Heron AM platform uses 6-axis KUKA robot to produce large-scale additive parts.
Milan-based Caracol will be introducing its robotic large format additive manufacturing (LFAM) platform for the first time at a major US manufacturing tradeshow at this year’s IMTS. The Italian company’s goal is to demonstrate how manufacturers can produce industrial large-scale 3D printed parts with more efficiency, flexibility and sustainability using its technology.
Partnering with KUKA, Caracol will give visitors an up-close look at the capabilities of LFAM in the robotics company’s booth via Caracol’s flagship Heron AM integrated AM platform. The modular hardware-software robotic system works on 6+ axes and is designed to enable manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, energy and maritime to produce thermoplastic composite parts with very complex geometries and with no scale or shape limits.
Caracol characterizes its partnership with KUKA as the culmination of years of close collaboration, during which Caracol developed and industrialized its robotic AM platform using KUKA’s six-axis robotic arms for kinematics. KUKA’s choice to select Caracol as a reference for LFAM applications on their booth underscores this close collaboration and Caracol’s role in the field of robotic 3D printing.
In addition to the demonstration at the KUKA booth, Carocal will showcase various customer projects and applications at its own booth in an effort to exhibit the potential of LFAM and robotics for industrial additive manufacturing.
“IMTS’s expanded focus on additive manufacturing and automation this year highlights the growing impact of these technologies in industrial supply chains,” said Violetta Nespolo, chief marketing and strategy officer at Caracol Amm, in a press release. “Since our inception, we’ve harnessed robotics to revolutionize large-scale 3D printing, enabling unparalleled efficiency, flexibility, and geometric freedom that conventional methods can’t match. We’re excited to showcase these capabilities through our customer projects at IMTS 2024.”
The show is scheduled for September 9-14 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
