A milling system allows you to work on parts of composite shapes and materials, light and resistant tasks such as drilling, contouring, machining or milling; With the appropriate tool, it performs the process with high speed to achieve perfectly finished cutting profiles and increase the volume of machined products.
At the Grand Banks Yachts factory in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, apply new robotic technologies to manufacture high-quality yachts with an 8-axis Kuka robotic CNC machine to transform foam blocks.
The parts for yachts are very detailed, a robotic milling system allows to apply the skill of precision and speed to profile the parts and custom to add them to the yachts.
The robotic arm programmed from CAD software The robot interface runs CAD data, which is processed in CAM code and inserted into the robot via an external USB drive so that it can be run offline. Milling the foam blocks according to requirements. The 8-axis arm works out of 6 primary axes with 2 optional external axes that are a track and a turntable.
This robotic milling system is capable of accomplishing in just a few hours the same amount of work that used to take weeks and months, and with much greater precision. The robot can be loaded with CAD files and left on its own devices to work 24 hours a day if desired. Including various tools suitable for milling the robot, which can perform machining tasks with a variety of materials. This robot can manufacture 3D machined parts.
The robot has the ability to be programmed to work 24 hours a day, overcoming traditional intensive work methods. Both the Grand Banks 60 and the upcoming Grand Banks 52 have significantly reduced their production times by using this Kuka robotic arm.
The articulated arm provides greater flexibility of the milling process since it has a movement control system and great reach, which allows for greater alternatives in the manufacture and design of parts.
Malcolm Kellett, Head of Robotic Milling Operations, explains the robot’s production process:
“A part is initially machined into a foam core, 10mm below its final measurements. Then it’s coated with T-Paste, an epoxy machining paste, and machined back to final dimensions with a nice finished surface before sending it where it needs to go. ”
The robot is highly accurate at creating patterns and reduces production time at the factory, explains Malcolm: “It does the job faster, traditional methods are labor intensive. This machine gives it its base structure and a precise surface to work on. ”
With increased production of parts in the factory, more opportunities are also opened up in the workplace, introducing new knowledge and skills in the factory.