How Cook-e Built a Hygienic Robot Kitchen

• What was the challenge: Robust components that also function under high temperatures and possible contamination. All components should also be free from external lubrication.
• It also needed to be fully hygienic,
• A quick Return on investment and
• Minimal downtime.
• Industry: vending machinery
• Why conventional options failed- installation space was small, parts were coming up very expensive.
• Success for the customer: By using igus® materials, no lubrication is required that could contaminate the crockery. In addition, a more compact design was possible, which allowed the volume of the machine to be reduced.

Cook-e wants to tackle the problems in today's catering industry with its robot kitchen. More and more junior staff are deciding against a job that requires them to work at night or at weekends. In addition, it is often difficult for caterers to find qualified staff. At the same time, the cost of high-quality food continues to rise. A dilemma that is causing many entrepreneurs problems.

The robotic kitchen is intended for use in a restaurant kitchen or in a self-service area. These locations put the machines to the test, especially due to the heat and humidity caused by the activity. Accordingly, the components must be lubrication-free and particularly robust. Hygiene also plays a major role and must meet the highest standards.

Another challenge is that the robot kitchen must be compact, as kitchens are often small and the cost per square metre for restaurants is rising sharply. Especially in urban areas and metropolises, restaurateurs are struggling with high rents.

The robot kitchen offers fresh dishes in a short space of time. The customer's orders are sent directly to the robot, which starts preparing them immediately. Modules within the robot kitchen are able to dose the ingredients precisely. The ingredient falls into the transport bucket, which transports it to a kind of pan that can turn and tilt itself. The whole thing is controlled by software and heated by induction. The transport bucket and pan are cleaned automatically after each use. By automating simple tasks and reducing the associated costs, restaurant owners can invest more capital in ingredients to offer better dishes.

The kitchen robot fulfils hygiene standards (HACCP) . In this respect, the use of igus® toothed belt axes is a real advantage, because igus® manufactures the crossbars and linear slides from corrosion-resistant stainless steel. The carriages move on linear plain bearings made of high-performance plastic. As a result, the plain bearings require no lubrication and are therefore maintenance-free. In addition, the igus® solutions enable a more compact design, which means that the volume of the machine can be reduced.