Norwegian engineers launch environmentally friendly cleaning concept
– a robot that protects the oceans from contamination
with lubrication-free igus plain bearing technology
Remotion
Stavanger, Norway
Project: RoboCoat
Robotic system for washing vessels and offshore platforms
Our components
Plain bearings Linear guides and servo motor
Surfaces of vessels and offshore platforms are exposed to saltwater and hence continuous corrosion. Therefore, paint and varnish must be replaced regularly. Open-blasting processes are particularly popular for removing these layers. The problem is: material residue ends up in the water.
“We are no longer planning to accept this tremendous environmental pollution”, says Morten Urrang, CEO of Remotion, which is headquartered in the Norwegian city Stavanger. “Therefore, we have developed a robotic system that washes surfaces of vessels and offshore platforms, UHP (Ultra high pressure) water blasts, sandblasts and varnishes them and disposes of material residue so that they do not pollute the environment. Developed in close co-operation with Aker BP, a Norwegian operator in the oil and gas industry.”
High-performance polymers prevent contamination of the sea
igus composite bearing solutions were chosen many places in the tooling and the robot itself. Their low weight and low maintenance requirements made them ideal for this purpose. Robocat system is applied in a harsh environment, and it’s crucial to apply components which don’t corrode. These self-lubricating polymers are used in the toothed belt axis of the drylin ZLW series, with which the robot can move tools. Tools like the colour spray head are mounted on a carriage, which based on plain bearings made of high-performance polymers moves up to three meters on a hard anodized aluminum profile – driven by a servo motor. Without a single drop of lubricating oil.
Trine Zimmermann
Product Manager –
Composite bearings & Linear tech.