Exterior Redesign of an Industrial Palletizing Robot Cell Blind
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Industrial Design Services
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pierreetiennegermain
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TIME REMAINING: 28 days, 15 hours
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Description:
We manufacture robotic palletizing cells built around a Fanuc CRX collaborative robot arm mounted on a fixed cabinet/pedestal. You can see our current machines and product line at www.probotsystems.com/fr/palletiseur/. Attached are photos of the current unit, a CAD screenshot showing the existing footprint, and a couple of screenshots of the touchscreen app that runs on the machine, just for context on the overall product feel.The current exterior is purely functional and honestly looks like a metal box. We want a real industrial design pass on the shell: something that looks like a premium, next-generation robotics product while still being realistic to manufacture in bent/formed sheet metal, or laser-cut sheet metal. We're also open to other materials, just keep in mind this machine lives on a factory floor, so whatever you propose needs to hold up in an industrial environment. 3D-printed parts are acceptable for certain components too.
We're based in Canada, so we work with North American material sizes and imperial units (standard sheet stock sizes, gauge thicknesses, etc.). Keep that in mind if you're sizing panels. We also have access to a tube laser, so laser-cut tube/profile stock is fair game too, not just flat sheet.
This is not a blank slate though. The robot itself, the base, the controller, and the electrical panel stay roughly where they are functionally, but there's some flexibility, they can shift a bit or be stacked differently if it helps your design. The T-shaped base itself is also open for redesign, not just the shell around it, as long as it stays within the dimension ranges given below. What we need redesigned is the whole exterior look, done right, with the LEDs, the door, and the shipping clearances all working together instead of being an afterthought.
I attached a couple of AI-generated concept images we liked for the general mood (dark grey shell, glowing blue LED accent lines, laminated vinyl graphics). Feel free to look at them for the vibe, but don't treat them as a spec, we're open to your own direction as long as the requirements below are respected.
For the level of build quality and industrial design we're aiming for, look at companies like Trumpf, DATRON, DMG Mori, DN Solutions, and Markem-Imaje, they all make industrial/CNC equipment with genuinely great design, several are Red Dot Design Award winners. We've attached a few photo examples from these brands for reference.
Key Components & Dimensions
Electrical panel: approx. 20 x 16 x 8 in (508 x 406 x 203 mm) (length to be confirmed, could be up to 24 in / 610 mm)
Robot controller: 410 x 277 x 370 mm (16.1 x 10.9 x 14.6 in), with cable connectors on the right side, that side needs to stay accessible/have clearance
The current operator interface is not a built-in touchscreen, it's a Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro tablet mounted in a Fanuc teach pendant holder, with a physical emergency stop button on top (see attached reference photo). It needs to stay mounted somewhere within easy reach of the operator
We're also considering a higher-end version of the machine with a larger, fixed tablet built into the enclosure. If your concept supports that option, the Fanuc teach pendant/tablet should still be kept close by, for example mounted at the back of the cabinet or inside a door, propose whatever placement makes sense in your design
Robot mounting height is fixed at 46 in (1168 mm) from the floor
T-base width: 25 in minimum (635 mm), 33 in maximum (838 mm)
T-base height off the floor: 6 in maximum (152 mm), ideally around 4 to 5 in (108 mm)
Base length: 60-70 in acceptable range (1524-1778 mm), do not exceed 70 in. our previous base was 61.5 in (1562 mm)
Outrigger legs, deployed width: 81 in (2057 mm) (could potentially be a bit narrower, but not much more)
Standard pallet size used with this machine: 40 x 48 in (1016 x 1219 mm, GMA pallet)
The robot column/tower should sit 24 in (610 mm) from our reference corner
Robot column outer diameter: 282 mm (about 11.1 in) minimum, that's the smallest footprint the robot mount needs. The base/plate under the robot can be any shape you want, as long as it fully supports and clears this minimum diameter
Additional Information
Reference files attached: 2 product photos, 1 CAD top-view screenshot (current footprint/T-base), 2-3 app UI screenshots, 1 photo of the current tablet/teach pendant assembly, 1 annotated photo showing the outrigger leg sensor locations and base area, a few reference photos of Trumpf/DATRON/DMG Mori/DN Solutions/Markem-Imaje equipment (design quality benchmark), and a couple of AI-generated mood images (labeled as inspiration only)
Website for brand/product context: www.probotsystems.com/fr/palletiseur/
This round is for the visual concept only, native CAD files and detailed manufacturing drawings are not required to enter
Depending on your skill set, we may keep you on afterward for a follow-up paid project to produce the detailed manufacturing drawings. We work in SolidWorks internally, so native SolidWorks files (.sldprt/.sldasm/.slddrw) are preferred for that phase, but a clean STEP file also works if that's not your primary tool
We're separately also looking to hire designers who can produce photorealistic renders based on the actual physical prototype once it's built, if that's something you do, feel free to mention it
Wants:
WantsModern, premium industrial look, something that feels like a serious next-gen robotics product
Front-facing LED status indicator, with one LED zone per side of the machine, so status is readable from either side, not just dead-center
