Robot on a linear axis: cable carrier and dress pack must match each other

More and more robots are no longer fixed to the floor but travel along a linear axis. This considerably increases the working range, as FANUC showed this week with a welding cobot on a rail.

Two systems, one transition

For the cabling, this means you have two systems that must connect properly. A cable carrier along the rail absorbs the linear movement, and a dress pack on the arm absorbs the rotations. If that transition is not designed properly, kinks and wear develop there.

How we design the transition

1. (01)Travel length and speed: these determine the type of cable carrier, the length and whether it can be self-supporting or must glide.
2. (02)One cable package: we define the package once, so the cables and hoses in the carrier and on the arm are the same.
3. (03)The transition point: close to the base of the robot, with sufficient slack for the rotation of axis 1.
4. (04)Mounting: strain relief on both sides, so the movement of one system does not pull on the other.

Both worlds under one roof

Wisman Techniek combines both worlds: cable carriers from Tsubaki Kabelschlepp and dress packs from Reiku, with in-house engineering and assembly.

That saves a round of coordination between two suppliers, and you have one point of contact for the entire process, from rail to torch.