Case study
Makroblend® UT helps Bear Robotics food service bots run strong and last long
When Bear Robotics developed their Servi™ line of food service robots, they needed materials that could stand up to heavy impacts as well as frequent cleaning. Makroblend® UltraTough polycarbonate/polyester blend fit the bill.
To meet the challenges of a changing food service industry, Bear Robotics created Servi™, a sophisticated self-driving robot assistant for restaurant workers. Servi™ simplifies hospitality by transporting food from kitchen to table, and buses dirty dishes, using multiple cameras and advanced LiDar sensors to navigate around patrons and furniture in a hectic restaurant environment. Servi™ exteriors must be tough enough to protect cutting edge interiors even after impacts and repeated cleaning.
When building Servi™, Bear Robotics’ engineers needed a material that was dimensionally stable, extremely tough and looked good. Servi™ is filled with delicate electronics, sensors, cameras and LiDar equipment. Meanwhile, kitchens and restaurants are notoriously taxing environments, including heat, cold and potential for impact. Servi™ needs to stand up to not only environmental conditions, but also repeated cleaning and disinfection.
“In choosing a company to supply material for some of our major plastic parts, Covestro's broad selection of specialized polymers, technical support and expertise made them the right choice.”
After testing several materials, Bear Robotics found that Makroblend® UT PC/PET blend had the ideal combination of attributes: a robust, dimensionally stable, impact-resistant and chemically resistant material that could withstand the restaurant environment for the life of the robot, was easy to mold and easy to paint. Covestro provided plastic raw material to Bear Robotics’ suppliers who molded the outer shells that cover its Servi™ bots.
“Robots are finding uses in an increasing array of applications. Our broad portfolio of engineering plastics ensures that OEMs are able to find materials which fulfill their demanding requirements.”
Key Benefits
- Chemical resistance: Stands up to repeated cleaning.
- High impact strength: Holds up to the intense physical demands of commercial kitchens.
- Cosmetic flexibility: Makroblend® is easy to paint, increasing design choices and customization options.
- Simple to process: Makroblend® offers moderate viscosity making it easy to mold large parts.
