Scara robots are suited for pick-and-place or assembly activities in the manufacturing industry. These dynamics have a limited lifespan due to the corrugated hoses wearing out in a very short period of time. As a result, igus has created an alternative that can be retrofitted with the SCARA Cable Solution, considerably increasing the service life
It’s easy to become dizzy when watching SCARA robots at work. Over four axes, the horizontal articulated-arm robots work quickly. Horizontal pivoting of the inner and outer arms.
The ball screw, which is used to hold things, moves both rotationally and linearly. The robot arm can now reach nearly any spot within its working radius. This is quick and precise, but because of the high loads, the externally routed cables and hoses must be replaced or serviced frequently.
This was also the case for an automotive company that wanted to improve the efficiency of its energy supply – both the corrugated tube and the rotating bearing. “Inspired by this business problem,” Matthias Meyer, Head of Business Unit ECS triflex & Robotics at igus GmbH, explains, “we studied at the weak areas of the hoses and connectors and developed the SCARA Cable Solution in a two-year research and testing process.”
The new product is a bespoke cable guide that safely transfers energy from axis 1 to the ball screw while also preventing kinking of the wires in continuous operation.
The SCARA Cable Solution is made up of three parts: a rotary bearing for the moving end and a corrugated hose with an e-rib for the fixed end. The novel rotary connection, which absorbs torsional forces, is a unique feature. Integrated ball bearings ensure that the energy supply system runs smoothly and is resistant to high accelerations.
The e-rib on the corrugated hose ensures that it can only travel in one spatial direction. The hose’s length is unsupported due to the guiding pieces on the sides.
The new energy supply system is already showing itself at the 3,800 square metre laboratory at igus in Cologne. The behaviour of the energy supply in extreme postures is evaluated on a SCARA robot in collaboration with the robot company EPSON.
In some moves, the system is subjected to up to 6G. As a result, it has already lasted over three million cycles at 5,000 degrees per minute and is still running. "We can extend the life of the energy supply formerly utilised on SCARA robots with the SCARA Cable Solution. The robots now work for extended periods of time, are maintenance-free, and fail-safe "Meyer explains. All three components are offered as a full system that can be swiftly retrofitted, as a prefabricated tube, or as an empty tube for retrofitting.
