Handling and Automation with Low Cost Robotic for the Plastics Industry

Automated machine loading, component handling or pick & place processes can significantly increase efficiency in the production of plastic components in the plastics industry.
With our modular and customised low-cost automation products, these automation processes can be quickly adapted to different requirements and thus react flexibly to new developments in processing concepts.
In our products for handling in the plastics industry, such as the articulated arm or gantry robots, pick & place units or sprue pickers, the moving components are made of tribologically optimised plastic. Thanks to lubricant-free dry operation, they are maintenance-free, insensitive to dust, resistant to media and highly rigid even at high speeds. The lightweight design also enables weight and cost savings.

The IAP1 sprue picker

< 2,000 Euro entry-level price

We have developed the low-cost sprue picker for more economical production: It removes and separates sprues directly in the injection moulding machine - this saves costs that would otherwise be incurred for subsequent separation and other manual handling tasks. This means that the costs can be amortised after just a few months.

Learn more about the sprue picker

Areas of application for Low Cost Automation in the plastics industry

Machine loading

robolink® multi-axis articulated robots with a payload of up to 3 kg provide support in handling automation around the injection moulding machine, for example in machine loading for the overmoulding of inserts in the injection moulding process.

Injection moulded parts handling

Our compact sprue picker is used on more than 60 machines in production and separates the sprue and component in just 1.25 seconds. The insertion of punched parts and the removal of injection moulded parts is also automated using robolink® multi-axis robots.

End of the line / Assembly

robolink® multi-axis joint robot with matching control system and drylin® delta robot as a pick & place unit jointly assemble the plastic parts (here: energy chain) in a cycle time of less than 1.8 seconds. The chain assembly cell is automated, lubrication-free and maintenance-free.

Products for the automation of processes in the plastics machinery industry

ReBeL®: The lightweight robot for pick & place application

Quick and easy automation at the injection moulding machine: the ReBeL® cobot is designed to achieve this goal. The cost-effective lightweight robot - the lightest of its kind - can be ordered with or without a control system and is made up of maintenance-free individual components.

Find out more about the ReBeL® lightweight robot

Pre-assembled energy chain

Pre-assembled energy supply systems,
for handling robots on the injection moulding machine

Find out more about readychain

sprue picker IAP1

For lateral engagement in stripper and ejector moulds
Total opening to closing cycle in 1.25 s

Learn more about the sprue picker

Linear gantries

Standard programme dispatched in 24 hours
Individually configurable
load up to 75 kg, stroke up to 6 m

Learn more about drylin linear robots

ReBeL Cobot

Compact, sleek and lightweight design
Plastic arm, inexpensive and cost-effective
Cost-effective and easy to install and operate

Learn more about the ReBeL

pick & place delta robot

As a kit or pre-assembled
Reach 360 / 660 mm
Pick rate of 60/min.

Learn more about the drylin delta robot

Break resistant data cable

Sold by the metre or assembled
Suitable for high loads
Fail-safe with 36 months warranty

Learn more about chainflex data cables

Application examples

Cable guidance for removal robot in injection moulding machine

Hekuma's high-performance automation systems for the plastics industry operate with cycle times every second. For the energy supply system of the grippers, this means that the first million strokes will be achieved after only four to six weeks - and that with heat, high acceleration and movement in two axes. This is where our chainflex cables and e-chains prove their worth.

Learn more about this application

Room linear robot for pick & place application in logistics

<br />In this setup, a suction gripper was installed on a drylin room linear robot to pile up parcels for further dispatch. This allows for a quick and cost-effective realisation of logistics processes in warehouses.

Condition monitoring and predictive maintenance: smart plastic for energy chain and bearings

Smart energy supply
Sensors that can be integrated into the chain or cable measure wear or tensile and shear forces, for example.

Learn more now

Smart bearing technology
Wear measurements on plain bearings and sliding foils that are difficult to access in the machine design.

Learn more now

More information

smart plastic
Condition monitoring and predictive maintenance

Learn more now

RBTX® Lean Robotics
Find many automation solutions

More about RBTX

chainflex® control cable
High service life in moving applications

Find out more now

Assistance pour les demandes

Pour toute question supplémentaire ou information sur les produits, veuillez contacter :

igus® Inc. Canada+1 800 965 2496 Courriel

Service clientèle:
Téléphone : du lundi au vendredi, de 8 h à 17 h.
LiveChat : 24 heures sur 24.

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