Doing more with less

Robotunits’ philosophy is “more with less”: their modular automation kit, the heart of the company’s business, offers various solutions, but at the same time it is created with just a few standard components. In a short time and with just a few multifunctional elements, an entire line can be designed and assembled. But Robotunits is not only this: in its product portfolio there are also conveyor belts, motorized roller conveyors and elevators, all systems which facilitate company intralogistics. Davide Barbato, Key Account Manager of Robotunits Italia, told us all about this during his speech at the Assembly Week.

Let us start by talking about who Robotunits is. The Italian branch was born from an Austrian concern established in 1987: could you tell us about this long history?

Robotunits Italia is a subsidiary of an Austrian family factory, which now has 400 employees. In the nineties, our chairman Christian Beer ran a special automation company. He found that the connecting screws of classic aluminium profiles, with the vibrations caused by the machine, tended to loosen: after years of research, development and continuous improvement, he therefore created the Robotunits system, the only modular system for automation which can withstand vibrations.
Besides aluminium profiles, which are the core of the business, conveyor belts, safety barriers and linear units have grown particularly strongly. “More with less” is the philosophy behind our products; for our customers this means time and cost savings in design, logistics, storage and assembly. Robotunits is present all over the world with subsidiaries and production sites, not only in Italy and Austria, but also in Germany, the USA and Australia.

The aim of your modular automation system is to offer a large number of solutions with few standard components. Robotunits has developed a system with a single slot, which reduces the amount of accessories, together with an innovative joining technique. Could you tell us about it?

The secret to making the system innovative was to standardize a single slot for all profiles: a very large 14×14 mm slot, so as to ensure that standard screws can always be used, without having to shorten them, and to have the possibility of tightening them using a standard key. All this allows a drastic reduction in the number of components and accessories.
To solve the vibration problem, on the other hand, we used the preload technique. This has a similar concept to that of a split washer: in practice, the “shoulders” of all Robotunits profiles are slightly pre-stressed inwards so that the screws cannot become loose. In addition to the standard slot and the preloading of the profile, in order to achieve a vibration-free geometrical coupling junction, we developed a coupling which worked like a clamping unit. So the expansion of the coupling, and the preloading of the profile, makes it possible to create a junction with the same tightness as welded steel.
This flexible system is capable of saving time because, in addition to being very fast in assembly, it uses multifunctional components. Therefore, the time saving for those who use the Robotunits kit is contained in the drastic reduction of code management, both in design, purchasing and assembly, together with a great assembly speed so that with the same people more machines can be assembled, thus also increasing turnover!

Robotunits offers various models of conveyor belts ideal for both material handling and servo systems. These solutions are modular and above all safe. Could you tell us about them in greater detail? They can be combined for a more complete solution, is that correct?

Robotunits means units for robots, that is, everything associated with the robot itself: anything from a simple workbench to the most complex automation system may be created from this standpoint. Protections, structural frames, linear axes for handling, gravity roller conveyors and, above all, transport systems can be built around the robot. But let us focus on servo systems and material handling. Robotunits offers different types of conveyor belts: mat, toothed belt, modular chain and motorised roller conveyors. The simplest, and perhaps best known, conveyor belt is the mat conveyor, which allows objects to be transported easily from A to B, and can work continuously or in steps. It is available in widths ranging from 40 to 1,200 mm, and lengths up to 12,000 mm; the load ranges from 0 to 300 kg. The conveyor may be configured to suit a variety of requirements, in terms of mat, drive positioning, and speed. Various substructures are available, such as adjustable and/or fixed side guides. As standard we use asynchronous motors, such as Sew Eurodrive, but where the customer requires maximum flexibility and compactness we can integrate 24 V brushless motors. The toothed belt conveyor, on the other hand, is ideal for transporting heavy or bulky workpieces in a precise and powerful way. The belt is held in position by a wedge-shaped guide for perfect directional stability, and its tension is defined by a patented tensing system. Thanks to a connecting shaft, trunk-to-trunk arrangements are possible. Finally, the modular chain conveyor may carry higher loads than the belt conveyor and is therefore designed for heavy-duty use. Straight, curved and inclined routes can be combined at will with a single drive. Ejection can be lateral or by accumulation of the conveyed material thanks to a lean structure. The belt is guided by a slide profile and pulley. Among the return variants, a Ø 16 mm pen tip is available for the movement of small parts. All of these systems have integrated finger protection for the operators.

Not only belts, but also motorised roller conveyors. Here, too, we are talking about a customisable solution that guarantees operator safety. How do they differ from their close counterparts, conveyor belts? Could you explain this to us?

The motorised roller conveyor is the optimum solution for the flexible transport of boxes, trays and cartons. The modularity makes it possible to accumulate without a stop, together with movement in any direction. Straight, curved, 90° transfer unit and rotary tables are available, all at 24 V.
Our roller conveyors are equipped with a Powered Roller Conveyor system with zero pressure accumulation logic (ZPA): this is a system to prevent the boxes from colliding with each other while they are still being palletised, which would happen if they were on a single belt like the ones we mentioned earlier. The boxes here, on the other hand, never touch each other: once the first one has been picked up, the following ones continue their journey, stopping when necessary, always keeping their distance from each other. Also in this case, as for the belts, the system is completely finger-free, therefore very safe for the operators.
The 90° transfer unit, in both directions, is a compact and complete system which is fully compatible throughout the modular system and uses the same electronics, too. It can be repositioned and expanded at any time, and at the same time it is ideal for use in confined spaces. The drive logic is pre-installed and fully compatible with the modular automation kit. The Robotunits rotary table is also flexible and uses the same control electronics throughout the entire system, maintaining the position of the material from 0° to 270° depending on the configuration, and can be integrated into motorised roller conveyor systems, mat conveyors, toothed belt conveyors etc.
Last but not least, there are also plug & play elevators for the motorised roller conveyors, which can be integrated into the entire conveyor belt system of the Robotunits modular automation kit and which can reach a standard height of 5 m. They enable two-level transport within the plant: stable shaped containers are transported to the right location at a speed of up to 1 m/s with an acceleration of up to 3 m/s².

Finally, you are involved in several projects, such as ComoNExT and your Road Show: could you provide us with some brief information?

In order to be present on the market, we have joined the ComoNExT project, which is a technology incubator. Together with many companies, we have developed a 4.0 factory for the flexible palletizing sector: Robotunits has developed all the package handling conveyors.
For the entire month of July 2021, on the other hand, we shall travel around Italy with the Robotunits Road Show: we shall bring the trade fair to companies, so that they can experience all the Robotunits solutions first-hand.