The new docking station’s ± 1mm repeatability ensures precise delivery of products and pallets carried by the autonomous mobile robots from Mobile Industrial Robots equipped with ROEQ’s cart solution. Pack Expo is also the first chance to see ROEQ’s new TR1000 Top Roller live -a unique new conveyor top module for MiR1000, the largest model from Mobile Industrial Robots with up to 1000 kilo (1 ton) payloads.

Real efficiency in logistics automation is achieved when the entire workflow includes precise product delivery between all stations. This is the vision behind ROEQ's new Docking Station Precision that can be mounted to either floors, walls, or machinery. The solution works in tandem with ROEQ's cart solution C300 for Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), enabling secure and precise locking of the cart upon delivery at the docking station.

"We just recently launched the MiR1000, and the fact that we quickly saw successful top modules being developed for this and doing well in the market shows the huge potential for flexible transport of heavy payloads."

The new solution will be showcased at ROEQ's Pack Expo booth 7384B in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 23-25 featuring a MiR200 robot with ROEQ's cart solution and top roller TR125 conveyor module performing precise delivery between two docking stations.

"Docking Station Precision leverages the MiR robot's superior repeatability, ensuring that when the robot arrives with the cart, the load carried by the cart is delivered and locked with unrivaled precision," says Peder Grejsen, technical sales manager for ROEQ. "This means no interruption of the workflow due to misaligned products or pallets between stations. In a packaging cell, for example, where we increasingly see robots handling products, it is imperative that the product delivery happens exactly where the robot is instructed to pick up the part."

By using the ROEQ C300 cart solution, the MiR robot can collect loaded carts, deliver it to the designated docking station and leave the carts there to be emptied or prepared for the next mission. This solution ensures that the MiR robot is only stationary for a short amount of time, effectively streamlining the workflow between different divisions of the facility.

MiR founder and CSO, Niels Jul Jacobsen, emphasizes the synergy generated by the ROEQ product offerings and the MiR robots. "Using a product such as ROEQ's docking station enables our robots to dock with five times greater precision, he says. "Capabilities like these add tremendous value to our customers seeking to automate internal logistics tasks that require extreme precision when loading and unloading materials."

First public display of TR1000
ROEQ will also be represented at MiR's own Pack Expo booth 8071 where ROEQ's new TR1000 Top Roller conveyor will be on public display for the first time. TR1000 was developed to support heavy internal logistics in industrial facilities by automating load and unload operations of the MiR1000, the largest and most powerful autonomous mobile robot from MiR.

"We're excited to show ROEQ's conveyor features on our largest robots," says MiR founder Jacobsen. "We just recently launched the MiR1000, and the fact that we quickly saw successful top modules being developed for this and doing well in the market shows the huge potential for flexible transport of heavy payloads."

Rapidly expanding distributor network
ROEQ is rapidly expanding its North American distributor network, now encompassing 45 sales locations in North America. Representing ROEQ in the Mid-Atlantic region is the Knotts Company where vice president Mark Howe is noticing a shift in the automation of internal logistics. "We are starting to see customers reevaluate their manufacturing floor to accommodate for the transport of heavier payloads now made possible by the offerings from MiR and ROEQ," he says. "We are pleased to be able to offer our customers more options now in terms of the payloads they can move safely and efficiently."

In the Mid-West region, Jason Berg, product specialist for motion control/robotics at ROEQ distributor Hartfiel Automation, emphasizes the benefits realized by ROEQ's precision docking. "Having the robot dock precisely saves money on fixturing for loading and unloading parts," he says. "Being able to move parts with this degree of repeatability will resonate with semiconductor and medical device industries. Part placement within thermal forming equipment, where precision is key to getting a good seal, will also benefit from ROEQ's solution. There is a significant amount of applications that we look forward to addressing."

About ROEQ
ROEQ is short for "Robotic Equipment" and evolved from the Danish company Produkt Innovation (PI) founded in 2002, an R&D consulting business with clients such as Novo Nordisk and Leica Geosystems. In the spring of 2017 PI had a consulting assignment working with Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), which spawned the idea of developing the products being sold today. In the spring of 2017, three employees were developing and testing the applications with the first sale of ROEQ equipment happening in early 2018. ROEQ has since grown to establish a global network of devoted distributors and continues to develop and engineer new and exciting products to enhance and streamline facilities in many industries around the world. The company is part of the thriving Danish robotics cluster located on the island of Funen, Denmark.
www.ROEQ.dk