Truss Manipulator

Truss Manipulator ： Steel and aluminium gantry trusses for welding, heavy handling and palletizing

A truss manipulator does its work from above. It rides on its own steel or aluminium structure over the parts it handles, so the floor underneath stays free for fixtures and forklift routes. That is why the format turns up on jobs where a floor-standing robot runs out of reach. Think of a weld seam along a long steel girder, a tyre store that fills a warehouse bay, or a palletizing cell squeezed in beside a production line.

TallMan Robotics builds truss manipulators to order in eleven structural configurations. At the heavy end, a steel gantry on ground tracks carries up to 5,000 kg. At the light end, a steel beam truss with linear-module axes handles up to 100 kg. Across the range the X axis runs to 200 m, the gantry span reaches 25 m and the Z stroke reaches 5 m.

Moving-beam gantry welding truss on ground tracks, rated to 5,000 kg.

Jobs a truss manipulator is built for

The configuration usually follows from the job. Welding large steel structures and lifting heavy cargo call for a steel gantry that moves slowly and carries a lot. Palletizing, depalletizing, sorting and packaging reward speed, so the frame gets lighter and the axes run faster. Spraying and gluing leave overspray and adhesive on the track, which changes how the axes should be guided. Tending CNC lathes is a job of its own, with dedicated loaders on the CNC lathe gantry loader page.

For industry examples across TallMan’s linear motion range, see industries.

Heavy steel truss manipulators

Moving-beam gantry welding truss

The heaviest configuration uses a welded steel body and runs on rollers along ground tracks laid on the shop floor. The rollers need no maintenance, and keeping the track at floor level leaves the space above the work open for crane lifting conveniently. It carries up to 5,000 kg with a cantilever reach of up to 25 m and travels at up to 1 m/s. Large steel structure welding is the main use, followed by heavy cargo handling and heavy-duty high-bay storage.

Heavy-duty gantry truss with double Y beam

Heavy-duty gantry truss with two Y beams and two Z axes.

Splitting the Y axis into two parallel beams raises what it can carry to 3,500 kg, at up to 1.5 m/s and ±0.05 mm repeatability. The example layout hangs two Z axes from the double beam. Spraying, sprinkling, welding and gluing are typical, along with heavy handling.

Hard rail roller truss

Hard rail roller truss for spraying and bagged cement handling.

Overspray and adhesive that settle on a guideway cause wear. This truss rides on rollers running on hard rails, a design chosen so that sprayed adhesive does not wear the guide rail. It came out of spraying lines and cement bag handling. Rated loads reach 500 kg at up to 1.5 m/s, with ±0.1 mm repeatability.

Tyre sorting truss

Tyre sorting truss spanning a store of stacked finished tyres.

Built for the tyre industry, this high-speed palletizing truss spans a store of finished tyres and handles, stacks and unstacks them across it. Loads reach 500 kg with a cantilever reach of up to 15 m, and repeatability is ±0.2 mm [confirm speed: product sheet 0–3.5 m/s against a 3 m/s series maximum].

General-purpose gantry trusses

Gantry truss

Gantry truss with two X axes.

Start here when the job needs speed and precision together. The general-purpose gantry travels at up to 3 m/s with ±0.03 mm repeatability, carries up to 500 kg and reaches up to 10 m. It adapts to a wide mix of environments and loads. Typical work covers handling, palletizing and depalletizing, loading and unloading, assembly, sorting and packaging.

Aluminium beam gantry truss

Aluminium beam gantry truss with two X axes.

Aluminium profiles as the main crossbeams shorten delivery and give the machine a silver-aluminium finish. Reach drops to 4 m, while loads still run to 500 kg at up to 1.5 m/s and ±0.05 mm. It suits handling, palletizing, and loading and unloading.

Gantry two-axis truss

Two-axis gantry truss with a vacuum suction cup array.

Leaving out the Y axis gives an X–Z machine on aluminium crossbeams that is quick to deliver. It is a natural carrier for suction-cup loading and unloading, handling up to 100 kg at up to 1.5 m/s with ±0.1 mm repeatability.

