Braiding machines
A cobot reaches the carriers from defined access positions. The gripper guides the bobbin onto its spindle while the machine is stopped.
Flagship project · Textile, wire & cable
Bobbin change, automated.
Braiding and rope machines stop every time a bobbin runs empty. We automate the whole change: detection, supply and swap. Our goal: less waiting at the machine and less lifting for people.
The problem
Every empty bobbin stops the machine.
01
Many carriers, constant changes
Braiders run with many carriers, halls with many braiders. Every change interrupts production.
02
Heavy, repetitive work
Large bobbins call for lifting aids and precise positioning, again and again.
03
Stops that add up
Missing supplies or waiting for an operator prolongs the stoppage.
The solution
One cell, six steps.
A mobile robot with an arm, a camera on the wrist and a link to the machine control.
- 01
Monitor
Sensors and cameras check the fill level of the bobbins.
- 02
Supply
A mobile robot brings full bobbins from the winder or the store.
- 03
Stop & index
The machine stops with the carrier in its change position; the safety system clears the robot.
- 04
Swap
The arm removes the empty bobbin and places a full one, guided by vision.
- 05
Thread & secure
Material-end handling secures the yarn or wire; tension is checked before the restart.
- 06
Restart
The machine restarts; empty bobbins return to the winder.
Two machine families
Braiding and rope machines.
Rope machines
Large bobbins call for a stronger robot or rail-mounted handling inside a guarded cell. The cradle is opened, the bobbin is lifted in and locked.
Digital twin
Trained before the first test.
The machine, its carriers and the robot exist in simulation before anything moves on site. Gripper strategy, vision models and the change sequence are trained and checked there.
- Synthetic images of bobbins in every state: full, low, empty, tangled
- Simulated swaps to tune grasps, approach paths and the sequence
- Cycle times and protective zones assessed in simulation, then validated on the real cell
Vision
Knows which bobbin is next.
The wrist camera identifies carriers and bobbins and estimates their fill level, so the robot plans the next changes in time.
- full
- low
- change next
Integration
Built around existing machines.
Machine interface
Signals from the machine control: stop in change position, bobbin status, restart.
Safety
Laser scanners, speed and separation monitoring, guarded zones for heavy loads.
Supply logistics
Connects winders and stores; empty bobbins return automatically.
Retrofit
We assess access, interfaces and bobbin formats, then design tooling and sequencing for each machine.
Running braiders or rope machines?
Send us your bobbin types, machine models and shift pattern. We prepare a first cell concept and a simulation of your line.
Write to usinfo@acru-robotics.com