igubal® rod ends in autonomous robots

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Spherical bearings for agricultural robots

Agriculture 4.0 with igubal®

Targeted herbicide application with lubrication-free igubal® rod end

The Swiss start-up EcoRobotix manufactures autonomous robots for ecological and economical weed control. The robot weighs around 130 kilograms, moves independently, orientates and positions itself using GPS and a camera.

With the help of an image capture system, it recognises whether and where the weeds are located. Once it has identified a weed, the robot sprays a microdose of herbicide onto the weed with pinpoint accuracy using two robot arms. igubal® rod ends are used to ensure that the two robot arms have the desired manoeuvrability.

igubal® Spherical plain bearings for maintenance-free use
Once installed, the spherical plain bearings no longer require any attention - thanks to their lubricant-free design, maintenance inserts are no longer necessary. They are also resistant to dirt and dust - without any seals. Unlike lubricated metal bearings, no gumming or paste-like mixtures are formed that bind dirt to the bearing point.

The plain bearings in igubal® bearing elements can be used without any seals, even in extremely contaminated conditions, whether that contamination is fine dust or coarse dirt. Polymer spherical plain bearings are also up to 80 per cent lighter than metal bearings. In this case, twelve rod end bearings are installed per robot arm, or 24 rod end bearings for two arms. This greatly supports lightweight constructions, of course, not to mention reducing energy consumption.

Fabien Grevoz-Sicurani, Production Manager at EcoRobotix (centre)

"igus® rod end bearings are ideal for this application because they are lightweight, cost-effective, and very robust. As we know, farmers aren't exactly gentle with our robots - they have to take a lot."<br />
Fabien Grevoz-Sicurani, Production Manager at EcoRobotix