Please choose your delivery location

The selection of the country/region page can influence various factors such as price, shipping options and product availability.
Inquiry / Contact
igus® Canada

180 Bass Pro Mills Drive

Concord

Ontario L4K 0G9

+1 (800) 965-2496
+1 905 760-8688
CA(EN)

Lubrication- and maintenance-free components for the autonomous robo kitchen

Profile

  • What was needed: various slide, joint and linear bearings, energy chains for rotary and 3D movements
  • Requirements: free from external lubrication, low maintenance, long service life, cost-effective, short delivery times
  • Industry: Vending machinery
Eating out is becoming increasingly popular, and at the same time there is a shortage of staff who want to work in the catering sector. With its autonomous robo kitchen (ARK), the Canadian start-up RoboEatz has a solution for this problem. In a unique small kitchen area, a robot prepares a wide range of cold and hot meals, in the shortest possible time and with consistent quality. The cell can finish up to 70 dishes in one hour, clean itself and refill the total of 50 ingredient containers with solid and liquid contents. After building several prototypes and carrying out tests for two years, RoboEatz is now entering series production. 
Little RoboEatz kitchen area

Problem

Control the ingredient containers, tip a weighed amount into the saucepan or mixer and deliver the ready-to-serve dish to the customer: there is a lot of movement in the kitchen cell. And to ensure that it runs smoothly, cleanly and safely, RoboEatz's designers were looking for energy supply systems, bearings and drive components that are suitable for food processing and do not require external lubrication. A long service life with simultaneous cost savings and the use of series parts with short delivery times were also required. It was also important to the RoboEatz founders to work with as few global suppliers as possible.

Solution

The developers relied on igus' long-standing robotics and automation expertise. A variety of motion plastics are used for the many different movements, which meet the requirements regarding durability, lubrication and cost savings. For example, dry-running igubal fixed flange bearings and rod ends are responsible for the pivoting movement of the wok and ingredient boxes, thereby enabling self-alignment. iglidur MCM clip bearings are also used as shaft guides in sheet metal connections. The linear movements of the individual axes, for example on the containers, are carried out using drylin linear technology. drylin SLW linear modules ensure a safe design for grippers; the gripper arm opens and closes by means of a reverse lead screw. With a rotation angle of 360° in the first axis of the robot, an RBR energy supply system reliably guides energy and signal. And finally, a triflex energy chain with retraction system is mounted on the robot arm, which significantly increases the service life of the cables in three-dimensional movement.
Little RoboEatz kitchen area Healthy fast food prepared and served by a cooking robot. Lubrication-free linear technology is used in the gripper.
Little RoboEatz kitchen area A three-dimensional triflex energy chain with a retraction system is installed on the robot. igubal spherical bearings are responsible for the pivoting movement of the ingredient boxes.
Little RoboEatz kitchen area An RBR energy chain on the robot's rotary axis ensures the safe supply of energy and signals.

More information

Low Cost Automation catering industry

Low Cost Automation for the catering industry

Lubrication-free, lightweight components with fast return on investment
Snack vending machine

Products for vending machinery

Plain bearings, linear guides, energy chains, and drive modules for fully automated systems


The terms "igus", "Apiro", "chainflex", "CFRIP", "conprotect", "CTD", "drylin", "dry-tech", "dryspin", "easy chain", "e-chain", "e-chain systems", "e-ketten", "e-kettensysteme", "e-skin", "e-spool", "flizz", "ibow", "igear", "iglidur", "igubal", "kineKIT", "manus", "motion plastics", "pikchain", "plastics for longer life", "readychain", "readycable", "ReBeL", "speedigus", "triflex", "robolink", "xirodur", and "xiros" are legally protected trademarks of the igus® GmbH/ Cologne in the Federal Republic of Germany and where applicable in some foreign countries.

igus® GmbH points out that it does not sell any products of the companies Allen Bradley, B&R, Baumüller, Beckhoff, Lahr, Control Techniques, Danaher Motion, ELAU, FAGOR, FANUC, Festo, Heidenhain, Jetter, Lenze, LinMot, LTi DRiVES, Mitsibushi, NUM,Parker, Bosch Rexroth, SEW, Siemens, Stöber and all other drive manufacturers mention in this website. The products offered by igus® are those of igus® GmbH