Automation made easy

At EMO, KUKA is demonstrating solutions for the interaction of robots and machine tools

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Die KUKA Roboter GmbH präsentiert auf der EMO 2015 in Mailand - At EMO 2015 in Milan, Italy, KUKA Roboter GmbH is presenting flexible robotic solutions for the automation of machine tools. The Augsburg-based robot manufacturer is participating in the largest international platform for production technology from 5 to 9 October with a booth covering 153 square meters. At Booth F04, in Hall 1, KUKA is showcasing its broad product portfolio for integrating robots with machine tools.

Whether for loading and unloading or the efficient use of non-productive time by executing machining tasks such as milling, turning, drilling or deburring: KUKA robots are the ideal partner for the automation of machine tools. They can be used not only in mass production, but can also significantly increase productivity for manufacturers with batch sizes below 100 units or when parts with long throughput times are concerned. At EMO 2015, KUKA is exhibiting its comprehensive portfolio of robots and solutions specially tailored to meet the requirements of the machine tool industry. This includes robots that meet the highest requirements for repeatability and precision as well as software solutions that greatly simplify integration into the machine environment.

Highly accurate and extremely precise: the KR QUANTEC SE

For applications requiring utmost precision, KUKA has developed the KR 300 R2500 ultra SE. The new model of the service-proven KUKA KR QUANTEC series achieves its exceptional accuracy by means of a special position sensing system (Second Encoder) using output-side position encoders attached to the exterior of the first three robot axes. In this way, the positioning accuracy of the KR 300 R2500 ultra SE is improved to less than 0.03 millimeters, compared with 0.07 millimeters for the standard version.

Simple integration with mxAutomation

With the mxAutomation software tool, KUKA is presenting a solution specifically aimed at manufacturers of machine tools.  It enables simple integration of robots with the particular machine controller. Users do not need to have special robot knowledge and can use their familiar programming and operator control environments.

Ideal interaction between robots and Sinumerik

At EMO 2013 in Hanover, KUKA and Siemens announced a partnership for integrating handling and machining robots with machine tools. At EMO 2015 in Milan, both companies are now presenting the fruits of their collaboration. Using KUKA.CNC Sinumerik 1.0, robot path planning is carried out in an easy and uncomplicated manner via the CNC controller of the machine tool. This allows even complex processes on the robot to be controlled in the familiar programming environment in the same way as machining tasks.