Kuka is one of the most recognisable brands in the robotic arm industry. The German company that has been in existence since 1898 have continued to expand their automation capabilities with advances in technology. At IMTS 2016 KUKA are showcasing how its technology benefits the additive manufacturing (AM) industry with a number of demonstrations across the show floor.
As well as a partnership with Stratasys on its Composite-Build 3D Demonstrator, Kuka have a number of AM and 3D printing applications on its own booth in the North Hall made possible by strategic partnerships.
FARO and KUKA's robotic arm for automated inspection
FARO and KUKA's robotic arm for automated inspection
One such partnership is with Faro, who are using robotic arms to automate inspection. Four Cobalt Array Imargers - metrology-grade non-contact scanner which uses blue light technology - are attached to a Kuka robotic arm that is able to rapidly scan and inspect an object.
This is particularly useful for larger 3D printed moulds for composite layups. The automated inspection will detect any imperfections in the print before the expensive layup process begins.
On the opposite side of KUKA's gargantuan booth, just past the robotic arm that is making Nespresso coffees for attendees is a huge enclosed chamber with a sign above saying "Additive+". This is a partnership with Midwest Engineered Systems Inc. (MWES), a manufacturing company that has been innovating manufacturing solutions for quarter of a century.
MWES have partnered with a number of organisations, including KUKA, to develop an additive process that prints exotic metal materials using a wire, a laser and a KUKA robotic arm. MWES wire deposition technology is a great solution for prototyping, small batch production, replacement parts and rebuilding damaged/worn parts.
The team have only been working on the technology for a number of months but were able to showcase a working machine right on the IMTS show floor that was printing the blades of a wind turbine directly onto a metal slug. The part is inspected at all times using LaserDepth Dynamics proprietary monitoring software and the parts are able to be quickly post machined.
Parts from MWES's additive manufacturing system at IMTS
Parts from MWES's additive manufacturing system at IMTS
When demonstrating 3D Systems' Figure 4 technology, Applications Engineer Patrick Dunne, was quick to stress how important it is for 3D printing to make use of a technology in robotic arms that has been developed and perfected over a number of years. What with the 3DS platform, Stratasys' machine and those on the KUKA stand it would appear the industry is taking heed of that advice.
