SprutCAM X and KUKA robot in Europe’s largest film studio

A KUKA milling robot from the KR QUANTEC ultra family mills sculptures out of foam at Art Department Studio Babelsberg GmbH. All the programming is made in the off-line mode in SprutCAM Robot X. Video courtesy of KUKA AG.

Studio Babelsberg is considered to be the oldest large-scale film studio in the world. Its subsidiary Art Department Studio Babelsberg GmbH is responsible for the production of complex sets, scenery and props.

The company sought to automate the production of hard foam sculptures with a flexible all-in-one solution using a robot as a machine tool and partnered with SEMATEK GmbH and Datentechnik Reitz GmbH & Co. KG to create a solution that would meet their expectations in terms of cost-effectiveness and flexibility.

Each prop is individually modeled on the computer in proprietary software. In the next step, the CAD file is transferred to SprutCAM X Robot CAD/CAM system, where the actual machining on the robot is programmed in a convenient visual simulation mode. The resulting programs can be loaded directly into the KUKA KR C4 controller without conversion using the KUKA.CNC operating software.

The bunlde solution of SprutCAM X Robot and a KUKA milling robot has enabled Art Department Studio Babelsberg GmbH to achieve a high degree of automation in the production process, resulting in cost savings and increased flexibility.

Sebastian Voigt, head of the 3D lab at Art Department Studio Babelsberg GmbH:

“Thanks to the robot’s high level of precision, digital technologies help to produce props quickly and accurately”.

This SprutCAM X use case is based on the article that originally appeared on the KUKA AG website: KUKA Fräsroboter fertigt Skulpturen im Studio Babelsberg – KUKA AG.