KUKA milling robot produces sculptures at Studio Babelsberg
A KUKA milling robot from the KR QUANTEC ultra family mills sculptures out of hard foam at Art Department Studio Babelsberg GmbH. The robot is used as an individually configurable machine tool that independently automates and performs all work steps. Moreover, CNC milling also ensures precise, three-dimensional work.
CNC robot of the high payload class as a machine tool
Studio Babelsberg is considered to be the oldest large-scale film studio in the world. The subsidiary Art Department Studio Babelsberg GmbH is responsible for the production of complex sets, scenery and props. The company planned to automate the production of sculptures out of hard foam by means of a flexible complete solution with the aid of a robot working as a machine tool. The companies SEMATEK GmbH?and Datentechnik Reitz GmbH & Co. KG were entrusted with this task. The CNC robot commenced operation in April 2016 and has fully met all the expectations placed on it in terms of cost-effectiveness and flexibility.?
KR QUANTEC ultra: high stiffness enables precise path accuracy.
KUKA Robot Foam Sculpture Milling
KUKA milling robot in operation at Art Department Studio Babelsberg.
CNC milling offers numerous advantages
Each prop is first modeled individually on the computer with a proprietary program. In the next step, the SPRUTCAM software from Datentechnik Reitz is responsible for translating the modeling for the milling robot. The advantage: the programs written this way in the CAD/CAM system can be loaded directly into the KUKA KR?C4 controller with the aid of the KUKA.CNC system software without the need for conversion.
Production is carried out by the KUKA type KR 210 R3100 milling robot from the KR QUANTEC ultra product family. It is the most powerful, stiff and precise robot in the KR QUANTEC series. In addition to its high precision during milling, another argument for this model is its long reach of over three meters. This is necessary because the hard foam out of which the sculptures are milled is up to three meters by three meters in size.
Artistes only: KR QUANTEC ultra milling robot at work at Studio Babelsberg.
High degree of automation of the work process
The KR QUANTEC ultra is additionally able to switch independently between the different tools. To this end, a range of components are available, such as a high-frequency spindle, a tool station and a turntable. During CNC milling, the milling robot uses Tool Center Point (TCP) calibration to detect the position of the tool, such as the milling head, at which it makes contact with the workpiece. Position determination is essential for exact implementation of the computer models.?
Thanks to the high degree of precision of the milling robot, digital drafts can be produced quickly and exactly.