A light visible from the front and top is also useful so an operator can spot the machine status from a distance across the floor, not just up close
Exterior shell that fully covers and hides the robot controller and electrical panel, which currently sit exposed on top of the cabinet
A real, functional access door (front or side) for quick access to the electrical panel, not just a cosmetic seam
A main power switch/disconnect, either exposed on the shell or reachable just inside/under the access door
Controller and electrical panel stay mounted at the front of the machine
Robot must still be able to rotate fully downward into its flat shipping position, with zero collision against the new shell
Robot arm segments must also be able to fold back/rearward for a compact shipping footprint, keep clearance for this in mind
At least one removable/hinged side panel for technician access to the inside of the machine, separate from the electrical door
The T-shaped base is open for redesign too, not just the shell, as long as you stay within the width, length, height, and leg span ranges given in Key Components & Dimensions above. The current CAD screenshot shows our existing base for reference, not a fixed template
The base must stay movable with a standard pallet jack, keep the fork entry openings and ground clearance clear on the base, don't design a shell or trim that blocks the pallet jack forks from sliding under and lifting the machine
General cable pass-throughs within the base and shell, not just the column-to-electrical-box route, this machine has a lot of cabling and it all needs somewhere clean to run
A 120V power inlet/plug for the machine
A quick-connect fitting for compressed air
Keep the rear of the machine accessible and ready to connect to conveyor components, which attach from the back
Realistic, buildable panel geometry (formed sheet metal or similar, standard hardware)
An easy way to extend the outrigger legs at their outer ends to mount safety sensors (see attached reference photo, red-circled sensor housings on the legs), ideally a clean, designed-in extension rather than a bolted-on afterthought
Space to integrate a 2D laser safety scanner, ideally mounted inside the shell near the front with a cutout so the scanner has a clear, unobstructed field of view
A separate sensor (photoelectric or similar) to detect whether a pallet is present, this is a different sensor from the 2D laser safety scanner, placement is flexible as long as it has a clear line of sight to the pallet position
Leave space for a physical emergency stop button in addition to the main power switch, exact placement is up to you
The robot's cabling (power and signal, large cables/connectors) now routes through the bottom of the robot column down into the electrical box, instead of out the back of the robot. Please provide a clear internal passage between the column base and the electrical enclosure for these cables
Color and finish are flexible. Our current base paint is RAL 7012 (grey), but we're open to changing it. Our logo's main brand color is blue, feel free to work that in (the LED accents are one obvious place, but we're open to other ideas too)
Bonus Consideration (Not Required)
We're also planning a future stainless steel version of this machine for food manufacturing environments. That version will need to follow hygienic design principles: minimal plate-to-plate contact (to avoid bacteria traps and make cleaning easier) and minimal flat horizontal surfaces (sloped/angled surfaces so water and debris drain off instead of pooling).
This is not a requirement for this round, the current design does not need to be stainless or fully hygienic-compliant. But if your design happens to be close to these principles already, or if it would be easy to adapt to them later (for example, a shape that could be re-skinned in stainless without a full redesign), that's a plus and we'll factor it into judging.
Don't Wants:
Don't relocate the controller or electrical panel to the back or sidesDon't design anything that blocks the robot's downward or rearward fold for shipping
Don't exceed the maximum width, length, height, or leg span given for the base, those are hard limits even though the shape itself is open
Don't treat the attached inspiration images as a literal template, we want your own take on the mood, not a copy
Don't submit a pure AI-generated image (Midjourney, DALL-E, ChatGPT image, etc.) with no real 3D model behind it, we need actual form, proportions, and mechanics that we can trust
Nothing overly busy or fragile-looking, the machine lives on a factory floor
Ask for Sample:
For the first round, please submit a high-level concept: 3D render(s) showing the overall shell from the front and a three-quarter/isometric view, the front LED status zones, where the access door sits, and one view showing the robot folded down (and back) in its shipping position with clear clearance from the shell. Native CAD files are not required at this stage, but the renders must come from an actual 3D model you built (Fusion 360, Rhino, SolidWorks, Blender, whatever you're comfortable with). Please also include one plain wireframe or clay/matcap viewport screenshot alongside your final render, as proof the model is real and not just an AI-generated image.
Entries that are purely AI-generated images with no real 3D model behind them will not be eligible.
Company Logo:
Yes
Software:
- SolidWorks
- KeyShot
- Blender
- Fusion 360
- Rhino
Prepaid Prize
Entries
#6 ProBot X1 Fusion
by NextGen_IoT_LAB
#5 Palletizing Robot Cell #1
by Design And More
Hidden design
Download Files
#4 Working now
by cadcamservice
Hidden design
Download Files
#3 Carwzsh
by hamidk7
Hidden design
Download Files
#2 PROBOT Nova
by mechanical_3d
Hidden design
Download Files
#1 Probot Exterior Design Concept
by Jinen Sheth
Hidden design
Download Files
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