Smoothie blending station

Hygienic and fast thanks to igus® linear axis

With its "Alberts one", the company Alberts has developed an innovative solution to meet the demand for healthy food even in stressful everyday life: a vending robot that prepares fresh, healthy snacks such as smoothies, hot soups and vegan shakes on site.

Alberts fulfils all microbial standards to produce healthy soups and smoothies on site, made exclusively from individually quick-frozen (IQF) fruit and vegetables and free from additives. Only pure water is added inside the machine, resulting in a snack full of nutrients and a sugar content of <5%.

The free Alberts mobile app allows consumers to share their recipes and experiences with the healthy snacking community. A health coach integrated into the mobile app gives consumers personalised advice based on their own nutritional needs and daily habits.

Profile

What was needed: Spindle axes, toothed belt axes and linear rails
Requirements: A cost-effective and scalable solution for the vending machine that can simultaneously ensure food safety and handle low temperatures.
Industry: vending machinery
Success for the customer: Our axes, in combination with the motor and control system, provide a cost-effective, turnkey solution that meets the requirements.

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Products used

Lead screw axis SLW-1660

Toothed belt axis ZLW-1040

Lead screw axis SHT-08

Linear rail WS-10-80

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Problem

In the search for suitable components for the Alberts One, real all-rounders were sought. The company was looking for guidance that was compact, quiet, low-maintenance, temperature-resistant, hygienic and quick to clean.

The biggest challenges for Alberts were to preserve the quality of the food and at the same time to develop a robot that was technically perfected and yet cost-effective. Particularly in terms of cost, the implementation of a fully-fledged robotic arm was therefore out of the question. This would have resulted in immense costs, which would not have utilised the full potential of the machine. A lean and scalable solution was sought.

But there were also other technical challenges to be solved. Electromechanical solutions were sought that could also work efficiently at -18°C. The components also had to be particularly space-saving.

Solution

The number of degrees of freedom was reduced to a minimum, while the highly complex system was optimised in order to finally arrive at a marketable solution concept. Through in-house development, Alberts managed to develop a machine that can work in the deep-freeze range, while also reducing costs by €15,000, making the machine more than half the price of some competitor machines.

The robot arm is moved horizontally via the drylin® W linear rail. It is made of anodised, corrosion-resistant aluminium and is characterised by its flat design. The robot arm, which in turn is mounted on a drylin® W linear carriage driven by a toothed belt, moves on this rail. The chainflex® control cable, designed for a particularly tight bend radius with limited space requirements, follows the movement in an energy chain made of high-performance plastic.

All components of igus® are free of lubrication and thus reduce maintenance costs. With the help of igus® parts, it was possible to develop a system that is also low-vibration and ideally suited for use in the food industry.

Impressions

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