Heavy-duty cable robot

In the application presented here, the platform is equipped with a pallet gripper as an end effector for use in material handling. This makes it possible to move and position pallets in all six degrees of freedom in space.
Cable robots, as developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA for several years, are an innovative solution for automated handling and processing tasks and combine technologies from robotics and crane technology. They are particularly suitable for large workspaces or heavy loads. The IPAnema 3 has an installation space of 16 x 11 x 6 metres and a payload of up to 250 kilograms.

Company: Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPAContact person: Mr Johannes StollCountry: Germany

The end effectors of a cable robot must be supplied with power, data and media. In the case of the pallet gripper described above, this involves supplying it with power, EtherCAT and compressed air.
In another project (HINDCON3D project), on the other hand, an end effector for 3D concrete printing was used. For the supply of concrete, this was only equipped with a tank for concrete on the platform and therefore had a limited printing volume. For a continuous supply of concrete to the 3D print head, the use of an igus® tri-spool would be a possible solution. This would enable volumetrically unlimited printing of concrete.
A cable robot application received the igus® vector Award back in 2014. However, this was a "standard" setup that utilised an energy chain and an e-spool®. The cable robot mainly moved in two dimensions.
The current IPAnema 3, on the other hand, can move in six dimensions. The challenge here is carrying the supply lines, which have to follow in all spatial directions and orientations.

To overcome this challenge, the IPAnema 3 uses a combination of the multi-axis energy chain (triflex®) to guide the data and supply lines in the room and an e-spool® to roll and unroll the chain. This combination of triflex® and e-spool® is called tri-spool.
The e-spool® was designed to fit the triflex®, which is not usually the case. This tri-spool is a prototype special development. It has a drum diameter of approx. two metres and an extension length of approx. eleven metres. The triflex®-energy chain can be rolled up and unrolled at a maximum speed of one metre per second. It contains the following cables: one Ethernet/CAT7, one pneumatic hose with an outer diameter of 10 millimetres and two control cables with 5 x 2.5 mm² and 12 x 0.5 mm².
To guide the energy chain, a tray system with a deflection unit was also designed. Thanks to the channel system, the e-spool® can be easily mounted on the floor and does not need to be attached to the ceiling.