Getting people and machines to work together with maximum efficiency

"We see a growing trend to get more efficiency out of machining machines with robot automation. We respond to this by developing both standard and special solutions that allow people and machines to work together with maximum efficiency," said Arnoud de Kuijper, CEO of Cellro. The company recently developed a special pallet elevator with unique features that can operate multiple machines.

Cellro, with offices in Veenendaal and Brackenheim (Germany), is a developer and manufacturer of robotic automation solutions for the machining industry. The company was founded in 2004 to provide an answer to the shortage of technicians, with the premise of being able to run machines 24/7 without operator control. "From this issue, we have since developed many robotic solutions, with several variants that allow us to load machines with both small and large products. We also develop software to ensure that both planning, coordination and control tasks are performed in the desired manner. In other words, we are a multidisciplinary company with in-house mechanical, electrical, robotic and software expertise to develop and produce both standard and special solutions. We are engineers with a passion for building machines, always with the goal of maximizing the profitability of the machines and the employability of our customers' employees," says De Kuijper.

Unique pallet elevator

Cellro is currently working on a special specialty solution for machinist KMWE, which specializes in making parts for the aircraft, semiconductor and medical industries, among others. "We are working on a pallet elevator that can automatically place large products - think workpieces with a diameter of 1,350 mm and a weight of up to 1,500 kilograms - into machines for further processing. We have developed it in such a way that it can simultaneously operate four machines in an automated way that increases efficiency." 

The pallet gripper has to make many movements in a very compact space. "We achieve this by moving the robot across a carriage to grab the right products and workpieces at all storage positions in order to then take them to the right machines. On the one hand, this requires precision to grab the workpieces and position them in the right place. On the other hand, it also requires the machine to be fast and rigid to handle the large workpieces. The combination of speed and precision, large products in size and weight, and a large range of motion makes it challenging. For this project, we are therefore also calling on our expert suppliers to figure out how to reliably achieve this."

Cable tracks for RBR rotational and linear motion

One such supplier is igus, which specializes in cabling and cable routing, among other things. "We were looking for various cable caterpillar systems for the motors suitable for both rotational and linear movements of the robot. Igus supplied us with an RBR (Backward Bending Radius) cable caterpillar, suitable for rotational movements allowing the cabling to bend in two directions, as well as a linear cable caterpillar for vertical Z-axis adjustment. Both solutions are sufficiently compact for us and fall within the desired specifications. Through supplier Güdel, a track was also supplied in which a linear cable caterpillar from igus was installed ex-factory."

The pallet elevator is under construction as a physical system at Cellro, and the software developers are working on programming. "The interplay of what you have developed and built comes together for the first time. Every customer expects our systems to last 10 to 20 years. We therefore work with reliable, expert partners who we know can also provide those high standards and guarantees. Our partners are our extension, and igus is one of them. On the one hand, we are able to make strategic, long-term purchases and, on the other hand, for innovative projects, we arrive together at a product selection that suits the project."

Good luck

The special solution has not yet been delivered, but is already achieving success. "Everyone - from our employees, regular customers we talk to about it to suppliers we work with - is incredibly enthusiastic about this unique innovation. We are therefore open to introducing the machine as a relevant application for more customers, tailored of course to the specific customer needs. Then it will no longer be a special, but much more a platform product on which we can build further. It is a great solution that contributes to the goal of automating the machining industry and allowing people and machines to work together with maximum efficiency," De Kuijper concludes.

Visit Igus at the WoTS - Booth number 11E002