Durable, low-maintenance gearbox solution and energy supply systems in an ice cream vending machine

What was needed: Economical and flexible automation solution for dispensing ice cream

Requirements: Fast ROI, less maintenance, long service life, low error rate

Material: Apiro modular gearbox system, E2 e-chain, chainflex cables

Industry: Vending machinery

In the summer, a group of friends stands together at an ice cream machine, looking for the right change; by the time the last ice cream is dispensed, the first one has melted. The sec°mat IC One changes all that: for the first time, the ice cream vending machine with its interactive touch display offers a shopping cart function. The user assembles the desired ice cream creations, makes a quick contactless payment, and gets the order for the entire group of friends in one go. And you can watch the inner workings of the vending machine through a transparent pane - something to do while waiting.

The challenge was to find a cost-effective, flexible, durable and maintenance-free robot kinematics system that people would enjoy watching at work. The developers initially considered a Scara robot. "However, it quickly became apparent that the error rate would be quite high over time if this set-up is not located in a factory where it can be maintained constantly", recalls Frank Kuhn, CEO of Seco Manufaktur.

"However, longer maintenance intervals and durability were particularly important to us."

igus experts were involved in the development process; together, they found the perfect solution with the modular drygear Apiro gearbox system. Its focus is on tribologically optimised worm gears. The corrosion-free and chemical-resistant high-performance plastics ensure high stability, low weight, durability and no maintenance. The joints are attached via a multifunctional aluminium profile. It allows drive shafts to be guided through a hollow space in the centre, facilitating the operation of the inverted worm gear, which causes the aluminium profile to rotate. This makes it ideal for robotics and rotary applications. The linear movement of the worm gear permits the aluminium profile to travel linearly, or the worm gear travels on the linear profile.

All worm gears have very little clearance. In addition to the three-axis linear robot, the sec°mat's final complete system contains two E2-series energy chains and chainflex cables. "It is not only technically optimised, but also an eye-catcher", says Kuhn. "After all, the ice cream is retrieved where customers can see it, so we didn't want a cold industrial solution. Instead, we were looking for a system that is visually appealing and make the users curious."