Robot Machining System
The centerpiece of our workshop is a custom built, 8 Axis Robot Machining System, affectionately known as Hymie. Built in house, and primarily designed for wood machining Hymie is one of the most advanced robot machining systems in Australia.
Features
- Automatic changing of both cutters and the tool head itself with ATI toolchanger
- High powered ATC spindle
- Bandsaw attachment capable of 1.5m wide cuts in workpieces up to 7m long
- Robot sanding of flat and curved parts
- Dedicated incremental sheet forming (ISF) tool
- Chainsaw attachment coming soon...
- Plasma cutting head
- 6 axis KUKA robot on 7m travel linear track with rotary positioner (8 axis machining system)
- Rotary positioner can operate as either a turntable, or horizontal axis positioner (lathe) or swing table(
- Capable of 3 Axis, 4 Axis, 5 Axis, right up to combined 8 Axis synchronous machining.
We specialise in large scale freeform wood machining in both green and seasoned timber, and are also setup for wood drying with one of the most advanced vacuum kilns in the country. This allows us to process a fallen tree or log, right through to a finished furniture piece.
As well as producing our own range of Twig&Bot robot machined furniture from salvaged timber, we also do custom robot machining of clients parts and designs. If you have a project that you think we could help with please get in touch.
Workpiece Limits
- Machining of stationary workpiece up to 10m long (bandsaw milling up to 7m long)
- Machining on turntable up to approx 2m dia x 2m high, max weight 2 Ton
- Horizontal rotary machining of logs up to 2m dia and/or 10m long, max weight 4 Ton
We have a very flexible system and sometimes we can squeeze a little bit more out of it where required. If you have a project that you are not sure will fit feel free to send through details and we will see if we can fit it in.
Robot Timber Machining
Our robot system includes a high powered CNC spindle capable of automatically changing tools. We have a large library of tools enabling maching of a wide range of products. As well as our own range of products we do custom robot machining of timber product for clients using both our standard and custom tooling. The robot system enables machining of large and complex parts that a standard CNC could never tackle, and can significantly reduce the number of setups required where parts require machining on multiple sides.
Robot Bandsaw Cutting
Our robot is fitted with a custom built bandsaw cutting head of our own design. As well as acting as a bandsaw mill for processing logs into slabs and boards, this unique setup also enables cutting of curved surfaces, non-planar ruled surfaces, and fast rotary bandsaw roughing of complex wooden parts prior to machining, significantly reducing machining time.
Robot Sanding
Robot sanding of machined wooden components can significantly reduce the amount of manual finishing required. With bespoke tooling, Hymie is able to sand flat, convex and mildly concave surfaces, even where minor dimensional differences exist (due to drying etc).
Incremental Sheet Forming
Incremental sheet forming (ISF) is the process of forming a flat sheet (typically metal but also some plastics) into a 3D part by running a ball shaped tool over the surface. This is typically done following the contours of the parts, starting from the shallowest areas and progressing towards the deeper areas with subsequent passes. This is similar to metal spinning, but the control of the robot allows the forming of more complex, non-revolved parts. Our robot is equiped with a dedicated ISF head to allow the application of the large forces required for ISF without damaging the spindle. Below are images of some handpan drum shells that were formed on our robot from mild steel. Copper, soft brass and aluminium can also be formed with this process. Final assembly and tuning was done by an experienced pan maker.
