igus GmbH (Robolink / ReBeL)

igus GmbH of Cologne is associated first of all with cable carriers and plastic plain bearings, not with robotics. It entered the world of cobots in 2022, when the ReBeL arm debuted, built largely from the company’s own self-lubricating iglide components. The idea was simple: if a firm has for decades made plastic parts for moving assemblies, it can build a whole robot arm from them too and come in clearly below the price of typical cobots. The company’s founding year is not confirmed in the available material, so we do not state it. We only know that it has existed for decades as a component maker and that robotics is a new branch, not its original business. ReBeL is sold both directly and through its own automation marketplace called RBTX. We have no data on the number of arms sold, revenues of the robotics part of the firm or headcount. The story of igus in robotics is therefore above all one product and one idea: a cheap cobot made of plastic.

The offer in our coverage is represented by igus ReBeL, a six-axis cobot in the cobots category, on sale since 2022. It weighs about 8 kg, has a 2 kg payload and ±1 mm repeatability. The base price in our catalog is about 5,850 USD, roughly 22,700 zlotys after conversion, while the manufacturer quotes a range from about 5,725 to 7,499 dollars depending on configuration. That is one of the lowest prices among six-axis cobots. The iglide plastic construction is light, which makes it easy to set up on a table or trolley. The uses ReBeL is recommended for are pick and place, inspection, laboratory automation and simple assembly. How to read such parameters is explained in “How to Read a Robot Datasheet”, and a definition of the cobot itself is in “What Is a Cobot and How Does It Differ from an Industrial Robot”. When buying, remember the extra costs of tooling and integration, which we cover in the guide “How to Buy a Cobot Step by Step”. At such a price compromises must be accepted: a 2 kg payload limits the choice of grippers and tools, and the plastic structure is not meant for harsh conditions where metal arms prove themselves. For a school or laboratory that is an acceptable price for safe, light equipment that is easy to carry from room to room.

Against Universal Robots or Doosan Robotics, igus plays the role of a cheaper alternative for education and light assembly, not for heavy industry. With a 2 kg payload the ReBeL will not replace a UR5e or Doosan cobots, which we compare in “Universal Robots UR5e, UR10e and UR20 Compared” and “Doosan Robotics: Cobots from the Korean Maker in Poland”. Its asset is the price and the open sales ecosystem through RBTX, which makes it easier to find compatible grippers and integrators. The weakness is the smaller payload and the lack of a place on big production lines. In the budget niche it also competes with open educational arms such as the SO-101 from Hugging Face, but ReBeL is a finished, certified product, not a kit to build yourself. We give no market shares, because there is no reliable sales data.

The availability of the igus ReBeL in Poland is not described in our material, so we do not claim it has a Polish distributor. Since the manufacturer sells directly and through the RBTX marketplace, a purchase in Poland is probably possible, but we advise confirming delivery terms, customs and service directly with the seller. We know of no Polish deployments of the ReBeL, so we give no examples. For schools and laboratories looking for a cheap cobot, the school and laboratories sections are the relevant ones. A general comparison with classic industrial robots is in “Cobot or Industrial Robot”.

The ReBeL is one of the cheapest six-axis cobots, good for learning, laboratories and light assembly. It is not a machine for heavy production. If the budget is tight and the task simple, it is worth considering. If you need a robot for learning programming, laboratory experiments or simple workstations, the ReBeL is an honest proposition. For shift work with heavier parts, choose a stronger cobot with a bigger payload and established service.