The global leader in motion plastics, igus®, is stepping up the pace of Low Cost Automation and making entry into automation easier and more affordable than ever before. The interaction of inexpensive hardware and digital innovation puts the future of automation within reach.
The Hannover Messe is always an important meeting place for the latest developments in the industry. This year, igus will introduce digital products and automation solutions that help companies improve their products and cut costs.
A few igus innovations on display at Hannover Messe 2023 will be the ReBeLmini, a cobot for $5,725, the RBTXperience software for easy commercial robot programming, and the virtual iguverse, which offers the perfect playground to quickly get robot applications and programming up and running and bring them to reality.
ReBeLmini – a plug-and-play cobot
New cobots, software, and virtual parallel worlds ensure that even robotics novices can quickly get started with affordable automation. The hardware starting point is an igus plastic robot, such as the new ReBeLmini, a plug-and-play cobot priced at only $5,725, including control software and power supply. This robot works with five axes, weighs 4kg, has a reach of 310mm, moves loads of up to 0.5kg, and achieves seven picks per minute with a repeatability of +/- 1mm. The ReBeLmini is particularly suitable for use in restricted spaces, such as those in test automation or camera quality control, and can also be used overhead.
Next-level engineering with digital tools
Newly developed igus digital tools help companies configure, integrate, and control their robotics hardware quickly and easily. The new RBTXperience software enables users to combine and test cameras, grippers, robots, machine frames, and conveyor belts, with 3D models as simply as in a computer game. The components and superstructures can be dragged and dropped however the designer wishes, always with a compatibility guarantee and an instant price. Additionally, users can download CAD files with a single click.
Alexander Mühlens, Head of Low Cost Automation Business Unit at igus:
“At the start of the Hannover Messe, we will save every automation solution configured in the online tool to our database and make them available to other customers as a design template. This gives us a huge design community.”
More than 300 solutions are already available on the RBTX online marketplace as a source of inspiration for immediate imitation, 95 percent of which have an investment cost of fewer than $17,250. But igus simplifies the configuration and the control of Low Cost Automation. igus offers intuitive software for defining ReBeL robot movement sequences within 30 to 60 minutes – even without programming knowledge.
The new AnyApp software will also be presented at Hannover Messe 2023. AnyApp is particularly well-suited to companies that combine robots from different manufacturers into automation solutions but do not want to learn multiple control software packages. It allows this intuitive programming for other robots as well.
The iguverse: Playfully achieve top engineering performance in the virtual world
Another development step is the igus iguverse. The iguverse is a collaboration world and a digital tool that can support companies in all technical developments. The iguverse allows users worldwide to interact and collaborate virtually on projects without being physically present. This saves time and is more sustainable because there is no need to travel.
Extended reality (XR) technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) allow automation solutions to be planned, controlled, and tested in virtual space. This enables employees to remotely access hazardous or awkward work environments without physically being on-site. Companies can make their working environment safer, generating greater employee satisfaction and motivation and making it easier to recruit new specialists.
“In the future, we will see how people work collaboratively in the metaverse and control robots remotely from virtual worlds. This will change how we work together,” says Marco Thull, Senior Marketing Activist for igus GmbH. igus will offer companies digital tools such as simulations, forecasts, and data analysis, going beyond what Low Cost Automation can do to make their processes faster and cheaper.
Thull adds:
“New technology is never-ending. We must continue to focus on what the customer gets from it. Is it helpful, or can we get rid of it?. The interaction of inexpensive hardware, software, and XR in connection with artificial intelligence will enable customers to continuously improve their machines and systems and quickly adapt them to the needs of their customers – an enormous competitive advantage.”
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