Cantilever and column-mounted truss manipulators

If a machine or a conveyor already sits under the working area, a full gantry can be the wrong shape. These four configurations run a single beam on columns with a cantilever reach of up to 1 m. They suit cells where the floor is already occupied.

Overhung-column two-axis truss

Two-axis truss carried between overhung columns.

The overhang is built into the columns rather than into a moving axis. The moving structure stays small and the equipment underneath stays clear. Loads run to 200 kg at up to 1.5 m/s with ±0.05 mm repeatability, for handling, palletizing, loading and unloading, and assembly.

Ram-type aluminium beam truss

Ram-type truss with a short Y ram on the X carriage.

A short Y ram rides on the X carriage and carries the Z axis out over the work. The main body is built from aluminium profiles for quick delivery. It carries up to 150 kg at up to 1.5 m/s with ±0.05 mm, for handling, palletizing, loading and unloading, and assembly.

Cantilever three-axis truss

Cantilever three-axis truss with steel XY beams and an aluminium Z axis.

Steel beams carry the X and Y axes, and an aluminium beam forms the Z axis that does the vertical work. The catalogue lists it as a high-speed, low-load machine: up to 150 kg with ±0.05 mm repeatability.

Steel beam and module truss

Steel beam truss with Y and Z axes built from linear modules.

Steel beam truss with Y and Z axes built from linear modules.

A steel X beam carries Y and Z axes built from standard linear modules. Delivery is short, and repeatability is the tightest in the range at ±0.02 mm. It is the light end of the catalogue, rated up to 100 kg for handling, palletizing and assembly.

What comes with a TallMan truss manipulator

Every truss manipulator is quoted in one of three supply scopes. You can order the mechanical structure alone, add the electrical components, or take the electrical components plus a working program. Reducers, motors, guide rails, racks, sensors, drag chains, touch screens and PLCs can each be specified by brand. If your plant standardises on its own parts, you can supply them instead.

The gripper is chosen for the part. Pneumatic and servo grippers, electromagnetic grippers, mechanical hook grippers and vacuum suction cups are all available. One or two rotation axes can be added where the part has to turn. Enclosure is open, fully enclosed in sheet metal, or fully enclosed under bellows covers.

Installation can include erecting the mechanical structure on site, or erecting it and commissioning the electrical system as well. The truss can also ship for your own team to install. Before that is decided, we ask whether the machine goes on the ground floor or upstairs, and whether an overhead crane is available.

Standard colours

Structures are painted in one of six standard RAL colours.

Made in one factory

Truss frame assembly in the plant floor.

Truss beams are welded, machined on gantry milling and long-stroke CNC machines, spray painted and assembled under one roof. The finished structure goes through dimensional and accuracy inspection before it ships.

Welding steel beams for a heavy-duty truss.

Truss manipulator projects

Recent builds include an industrial gantry truss tested for a client in Indonesia and a portal truss tested for a customer in the USA.

Get a truss manipulator quotation

A quotation starts from the selection sheet. Send the X axis length and the number of Y and Z axes you need, with stroke, speed and load for each. Add the building height, the part to be handled with its dimensions and weight, and photos or drawings of the site. Our engineers turn that into a configuration and a model code.

Want to see how each field affects the design first? Fill this The truss manipulator selection guide with eleven configurations parameter by parameter.

Download the truss selection sheet (PDF)  ·  Request a quotation · Video Gallery

FAQ

Can you supply the truss structure only, for our own control system?

Yes. The mechanical structure alone is one of the three standard supply scopes, alongside structure with electrical components and structure with components and program.

Can we use our own motors, reducers or PLC?

Yes. Each component line on the selection sheet has a brand field and a customer-supply option, so you can name a brand or send your own parts.

Do you install the truss on site?

Installation of the mechanical structure, or of the whole system with electrical commissioning, can be included. Tell us whether the site has an overhead crane, because that decides how the frame is erected.

Should we ask for a steel or an aluminium truss?

Steel is the choice for heavy loads and long reach. Aluminium-beam trusses deliver faster and carry up to 500 kg with shorter reach. The selection guide on techman-robotics.com compares them side by side.