Reliable cable guidance for XXL 3D printing robots

• What was needed: Pneumatic retraction system (RSP), robot cable CF.ROBOT
• Requirements: As the robot damaged the cable over time, they were looking for a fail-safe energy supply that would permanently protect the cable.
• Industry: 3D printing
• Success for the customer: The pneumatic retraction system now prevents cables from hanging in the work area without restricting the robot's movement.

The 3D printing system developed by Aectual is designed to enable simple and fast 3D printing on a large scale. The complete hardware and control system are offered as a complete package, i.e. extruder, control system & material in addition to the robot.
While the extrusion technology "is state of the art", the robot's energy supply solution increasingly lagged behind the rapid development of the system. This is because the sum of the cables and hoses increased over time and with the demands and wishes of the customers.
At the start of development, the energy supply was kept very simple and consisted solely of cable ties and ropes (see image below left). At a certain point, Aectual realised that the robot was damaging the cable through its movement. Expensive breakdowns of the independently operating robot arm were to be feared. The susceptible cable routing was even more worrying, as the 3D printer is used for overnight production and therefore works for up to 12 hours without supervision. Each print is also different, so the system also had to be able to be flexibly adapted. Therefore, the motto was to find a fail-safe but also flexible system.

Today, a cable guide with a pneumatic retraction system is used for large-format 3D printers. The so-called RSP (retraction system-pneumatic) is our most powerful retraction system and was specially developed for multi-axis robot applications with large cable packages. When the robot arm developed by Aectual is extended, the energy supply moves flexibly with it. When the arm retracts, the pneumatic system retracts the cable in the energy chain, thereby avoiding sagging cables. Extension lengths of up to 780 mm and very complex movements of the robot arm are possible. The retraction force of the system can be infinitely adjusted via a valve depending on the filling of the energy chain.
In addition to our energy supply, Aectual also opted for our cable solutions. The twistable CF.ROBOT robot cables now run along the robot. They are suitable for the highest industrial requirements and complete the energy supply.