Roboticom is one of the pioneering companies in robotic automation: the first robotic 3d milling machine was developed by the company in the early 90s for applications intended for natural stone processing.
Roboticom was born from the first spin-off company of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, an Italian academic excellence that aims to experiment innovative technological paths.
One of these innovative paths led to the idea of ScultoRob, a robotic system with 7 interpolated axes for milling and turning operations of complex shapes in marble, stone, resin, wood, polystyrene and other materials.
ScultoRob was initially developed to respond to needs coming from the artistic processing of stone and marble, but its huge potential was immediately clear. A wide range of industrial applications opened up in front of Roboticom.
3D milling of marble and natural stones: applications in architecture and design
The artistic processing of marble served as a driving force for the development of ScultoRob: at the beginning of the 1990s, Roboticom had detected the demand for automation for 3D milling of big stone blocks. With ScultoRob you could make real statues using exclusively robotic technology, controlled by the most advanced programming software. The development of this system in this niche market has opened a way to enter other industrial sectors potentially attracted by a robotic solution for stone processing. Architecture and design immediately showed great receptivity towards this technology. In fact, thanks to the flexibility of ScultoRob you can mill, carve, cut and in general customize slabs and blocks, giving them all sorts of shapes and finishes, opening up to a wide range of destinations: architectural structures, bas-reliefs, columns, capitals, coverings, design objects , furniture, bathroom furnishings and many more.
3D milling of light materials: the different application worlds of ScultoRob
Being able to process other materials such as wood, resin, polystyrene, polyurethane and EPS, ScultoRob is used for shape modelling in other industrial fields: scenography and decorative elements, customized packaging, padding and protections, industrial prototypes. This last application – 3D polystyrene milling for industrial prototypes – has allowed Roboticom to win orders with very prestigious customers in the world of two wheels who have entrusted ScultoRob with the prototyping stages that are needed to evaluate aesthetic and stylistic aspects of the product before starting the production on an industrial scale.
The technical data of ScultoRob: technology at the service of productivity and versatility
The robot is available in different models calibrated according to the use that the customer will have to make: ScultoRob can be custom configured taking into account multiple factors, such as the material to be milled, the size of the blocks, the work area, and others production parameters.
The anthropomorphic robot works on 6 interpolated axes, to which is added the seventh axis thanks to the interpolated rotating table: this guarantees maximum freedom of movement of the tool bit for a widely diversified production potential.
The robot is equipped with a touching probe capable of optimizing its precision with a tolerance of 0.05 mm. The standard configuration of ScultoRob includes:
- robot
- controller
- electro spindle with automatic tool change system
- tool box with 10 positions
- automatic probe
- presetting laser
- rotary table
- ARPP® software
As an option, Roboticom gives customers the possibility to customize the offer, such as adding a second workstation (fixed or rotating table) or expanding the reachable area by positioning the robot on a track motion.
The main advantage for our customers is on the digital side: the ARPP® software and the FlexRemote application for Industry 4.0
ARPP® is the off-line programming software developed by Roboticom to guarantee the operator unparalleled ease and immediacy of processing. A single software platform for all robot programming and simulation needs, developed in a totally integrated way with the robot, so that we can offer customers a complete solution.
ARPP® has CAM functionalities that generate optimized tool paths for each specific process. This unique solution ensures rapid learning times and provides the operator with simple procedures for:
- perform CAM projects on externally generated digital geometries (as from a 3D scanner)
- use specific CAM functions dedicated to the various application destinations
- follow the processing steps by viewing the 3D movements of the robot in the cell
ScultoRob can be managed and controlled remotely: production data can be monitored, stored and exported thanks to the FlexRemote function. ScultoRob can work 24/7 and be constantly monitored, also through the use of a webcam, thus providing the artistic laboratory with greater flexibility, productivity and control and making this technology perfectly in line with the Industry 4.0 protocol.
On-site and Remote Customer Assistance
Roboticom customers receive assistance all over the world with both on-site and remote interventions: the assistance covers any issue on both the hardware and software, with the great advantage for the customer of having a single contact person for each type of request.