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  4. Automation solutions in the catering industry

motion plastics for automation in the catering industry

Automate services in restaurants and cafés with robotics, bearing technology, and e-chains

Automation in the catering industry, also known as kitchen automation or food service automation, can include all activities from selecting ingredients to preparing and serving food and drinks to customers. Room linear robots remove ingredients from the shelf, and cooking robots process them. Barista robots remove and serve the freshly prepared coffee. And delta robots assemble a burger with pick & place.

The rotary, pivoting, and linear movements in all of these processes are performed with bearings, gearboxes, and robotic components. These motion plastics, as they are called, are maintenance-free and can be implemented easily and cost-effectively.
Request a customised sample now
Where do motion plastics in automation help in the catering industry? And what are their benefits? Industry Manager Andrej Schmidt explains the capabilities in the video.

What would you like to automate?

Removal and dispensing

Product removal
To the products and benefits

Transport and serving

Serving
To the products and benefits

Removal and dispensing

How are ingredients safely and precisely prepared for further processing? How does the pastry come out of a compartment and reach the sales counter? One possible solution is linear robots, which, like storage and retrieval units in logistics, move to the correct position on a shelf, grip the product, and transport it to the dispensing position. The linear robot is lubricant-free and resistant to dirt, and its precision and maintenance-free nature also make a huge difference in this process.

Buy a linear robot system or build your own

  • Insensitive to dirt, since no lubrication is necessary
  • Quick, simple assembly
  • Up to 30kg load capacity, 0.5mm precision and 1.5m/s speed

▶ Information and shop: drylin linear robot

Articulated arm robot

robolink DCi
  • High flexibility: freely selectable end effectors
  • Lightweight construction
  • Return on Investment (ROI) after four to seven months
  • Lubrication-free and resistant to dirt

profile guides

drylin W profile guide
  • 14 rail profiles, 50 carriage versions
  • 100% free of maintenance and lubrication
  • Resistant to dirt, dust, and humidity
  • Up to 40% more cost-effective than recirculating ball bearing guides
More about drylin W profile guides

Transmission gearbox

drygear Apiro
  • Motor drive or manual drive
  • Splash-proof
  • Lightweight
  • Lubrication-free
More about drygear Apiro

Food-grade plain bearings

Food-compliant plain bearings
  • Complies with FDA and EU regulations
  • Good media-resistance
  • Universal installation
More about iglidur® A181 plain bearings

Cables for moving applications

chainflex cables
More about chainflex cables

Small energy chains

e2.1
  • Quick, easy filling
  • Integrated brake for smooth, quiet operation
  • Reduce installation space with small bend radius
More about E2.1 e-chains

Success stories: Removal and dispensing

Food preparation

Food preparation is at the heart of kitchen automation. In addition to cooking robots, there are delta robots – robots that use pick & place to assemble the finished ingredients piece by piece. For example, a delta robot can make a burger made from buns, mustard and ketchup, a burger patty, cheese, and lettuce completely automatically.
Compliance with hygiene guidelines is paramount here. Food must not be contaminated by machine components such as robot arms, bearings points, and gearboxes. motion plastics, which require no lubrication or maintenance, are the solution here. The system design is modular, so automation can be rapid and uncomplicated.

Delta robot for food use

  • 660mm workspace diameter with 180mm of working height
  • Self-lubricating, maintenance-free drylin ZLW toothed belt axes
  • Ready to connect with stepper motors and a dryve D1 motor control system

▶ More information about delta robots

drylin stepper motors

Stepper motor
  • Powerful stepper motors
  • Find the right drive for your application with the product finder
More about drylin E

robolink ReBeL robots

drylin ZLW axis 7
  • The lightest cobot on the market
  • Robots available with or without control system
  • 2 kg payload incl. tool
More about the ReBeL cobot

Worm gear with turntable

Apiro worm gear
  • Dry operation thanks to tribologically optimised plastics
  • Splash-proof and lightweight
  • Large selection of accessories available
More about the Apiro turntable

