robolink – product development status

robot joint module  

Dec 2010

Design Award

Robolink has been awarded an iF design award in the competition's 'industrial design' category. The iF awards are given to particularly innovative and visually appealing products. The iF award is an internationally recognized design award.

March 2010

Increased torque

We've been able to increase the transmitted torque (rotation) from 5 (with 1st generation robolink) to 7 Nm (with 2nd generation robolink) in continuous operation. Damage occured at > 24 Nm).

Feb 2010

Development status

So far approximately 30 customers have been sent robolink samples and approximately 20 customer-specific tests are running. More samples are being produced to keep up with the demand.

Applications areas / industries: research centers and colleges, robot builders (service, maintenance, handling), camera systems, antenna alignment, medical technology, rehabilitation technology, orthotics, industrial-handling systems.

Illustration of 2 drive options (manual / pneumatic)

 

December 2009

Prototype now available

The revised, new version of the articulated robot joint is now available as a prototype. The following product improvements have been achieved:
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1

lower cable friction due to Bowden cables with optimized friction couple.

2

New design of articulated joint creates torque transfers in the region of approx. 15-20 Nm (or 5-10 Nm in continuous operation). There will also be three versions of articulated rod from the end of December 2009: aluminum (affordable), CFK (extremely light, but more expensive) and GFK as an intermediate solution.

3

Integration of magnetic sensors to measure and transfer the positions of the articulated joint. Work is still being done on this. Space for the sensor system is provided and the technical design of the sensor mechanism should be completed and integrated sometime in 2010.


After extensive trials we suggest that at least the following torques can be transferred with the articulated joint in continuous operation:

Transferable torque for the pivot movement: 10 Nm
drive force (cable tensile strength) for this: max. 400N

Transferable torque for the rotational movement: 5 Nm
drive force (cable tensile strength) for this: max. 400N


Weights:

Weight 1 robolink incl. cables: 380 g

Weight of aluminum rod: 270 g/m

Weight of carbon fiber rod: 150 g/m

The articulated joint has the basic dimensions shown below:

robolink

* Free space for lead-throughs

 
 
robolink robot arm  
robot modules  

September 2009

First articulated joint by the end of this year

We originally wanted to build injection-molded tools in order to have this new product in production by the time of the Hanover show in 2010.
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Improving the design to increase the transferable torques between the articulated joint and rod

Reduce cable friction by making changes to the design and materials

Above all, integrate magnetic sensors to measure and transfer the positions of the articulated joint.

These, in our view, will provide the necessary improvements, but delay the plans for production.

We hope that, by the end of this year, we will be able to produce the first, finished, articulated robolinks by injection molding.


We ask for your understanding over the technical development of the products and the associated delay.

 
Comprehensive information and product description

Robolink

Articulated joint modules for robots

Robolink
Robolink    

Application examples

Applications that have incorporated robolink articulated robot joint modules.

Application examples
Application examples    

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