Pneumatic stacking robot: precise bearing technology for the gripper system

Profile user report

• What was needed: igus drylin W linear guide, igubal pillow block bearing
• Requirements: Lightweight application with simultaneous high performance under high weight load, reliability
• Industry: Material handling
• Success for the customer: igubal pillow block bearings are a strong and lightweight solution, are reliable and have enabled a significantly lower centre of gravity in the machine compared to conventional metal bearings; the drylin W linear guide are a strong and at the same time lightweight system that enables fast and reliable accommodation of the containers

Problem

As part of the international high school competition "FIRST Robotics Competition", the participants are given tasks each year that are to be solved by the individual teams using specially developed designs. The task in 2015 presented the participants with the problem of stacking six industrial picking containers on top of each other and finally placing a recycling container on top of the tower. The containers themselves weigh around 3.5kg each and the container weighs a further 5kg. After a construction phase lasting several weeks, each team finally has two minutes and 15 seconds to collect points by tackling the task, which ultimately decides the winner. 
The challenge here was to achieve precise centring of each container on the previous one and, at the same time, to be able to achieve such stability with the design that the weight loads could be carried.

Solution

For the moving components in the robotics solution, the Roseville Robotics team decided to use an igus linear guide and pillow block bearings for the gripper system, which is operated by pneumatics. The entire gripper system is lifted up to the tip by using igubal pillow block bearings located at the top of the robot.
The drylin W linear guide and bearing form a strong yet lightweight system that ensures fast and reliable picking of the order picking containers. The igubal pillow block bearings are a strong and lightweight solution that is reliable and allows the centre of gravity to be significantly lowered compared to typical metal pillow block bearings. Weight and reliability are important to us and the igus products fulfil these requirements.
The participants at Roseville Robotics came up with the idea of using the igus components after already using a flanged bearing from igus to replace a very heavy metal bearing in a robotic solution in 2009. The solution worked for many hundreds of hours in applications with heavy lateral loads and very high speeds, without any recognisable wear.