Gearbox Kit Automate Cost-Effectively with Modular Gearbox Solutions

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igus GmbH

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The Apiro gearbox modular system from Igus is designed to enable fast development times, improve cost-efficiency in sensitive industries, and simultaneously reduce downtime in manufacturing. Rivella has tried it out.

The automation of industrial processes has long been a key factor in the competitiveness of German companies. According to a VDMA study, more than 80 percent of machinery and plant manufacturers rely on automated solutions to reduce production costs while simultaneously improving quality. Modular automation components are becoming particularly important in the packaging and food industries, where high cycle rates and changing product formats are part of everyday operations.

Modular systems enable plants to be quickly adapted to new requirements without the need for a complete overhaul. This reduces both investment costs and downtimes. In industries with high throughput and tight supply chains, this is a major advantage. "The combination of flexibility, scalability, and easy integration makes modular systems a forward-looking approach for industrial production in Germany," says Steffen Schack, Head of the Drygear Gear & Transmission Technology division at the Cologne-based company Igus. "Gears can be a bottleneck in automation technology, requiring unnecessary time, which is why we developed the modular Apiro system."

Gearbox: Indispensable But Complex

Gears convert the rotational speeds and torques of motors so that, among other things, conveyor systems, pusher systems, and turntables operate precisely, reliably, and energy-efficiently. "In practice, however, gears take up valuable space, are rigid, and require significant effort to integrate into systems," Steffen Schack shares from experience. This is where the modular Apiro system from Igus comes into play. Comparable to the Lego principle, designers can create individual and particularly compact gear solutions with its components.

The centerpiece of the modular system is a gearbox assortment. It includes:

• Worm gears: They transmit rotational movements between non-parallel axes, for example, in a rotary table in a packaging system.
• Rack and pinion gears: They convert rotational movements into linear movements, for example, in a pusher for moving products or in format adjustments.
• Bevel gears: They transmit rotational movements between intersecting axes and enable, among other things, direction changes in conveyor lines or at angular axes of robotic arms.

The kit also includes accessory components needed to integrate the gears into various machine concepts, implement different axis variants, and control movements. These include couplings and flanges for assembly and power transmission, adapters and mounting plates for various installation scenarios, as well as sensor modules for monitoring positions and end stops.

The components of the modular system are also compatible with other products from the manufacturer, such as the Drylin linear systems series.

As Heavy As Two Bars of Chocolate

A special feature of the Apiro system is that the gears are largely made of special plastic instead of metal. The manufacturer uses tribologically optimized materials, including for sliding surfaces, gears, bearings, and bushings. This offers the advantage that the gears are very lightweight. For example, the worm gear RL-A10.0129 weighs 7 ounces, roughly the same as two bars of chocolate.

"Comparable gearboxes with a higher metal content quickly weigh several times more," says Schack. The lightweight design helps make automation solutions more energy-efficient, benefiting users in times of rising energy prices.

Additionally, the compactly designed gears require no external lubrication, as microscopic solid lubricants are integrated into the plastic, releasing over time to ensure a low-friction dry operation. This allows the gears to run reliably and hygienically for years without maintenance, as there is no grease that could become a dirt magnet or contamination risk.

Proven Solutions As A Template

The manufacturer aims to ease the planning workload for designers. To this end, the company has compiled the Apiro Ideas, which are pre-made templates that allow proven setups to be easily replicated.

"Currently, around 20 such templates are available, allowing proven solutions to be directly adopted for individual projects," explains the division manager. The templates include all the necessary gears and shafts in standard dimensions, a complete CAD design with all components, the corresponding parts list including screws, bearings, and housings, and a pre-planned assembly sequence that simplifies construction.

Thanks to CAD integration, the templates can be seamlessly integrated into existing design environments. This allows users to significantly reduce development time or expand existing ideas and adapt them to their project.

Beverage Manufacturer Rivella Reduces Downtime

Among the users of the system is Rivella AG, a Swiss beverage manufacturer known for fruit juices and soft drinks. The company continuously works on optimizing filling processes at its production site in Rothrist. Previously, employees had to manually adjust the conveyor belts and filling stations for changing products, causing production to stand still for up to an hour. The solution was an automated format adjustment, which the company implemented using the Apiro system.

In combination with lubrication-free Drylin linear axes and a D1 motor controller, the experts programmed three preset positions for 0.05 gal-, 0.13 gal-, and 0.26 gal packages. In daily operations, employees now simply select the desired format, after which the system automatically adjusts to the corresponding positions. For Steffen Schack, the project demonstrates how companies can make their production more efficient and reduce costs by using flexible and modular solutions.

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