Mechanical Technology December 2015

⎪ Automation, mechatronics and electro-mechanical systems ⎪

Motion Cube: a customised mass production solution

Motion Cube, an innovative palletising system that allows workpieces to be transpor ted independently and simultaneously to different assembly stations, has won a prestigious Handling Award for inventor, Festo, in the automation and robotics category at Motek 2015.

B ringing automation one step closer to Industry 4.0, Motion Cube allows for workpieces to be transported independently and simultaneously to different assembly stations. This unusual concept led an independent technical jury to award Motion Cube a Handling Award 2015 in the category ‘automation and robotics’. Motion Cube consists of individual modules, each with its own built-in drive mechanism, in a housing shaped like a cube. The drive mechanism transports individual pallets from one assembly station to the next, allowing unique assembly tasks to be carried out. The modules can also be combined to operate in matrices, depending on the application in question. This technology enables different products to be handled in parallel, mak- ing simultaneous processes possible and saving time. In contrast to a classic con- veyor system, several travel commands can be carried out at the same time. Individual pallets can be overtaken and workstations can be skipped. In the spirit of Industry 4.0, the prototype Motion Cube can allow in- dividualised production from a central machine: the assembly of mobile phones, for example, with different features ac- cording to customers’ wishes – memory capacity, housing colour, engraving, etc. A customer could configure his or her preferred phone online, transmit the data to the machine and have a unique mobile phone assembled to order. In laboratory automation, speci- mens in a handling application can be automatically assigned to the relevant evaluation stations in accordance with the required analyses. Motion Cube can also be used as a shaker to mix liquids in sample vials. A cover that extends over all the modules ensures an easy-to-clean en- closed system for applications with strict hygiene requirements – and the pallets

Above: The Motion Cube palletising system can be deployed flexibly and is able to react immediately to all requirements regard- ing sequences and target positions. Right: Motion Cube consists of individual modules, each with its own built-in drive mechanism, in a housing shaped like a cube.

can be driven by magnetic couplings to further simplify cleaning in place (CIP). Transport using air bearings is also a feasible option. Further possible uses are: applying adhesives to components of different shapes; palletising workpieces; testing and inspecting components; and filling, sorting, storing/buffering and transport- ing functions. Since the system can transport and palletise at the same time, considerable savings can be achieved at the periphery of an assembly facility. For example, in palletising, the system can deliver pal- lets to set-down positions. This means there is no need for X and Y axes for positioning. Thanks to the modular and flexible design of the palletising system, indi- vidual production lines can be created very quickly and adapted to changes in production conditions. Its unusual architecture means that the system of- fers impressive flexibility while occupying little space. Conventional conveyor systems trans- port pallets on continuous belts. This means that the operating system and the sequence of pallets are fixed at the

belt loading point. In order to change the sequence, deflectors and a number of conveyor belts have to be installed, generating higher costs and requiring more space. The Motion Cube palletising system, on the other hand, can be deployed flexibly and is able to react immediately to all requirements regarding sequences and target positions. It can be expanded easily and adapted quickly to changing production conditions. Further position- ing modules can be added without any great expense, so that the palletising system can be expanded or modified at will. The principle of the palletising system allows a production line to be set up in very tight spaces. The Motion Cube concept won over the technical jury at the Handling Award 2015 and inspired its experts to select the system for first place in the automation and robotics category. The award was presented by professor Bernd Kuhlenkötter, holder of the chair of production systems at the University of Bochum, to Michael Feyrer, Festo’s design engineer in the company’s product concepts evaluation department. q

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Mechanical Technology — December 2015