Quiet, clean and smooth movement: drylin spherical insert bearings in the bartender robot

Profile

• What was needed: Bearing for the carriage, which moves the cocktail glass to the bottles while sliding on a round shaft
• Requirements: Food-compliant, quiet, as little clearance as possible, cost-effective
• Application area: Vending machinery

A robot that replaces the bartender at a house party: this is the idea behind Barobot, developed by the two founders of the start-up of the same name, Konrad Klepacki and Artur Formella. The vending machine can independently produce 1,000 cocktails from 12 bottles. The selection is made via a touchscreen, then the Barobot moves the glass under the corresponding bottles and mixes the liquids in the correct proportions to create the desired drink. With a special app for tablets and smart phones, you can select your favourite drinks or create your own concoctions remotely. 

Problem

The Barobot consists of 6mm and 10mm thick laser-cut acrylic glass panels, available in transparent or black. The developers opted for this material because it is both economically and visually appealing. For the carriage, which slides on a steel rod to move the glass to the bottles, they were looking for a bearing with as little clearance as possible that was quiet, food-safe and cost-effective. The first attempt was made with traditional metal ball bearings that slide over the steel rods. But at the speeds at which the glass moves between the bottles, the noise level was completely unacceptable. There were also concerns about food safety. 

Solution

At igus, the perfect solution was found, both financially and technically: two drylin linear spherical insert bearings in 6 and 12mm widths ensure that the carriage is absolutely strong and can move freely at the same time. With them, the clearance and sliding noise could be reduced to a minimum. The bearings are lightweight, easy to fit and cost-effective, and are also completely free of external lubricants. This makes them ideal for use in the food sector and they do not require any maintenance. 

Design sketch with drylin plain bearing liner

Easily assembled: two drylin bearing liners are fitted to the outside of the transport trolley.

Barobot in the transparent version

The drylin plain bearing film fits perfectly and runs extremely quietly.