Robot Ground Rail

Robot Ground Rail : Floor tracks that carry industrial robots along welding, painting and loading lines

From a distance, most robot ground rails look alike: a long, low track with a robot riding on a carriage. The differences show up at floor level. They decide whether weld spatter or paint mist can reach the guideway, and whether people can walk across the track.

TallMan Robotics builds the robot ground rail in seven configurations, from an open standard rail to a raised loading line with a conveyor running through it. Rails run to 200 m, a carriage can carry up to 5,000 kg, and one track can carry more than one robot. The robot can be supplied with the rail or provided by you.

Robot ground rail with a raised base under the robot.

Open robot ground rails

Standard ground rail

Standard ground rail with the drag chain in the centre of the track.

The standard rail keeps its drag chain in the middle of the track, so the whole system fits in a narrow strip of floor. The carriage bears straight down onto the rail, which is what lets it take heavy loads. It is used for welding, handling, assembly, inspection, and loading and unloading, with ±0.05 mm repeatability and speeds up to 2 m/s.

Robot ground rail with raised base

This version, shown at the top of the page, puts a riser under the robot. The higher mounting lets the arm reach work that sits further off the floor. The track is protected by sheet metal [confirm: example code reads CM], and repeatability is ±0.02 mm.

Column and boom ground rail

Column and boom rail with the robot hung over the work.

Here the carriage carries a column and boom, and the robot hangs from the boom over the work instead of standing beside it. A bellows cover protects the track from dust and welding slag [confirm: example code reads CM]. Typical jobs are spray painting, welding, handling, palletizing, assembly, and loading and unloading.

Covered and walk-on robot ground rails

Walk-on ground rail

Walk-on ground rail with a flat top and the drag chain at the side.

With the drag chain moved to the side, the top of the rail becomes a flat surface that people can walk on. Operators and maintenance staff cross the line without stepping over an open track. Repeatability is ±0.03 mm.

Fully enclosed ground rail

Fully enclosed ground rail under sheet metal covers.

Sheet metal covers the whole rail, and the drag chain runs offset to one side. Heavy dust and paint stay off the guideway, so this is the rail for spraying lines. It also serves welding, handling, assembly and inspection.

Bellows-covered ground rail

Ground rail protected by a bellows cover.

A bellows cover closes over the track and folds as the carriage moves. It keeps out dust and oil-based paint, and the drag chain runs offset beside it. Repeatability is ±0.03 mm.

Raised ground rail for truck loading

Raised loading rail with two robots and a roller conveyor through the frame.

For loading and unloading trucks, the rail sits on a raised main frame that extends the robot’s working range. A roller conveyor line runs through the middle of the frame. The example carries two robots on one rail, with ±0.1 mm repeatability.

More than one robot on a rail

A ground rail is not limited to a single carriage. The truck loading rail runs two robots on the same track, and rails can be built with further carriages where a line needs them. Each carriage is rated for the load it carries, so the robots do not have to be the same size.

Machined and assembled in-house

Ground rail assembly bay.

Rail bodies are welded, machined on long-stroke CNC and gantry milling machines, painted and assembled in the rail assembly bay. Positioning accuracy is checked on each rail before it ships.

Long-stroke CNC machining.

Want a quotation?

Two facts start every rail quotation: the robot model, and the stations it has to reach along the line. Add the working environment and the number of robots on the track. Also tell us whether the site is on the ground floor and has crane access. We come back with a rail configuration and its model code.

The reasoning behind each choice is set out in the robot ground rail selection guide on techman-robotics.com. It decodes all seven rails and covers drag chain layout, enclosure choice and robot cable bend radius. Robots on linear-module tracks are covered on the robot seventh axis linear module page.

Tell us your robot model  ·  Request a rail quotation

FAQ

Can you mount a robot we already own?

Yes. The robot is one of the configuration lines on the rail selection sheet and can be marked as customer-supplied. Send the model, so that the carriage and cable routing are designed around it.

Can two robots work on the same rail?

Yes. The truck loading rail runs two robots on one track, and the number of carriages is set when the rail is configured.

Can people walk across a robot ground rail?

Only on the walk-on version, which has a flat top and an offset drag chain. The open rails leave the track exposed and need guarding.