igus GmbH last month released its ReBeL Move system, which combines a mobile robot base with its ReBeL collaborative robot arm. The company said that it hopes to prove that automating material-handling processes doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.
Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) can simplify industrial operations, said igus. Employees working on machines, for example, no longer have to fetch tools and materials from the warehouse on foot.
Instead, the autonomous vehicles can bring items to them. In times of cost pressure and staff shortages, more and more small and midsize companies are realizing that this technology can increase productivity and reduce costs, said igus.
“Nevertheless, there is often a reluctance to get involved due to lacking experience and the fear of bad investments,” noted Alexander Mühlens, vice president and head of the Low Cost Automation Business Unit at igus. “To enable these companies to start automating material-handling processes without barriers and at low risk, we have developed a cost-effective and intuitive AGV with an integrated cobot for gripping objects: the ReBeL Move.”
igus, whose U.S. headquarters are in Rumford, R.I., develops and produces self-lubricating motion plastics. Its portfolio includes flexible cables, plain and linear bearings, and lead screw technology made of tribo-polymers. The company was a 2024 RBR50 Innovation Award winner for its ReBel cobot hand.
igus shares technical details
igus said autonomous transport vehicle can carry small load carriers measuring 60 x 40 cm (23.6 x 15.7 in.) and 30×40 cm (11.8 x 15.7 in.) with a payload of up to 35 kg (77.2 lb.). It travels at a speed of up to 1.5 m/s (4.9 ft./s), has a battery life of over eight hours, and a charging time of less than two.
As an option, it can be supplemented with a ReBeL, a cobot that igus manufactures almost entirely from robust and cost-effective high-performance plastic.
With a unit price of only €4,970 ($5,263 U.S.) for the fully equipped version, the articulated robot is five times cheaper than comparable metal models, asserted igus. It has a weight of 8.2 kg (18 lb.), a payload of 2 kg (4.4 lb.), and a reach of 664 mm (26.1 in.).
In addition to being cost-effective, igus said its new AGV is also easy to implement, taking hardly longer than starting up a robotic lawnmower.
“At merely €34,808 [$36,871], the ReBeL Move costs only a fraction of a conventional AGV, meaning that the investment pays off within 12 months,” said Mühlens.
ReBeL Move gets ready for operation
In less digitalized companies, the AGV functions as a stand-alone system that only requires a WLAN connection. For the configuration, the operator moves the vehicle along the future work areas by means of a hand controller.
The ReBeL Move has a 360° camera and automatically creates a digital map during the tour with the help of SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technology. After this initial mapping trip, the operator can use a tablet to define individual stations for working, waiting, and charging.
The same applies to no-go areas such as areas around stairs and lifts or zones in which the robot should travel at a reduced speed so as not to disturb employees. In physical reality, the mobile robot recognizes the target locations with a camera and reflectors at the individual stations without the operator having to install complex guidelines or tracks on the ground.
The tablet can also be used to easily define the jobs that the ReBeL Move should carry out in material handling, such as removing products from a container at Station A with the ReBeL Cobot and taking them to Station B. The solution also includes software that enables intelligent fleet management so that several AGVs can work together efficiently.
Integration into established IT landscapes is also no problem, thanks to interfaces such as IoT, VDA 5050, REST, SAP, and ERP, said igus. It said this enables activity such as synchronized interaction between robots and automatic roller doors.
