Igus has developed RBTX.com – a new platform that brings together users and suppliers of low-cost robotics components quickly and easily. Users can put together a low-cost robotics solution that matches their requirements and budget. Suppliers of robotics components are able to present their products to a larger public in a new marketplace.

In conjunction with 16 other industrial partners, igus has developed RBTX.com – a new platform that brings together users and suppliers of low-cost robotics components quickly and easily. The idea: to enable customers to find their own robot solution with just a few clicks of the mouse.  The basic electro-mechanical structure is the starting point for a "rohbot" from igus, such robots including articulated-arm robots, delta robots and Cartesian robots. In the next step, the user supplements this basic structure by adding individual components of different manufacturers such as grippers, cameras and control systems. The advantage of this is the certainty that the components are compatible with each other.

The purpose of the online platform is to enable manufacturers to open up new sales channels for their low-cost automation products and reach new target groups, new components can be added to the platform continually. In future, users will always have up-to-date and clear access to a rapidly developing market segment. "The RBTX.com concept intended for companies, start-ups, research institutes and mechanical engineering companies offers fast, customised robot solutions at low starting costs of just a few thousand euros and with short amortisation times. What we are talking about here is a low-risk way of entering the era of automation and investing in the competitiveness of tomorrow,” explained Christian Batz, Head of igus digITal. In future, the platform is also intended to enable configuration of the robot mechanics, beginning with gearboxes, joints and connecting parts.

At Hannover 2019 trade fair, augmented reality (AR) was used to simulate the digital twin of a robot in a fictional production environment, including all of the robot's movements. This provided visitors with an interesting look into a possible future of the platform, whereby an AR tool makes the entire robot package visible. In this way, the customer could observe the robot in its robot cell as well as its range of reach and its movements, and can do so on site directly at the machine, where adaptations can also be made if necessary.