Gudel moves into six-axis robot market

Citation

(2003), "Gudel moves into six-axis robot market", Industrial Robot, Vol. 30 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2003.04930eab.003

Gudel moves into six-axis robot market

Gudel moves into six-axis robot market

Keywords: Robotics, Robotic arm

Gudel, the Swiss automation components company, has entered the articulated robotics market with a gantry-type six-axis system known as roboflex. "We have developed roboFlex to satisfy customers' needs for an overhead robot that leaves free access to machinery and equipment at floor level where space is often limited," comments Herbert Wirz, Sales Manager. He was speaking at the Hanover Messe where the new product was being demonstrated.

Consisting of a five-axes robot arm that is fitted in a suspended position on a linear travelling axis, roboFlex is able to position workpiece grippers and operating heads in a very flexible manner (Plate 1). The linear axis, using rack/pinion drive, worm gearbox and hardened and ground guideways provides high precision. Gudel claims a repeatability of 0.1 mm. RoboFlex is available in two versions, with 25 kg or 1,500 kg payload. According to Herbert Wirz, roboFlex is suitable for applications such as machine tending, end of line parts handling, loading and unloading of machine tools including post-process operations such as washing, measuring, deburring and marking and press automation. So far, Gudel has delivered five roboFlex installations to beta test sites. Herbert Wirz expects Gudel to build 20-50 roboFlex systems per year.

With the roboFlex, Gudel is responsible for the design and manufacture of the mechanical parts though control hardware and software is supplied by ABB. In fact, Gudel and ABB have a historical relationship that led to Gudel taking over production of ABB's cartesian gantry robots in January 2001. At present, Gudel produces between 50 and 100 robots a year for ABB, complete with cables and controllers.

At the Hanover Messe, Gudel also showed its roboLoop system that was launched 5 years previously. The company claims that the patented system is the only curved-track gantry and transfer system in the market. Multiple independent robo-carriers can circulate on the loop and track curves. Compared to conventional gantries, Gudel believes the principal advantage of the roboLoop to be the flexible layout of production facilities that it facilitates. For example, similar processes can be joined together in cells independent of operation sequences. Secondary operations such as washing and deburring can be distributed to fewer machines in a more appropriate arrangement. The building block system enables custom-tailored solutions due to the many faceted expansion possibilities. It also eliminates costly transfer stations at intersections.

Plate 1 roboFlex