Architectural Association students at Hooke Park, a commercially run forest for timber, required a flexible machining method. The project was to take unique forked trees, destined to become firewood, and turn them into building structures.
The system comprised of a 2.7 m Kuka KR-150 programmed using Robotmaster. This provided the flexible, consistent, and reliable approach to the complex milling process required to machine the logs.
A conventional CNC machine was not financially viable and did not possess the adaptability required to process such a large variation in part shapes and sizes.
The robot cell, which was installed in Dorset, was featured on BBC One Countryfile.
