Trust igus for low cost automation

Delta robots are well established in the automation industry for simple pick and place tasks. They were developed in the mid-1980s by Professor Reymond Clavel and his team at the Robotics Systems Laboratory at EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne). They were researching repetitive task applications for robots and found that the packing of chocolate pralines into boxes was a good example for this type of high-speed, low payload automation. Their idea was to develop a robot that performs three picks per second and, in order to place the pralines correctly, moves with four degrees of freedom – along the three axes, as well as rotation on the vertical axis or wrist.

The drylin delta robot is based on three maintenance-free drylin ZLW toothed belt axes, lubrication-free igubal linkages and matching adapter plates. NEMA stepper motors and encoders ensure fast handling of up to 1kg with a precision of ±0.5mm and for loads up to 5kg there is a guaranteed pick rate of at least 60 per minute. The open design enables system integrators to use their own controller, however, they can also opt for the intuitive dryve D1 controller from igus.

Built entirely with igus aluminium and engineering plastics, the drylin delta robot is extremely cost-effective at a price from as little as £5,000. Vanessa Whiteley, business development engineer for low-cost automation, estimates that with the usual integration costs, each turn-key complete installation will be around £10,000 to £15,000. This means that it will pay for itself after a few months, which compares favourably to the industry’s rule-of-thumb target of two years.

Depending on requirements, the drylin delta robot can be delivered as a kit in a box within 24 hours of receipt of order. Comprehensive assembly instructions are included, and an assembly video is available online. An experienced engineer should be able to build one in about half an hour. Alternatively, the drylin delta robot can be delivered pre-assembled in a frame ready for installation.

With the arrival of the new system, igus now organises drylin delta tours to show system integrators how easy it is to implement into a workflow. igus recently toured the west coast of Ireland, visiting businesses in Galway and Shannon, before heading to Dublin. During the tour, igus product manager Chris Corfield, who is based in Rathkeale, Eire, said: “Proud to be known for our tactile and practical approach to engaging with customers, we visited five companies from industries including pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and manufacturing.”

Further drylin delta tours are being scheduled across the UK and Ireland. To ensure your facility secures a visit from the igus low-cost automation team, please contact Vanessa Whiteley at: vanessa.whiteley@igus.net or call igus directly on: 01604 677240