Lead screws and nuts

dryspin lead screw technology
  • Completely lubrication-free and maintenance-free lead screw technology
  • Low coefficients of friction and long service life
More about dryspin lead screw technology

Rod end with female thread

Rod end with female thread KCRM
  • Detectable rod end for the food industry: made of materials compliant with FDA regulations and EU 10/2011
  • New design gives dirt no chance
Discover igubal KCRM now

Small energy chains

e2.1
  • Quick, easy filling
  • Integrated brake for smooth, quiet operation
  • Reduce installation space with small bend radii as low as 28mm
More about E2.1 e-chains

Success stories: Food preparation

Transport and serving

The method of delivering a prepared meal the customer is determined primarily by the distance the product travels. A barista robot can be sufficient to transport a coffee mug from the machine to a nearby counter. Flexibility is just as important here as suitability for handling food. Longer distances in a restaurant may require such solutions as linear systems in which the food trays are systematically transported to a specific table. 

Barista robot: Build your own complete robot system or buy one

  • High flexibility: Freely selectable end effectors for 2–5 degrees of freedom (DOF)
  • Design and simulate online, including parts list
  • With or without motor, with or without control system

▶ More information about the barista robot

robolink ReBeL robots

robolink DP
  • The lightest cobot on the market
  • Robots available with or without control system
  • 2 kg payload incl. tool
More about the ReBeL cobot

drylin ZLW 7th axis for robot

7th axis for robot
  • Flexible robot use instead of locking kinematics
  • Adapter kit incl. Preparation of suitable e-chain systems
  • Integration into the igus Robot Control
More about drylin ZLW

Gearboxes with stepper motors

drygear Apiro
  • Move loads quickly
  • Addition to the Apiro modular gearbox system
  • Cost-effective, precise stepper motors
More about Apiro with stepper motor

Ball bearings

xiros ball bearings
More information on xiros ball bearings

Food-grade liner

Tribo-tape liner
  • Low coefficient of friction
  • High wear resistance
  • FDA-compliant
More about iglidur A160 tribo-tape

Harnessed energy supply systems

readychain
  • Ready-to-connect modules
  • Pre-assembled directly by the manufacturer
  • Optimise transport & assembly
More about readychain energy chains

Success stories: Transport and serving

RBTX RBTX: For providers and customers of robotics components.

RBTX — The online platform for robotics components

The RBTX platform brings users and suppliers of low-cost robotics components together quickly and easily. Users can find gantries, robot arms, end effectors, camera modules, control systems and much more centrally in one place - and can find individual components or assemble entire robots.

At the same time, providers of robotics components can market their products to a wider audience in a targeted and convenient way on the RBTX marketplace.

Go to the RBTX online platform

Tested in the test laboratory for use in the real world

All products are tested for wear and load capacity under real-life conditions in the igus test laboratory, the largest in the industry. The results are integrated into our service life calculation tools and allow precise durability predictions.

Upon request, igus carries out customer tests to check product use under completely customised conditions.
More about the igus test laboratory
blog Vending machinery
What are the most important regulations for food sector vending machine manufacturers? How can installation space be saved in the face of a growing product range? The igus blog features interesting articles on vending machinery.
Take a look now!

Consulting

I look forward to answering your questions

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Andrej Schmidt

+49 2203 9649 9850
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Saturdays from 8 am- 12 pm.

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igus® GmbH points out that it does not sell any products of the companies Allen Bradley, B&R, Baumüller, Beckhoff, Lahr, Control Techniques, Danaher Motion, ELAU, FAGOR, FANUC, Festo, Heidenhain, Jetter, Lenze, LinMot, LTi DRiVES, Mitsubishi, NUM,Parker, Bosch Rexroth, SEW, Siemens, Stöber and all other drive manufacturers mention on this website. The products offered by igus® are those of igus® GmbH