Drilling ship at sea beside an orange area.

Offshore robot

Inspection, cleaning & Repair in demanding environments

The Norwegian company Remotion is a manufacturer of robotic systems for the offshore oil and gas industry. The robots use magnetic technology to work both above and below the waterline and carry out hazardous operations such as inspections, cleaning or repairs to structures.

When cleaning the surface of ships and offshore platforms, large quantities of harmful substances are normally released into the oceans. Remotion's solution prevents this from happening: The material residues are collected directly using vacuum suction and fed into a filter system. For this system, all robot components must be able to withstand high water pressure, salt water and contamination from abrasive particles. Find out on this page what other challenges this job entailed and how igus® was able to solve them with the drive technology parts.

Profile

What was needed: drylin® E ZLW toothed belt axes, drylin® W linear rails and guides, iglidur® X plain bearings
Requirements: For inspections, cleaning and repairs on ships and offshore platforms, resistant components are required that can withstand salt water, high water pressure, pollution and more.
Industry: Robots, offshore
Success for the customer: Our lubrication-free bearing, linear and drive technology solutions work together perfectly to provide a lightweight, robust solution that works in splash water and underwater.

More application examples

Remotion cleaning robot on a surface with mud streaks in an application.

Products used

Linear guide with threaded spindle and aluminium guide carriage.

drylin® SLW-ES Stainless steel spindle axis

drylin ZLW assembly with two guide rods and a central carriage.

drylin® ZLW-1660 toothed belt axis

drylin W linear guide with carriage and profiles.

drylin® W rails, carriages and more

iglidur X plain bearing isolated on a light background.

iglidur® X, flanged bearing

Problem

Remotion's robots use patented magnetic technology to work both above and below the waterline. They carry out difficult and dangerous operations such as inspections, offshore hull cleaning or the repair of surface structures under water or in the splash zone. The components have to withstand particularly harsh conditions:

Water pressure of up to 10 bar
Long-term immersion in corrosive salt water
Considerable hydrodynamic forces in the splash zone
Contamination from abrasive particles
Limited maintenance options

To meet these conditions, the company was looking for products with a low weight and low total moisture absorption. In addition, the products had to be particularly wear-resistant and guarantee stable performance at low speed.

Solution

Remotion was able to solve the numerous problems with the help of igus® components. All components, such as the toothed belt axis, the linear rail or the bearing parts, impressed with their low maintenance requirements and low weight.

The ZLW drives are a compact solution with low weight and low maintenance requirements for use both under water and on dry land. They are used as mould platforms and actuators.

The drylin® W products are also used in the company's mould designs. They are compact, lightweight, easy to maintain and also ideally suited to the underwater environment.

Igidur X plain bearings are used in many pivot points and rotating parts. They have saved a lot of volume and weight in underwater robots, while the maintenance requirements are marginal compared to rolling bearing solutions. They also work very well in the underwater environment.

The offshore robot in action

Impressions

Mobile robot with wheels, cables and sensors on a test surface.

Module of an agricultural machine with an igus energy chain and cable and hose guidance system.

igus manus gripper system with frame and side modules on an orange mount.

Remotion machine with arm and chassis for agricultural applications.

Linear axis with cable carrier and hose in a machine cell.

Gantry axis system with a gripper module and tool holder for automation.

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