Automate Highlight Series: Güdel on the Move With Cobots and Air Power

Everything was moving around the show floor at Automate, so motion should come as no surprise. Yet even still, Güdel raised many eyebrows at the recent show with demonstrations of two innovations: the new CoboMover product and an impressive display of air bearing technology that redefined heavy robot mobility.

For those unfamiliar with Güdel (as I was before my invitation to the booth), this company manufactures parts that keep the world moving: geared tracks for linear rails, gear drives for motors, bearings, and sliding motion components.

A selection of rack, pinion, and drive gears, as well as sliding motion components from Güdel.

The CoboMover Linear Axis

One of the highlights of Güdel's exhibit was the newly announced CoboMover, a 7th-axis linear track designed for lightweight collaborative robots like the CRX from FANUC. These 7th-axis assemblies extend the working range of the robot by up to 5 meters, so you don’t need to invest in a robot with a longer reach at a much higher cost. The CoboMover allows robots to adapt to multiple workstations or replace interstation conveyors without the need for manual work or external automation, a definite boost for productivity.

The new CoboMover kept visitors entertained with its remarkable, almost robot-like penmanship.

Witness the Power of Air

Although air-powered motion predates harnessed electricity by centuries, it’s still impressive to see. Güdel's demonstration of air bearing technology showed off an amazing level of heavy-hauling mobility. Visitors witnessed (or, if you were lucky like me, you got to try it yourself) a single person moving a modular robotic track system. Perhaps ‘effortless’ might be a stretch in this case because it was still pretty heavy, but no less impressive considering the payload of a FANUC M-900 and the TMF-4-B track equals about 6,300 lbs. This impressive feat was achieved using just 5 psi of air, which is possible since the surface area of the air bearings is large enough that the five pounds exerted on every square inch yields a massive upward force given sufficient square inches of contact space.

This impressive demo is better seen in a video, not in a still image, don’t you think?

This air bearing solution, initially developed for aircraft painting applications, eliminates the need for cumbersome cranes, high-payload forklifts, or embedded rails. The Güdel team explained that this was a solution that stemmed from an integrator's challenge of moving a painting robot aside to allow the painted part to enter and exit the booth and where installing a permanent floor track was impossible. Güdel's engineering team rose to the occasion, delivering a product that enables the entire robot, track, and everything to be moved out of the way as needed.

Keeping the World Moving

I was excited to learn about Güdel at Automate and get a tangible look into the product lineup and expansion from simple motion components into robot applications, innovative air-powered motion, and more. I encourage you to check them out whenever you reach a standstill!