering North American prospects with engineering, design, manufacturing, and customer support help.
Güdel addresses work-envelope challenges
The collaborative robotic market is approaching 25% of the entire North American robotic market, in line with the Affiliation for Advancing Automation (A3). Güdel stated its innovation solves two main constraints: mobility inside giant workspaces and facility format limitations.
The corporate asserted that it has a fame for strong robotic observe methods and heavy-payload gantries. Güdel stated it’s persevering with to increase its product vary to assist automation integrators remedy real-world challenges. The CoboMover is its newest entry for cobots.
“This was an application-specific resolution,” famous Mike Peek, advertising supervisor at Güdel Inc. He defined that an integrator got here to Güdel with a problem: Transfer a precision paint robotic in and misplaced with out putting in embedded tracks within the flooring.
“Our engineering group delivered a brand new product that enables all the observe to be moved into and out of the work cell when wanted,” Peek stated. “We sit up for displaying these improvements to the FABTECH viewers and focus on how our engineering group will help attendees with their subsequent automation breakthrough.”
CoboMover designed for repeatability
The new observe is suitable with greater than 60 cobots and small conventional robots, providing mounting positions at 0° and 180°. The utmost payload, together with robotic weight, is 78 kg (172 lb.) with a drive system utilizing a toothed belt and Güdel’s HPG045 angular gearbox.
Accessible stroke lengths embrace 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 mm (39.37, 78.74, 118.11, 157.48, and 196.85 in., respectively). The CoboMover has a most pace of two m/s (6.56 ft/s) and a most acceleration of two m/s² (6.56 ft./s²), offering repeatability of ±0.05 mm (±0.002 in).
Güdel added that its modular observe system fitted with air bearings can transfer 3.5 tons by hand. Utilizing simply 34.47 kPa (5 psi), the system can levitate the TMF-4B observe and a FANUC M900iB/280L robotic weighing over 3,175 kg (7,000 lb.) at 12.7 mm (0.5 in.).
This permits it to simply float into and out of place on a cushion of air, the corporate claimed. Güdel initially developed the observe for plane portray purposes, eliminating the necessity for cranes, high-payload forklifts, autonomous cell robots (AMRs), or embedded rails.
Güdel tracks can deal with heavy masses
Güdel stated all of its gantry and observe movement merchandise are constructed round its guideway and curler block system. With sealed cartridge bearings, the CAM follower strategy to linear movement is designed to deal with harsh environments resembling demanding welding purposes uncovered to spatter, steel mud, base steel fragments, and carbonized particles.
Not like conventional linear bearings, the Güdel CAM follower system permits bearings to be serviced or changed with out disassembling all the linear movement system. The corporate stated its imply time to restore (MTTR) is measured in minutes or hours, versus days for linear motion-based methods.
Güdel gantry robots, with one to twenty axes of movement, might be discovered embedded in OEM instruments, tending press brakes, machine instruments and different manufacturing machines. With a typical payload vary from 16 to three,125 kg (35.2 to six,8899.4 lb.), the corporate stated its gantry robots will help remedy the largest software challenges whereas delivering +/- 0.02 mm repeatability.
Güdel Monitor Movement Items can be found in each floor-mount and overhead-mount configurations for machine tending, welding and chopping purposes. The corporate helps all main conventional and cobot manufacturers, starting from the 78 kg capability of the CoboMover to the 22,000 kg (48,501.6 lb.) capability of the TMF-6 observe, designed particularly to deal with the biggest industrial robotic available in the market, the FANUC M2000iA/2300, to a +/- 0.05mm repeatability.
As well as, Güdel Steel Sheet Dealing with methods vary from high-speed press-to-press switch to front-of-line de-stackers and end-of-line stackers. The corporate stated they routinely deal with the biggest sheet steel components from automotive, home equipment, and different industries at speeds as much as 21 components per minute.
