Save 80% build time with Module Connect, plus RBTX demo

(See igus at MachineBuilding.Live, 2 October 2024, on stand 56)

The company will also be demonstrating not one but three low-cost robots part of the popular RBTX.com marketplace helping companies automate low-scale but precise tasks on small budgets.

Do you want to save five hours and hundreds of pounds for every machine you build? And do you want an automation system for under 10k? One igus customer recently cut part of its machine build time from six hours to 28 minutes by using the Module Connect.

Module Connect consolidates all services into a single modular connector, saving 80% or more in machine build-time. The cleverly designed Module Connect system can combine servo/motor, control, data, feedback/encoder, pneumatics, bus protocols including RJ45 and coaxial cables through a single connection interface, using just two screws. It is built to the customers specification, pulling from over 100 industrial connectors.

Designed in partnership with Harting, Module Connect housings can feature up to four Harting Han Modular inserts, and users can combine several housings into one large block for large machine applications.

Module Connect works brilliantly for cutting build time for machine OEMs, but igus found it is also an excellent solution in the maintenance industry to cut downtime. In a damaged cable scenario you can replace the whole damaged chain section plug out and plug back in. You are not harnessing individual cables, says Tom Slater, OEM readychain and Module Connect product specialist at igus.

With factory line downtime at some automotive factories and other high value assembly plants costing 10,000 a minute or more, a quick-replace design cable system is a huge advantage. Simply disconnect the cable section and remove just four screws continue manufacturing and return to igus for repair.

The connector is super-versatile: accommodating power up to 200A, 70mm² cores, and inserts from single pin all the way up to 42 pol. The modular design allows for an endless number of connections but igus can fit up to 100 cores in a single housing.

Module Connect also looks good increasingly important to machine builders. Machines are becoming more aesthetically pleasing, due to much higher visibility on the internet and social media, says Tom Slater. Companies post images of their machines on LinkedIn, and they need to look good. Module Connect keeps cabling neat and tidy and flush. Its a solid, single connector rather than lots of ugly-looking wires crossing over.

It is also green: the locating prongs are made of 3D-printed PLA and are 100% recyclable. End caps are also made of recycled plastic, which igus can recycle. And for every 100 caps igus receives they will plant a tree.

This product is unique and answers a real need. It is a big time-saver, therefore its a money saver, says Slater.

Robot sales grow by 1230% in a year

MACH 2024 will showcase two robot cells available on the ground-breaking RBTX.com service by igus. The RBTX online platform for building low-cost automation systems was launched in 2021. Partnering with other selected robot and automation equipment providers, RBTX is a marketplace to specify, build, test out and buy automation systems for small, low payload tasks like picking and measuring precise quantities. A typical package covering robot, controller, sensor and gripper costs less than 10,000, and 95% are under 12,000.

At MACH igus will showcase the popular 6-axis ReBeL cobot, featuring end effectors by Schmalz for different gripping actions, a 3-axis igus Delta, and the SCARA robot 3 DOF, ideal for use in laboratory work. Plus an education kit for entry-level robotics, including an igus apiro modular drive gearbox system. igus has increased the number of accessary suppliers on RBTX and were building a strong relationship with end effector suppliers Schmalz and Schunk, to help customers get precisely the application they need, says Low-Cost Automation manager, Adam Sanjurgo.

Recent enquiries have come from a wide range of applications, including medical devices, pipetting and chemical delivery, picking small parts, and food handling, where the Schmalz soft gripper is proving a big favourite. Suckers, cameras and other end-effectors give customers several options the RBTX model is about choice, trialling, and finding the best combination of equipment for the users needs.

The star of the show is ReBeL, iguss cobot, that has the highest number of product enquiries. We started in 2020 with fairly low awareness, but last year ReBeL sales rose by a whopping 1230% compared with 2022. As a recognised cobot option, ReBeL is now on buyers minds, says Adam Sanjurgo.