Personal robot with maintenance-free rear axis

There is no such thing as bad weather, there are just wrong components

The robot works come rain or shine, in cold or hot places and with a high load on its components. Willow also has to withstand salty air when used in coastal areas. Because of these environmental conditions, EEVE has decided to use igus components. They are known for their durability, even under adverse conditions. The trigger for the collaboration was a sample set of iglidur plain bearings that caught Gilmartin's attention some time ago. "I knew that I would need them in future", he says.
 
Originally, the EEVE company installed iglidur thrust washers on the rear axis in its robots in order to reduce friction when the rear wheel was rotated. When upgrading a customer robot, an iglidur PRT slewing ring bearing was incorporated in the axis for the first time. An iglidur PRT-02-20 is now used in the rear axis of the robot. In order to optimally meet the requirements of EEVE, igus designed a custom solution with reduced required drive torque. It ensures that the rear wheel can rotate freely even in harsh operating conditions and without any maintenance. "Our customers need a product that can stand outdoors maintenance-free for many years. Our goal is that our robots always work, without ever having to be taken to a repair service", Gary Gilmartin explains the use of PRT slewing ring bearings.

From left to right: Thies Moritz Böning, International Sales iglidur at igus; Gary Gilmartin, Mechanical Design Engineer at EEVE; Joren Kestens, Sales Representative at igus