KUKA
Encyclopedia
KUKA is a leading German
producer of industrial robots for a variety of industries - from automotive and fabricated metals to food
and plastics. The KUKA Robotics Corporation has over 20 subsidiaries worldwide, including: the United States
, Canada
, Mexico
, Brazil
, China
, Japan
, Korea
, Taiwan
, India
and almost all European countries
.
The company name, KUKA, is an acronym for Keller und Knappich Augsburg, and at the same time is the registered trademark found on the industrial robots and other products they produce. The company was founded in 1898 and in 1995 was split into KUKA Robotics Corporation and KUKA Schweißanlagen GmbH (now KUKA Systems GmbH). The company headquarters are located in Augsburg
, Germany
. The company belongs to the publicly traded KUKA AG (earlier IWKA Group).
In 1973 KUKA created the world's first industrial robot with six electromechanically driven axes
, known as FAMULUS. Today the company’s 4 and 6 axis robots range from 3 kg to 1300 kg payloads, and 350 mm to 3700 mm reach, SCARA
s, palletizers, gantry and articulated robots, all controlled from a common PC based controller platform.
By 2006, the KUKA Robotics Corporation and its subsidiaries have installed close to 80,000 robots and the company has become one of the worldwide market leaders in industrial robots. KUKA industrial robots are used in a number of industries – from automotive and metal working to foodstuffs and plastics.
KUKA industrial robots are used in production by companies like: GM, Chrysler
, Ford
, Porsche
, BMW
, Audi
, Mercedes-Benz
, Volkswagen
, Ferrari
, Harley-Davidson
, Boeing
, Siemens
, IKEA
, Swarovski
, Wal-Mart
, Budweiser
, BSN Medical as well as Coca-Cola
and others.
The KUKA Chair of Robotics (Prof. Henrik Christensen
) at the Georgia Institute of Technology is one source of KUKA's future robotics developments.
Robots come with a control panel that has a display resolution of 640 x 480 pixels and an integrated mouse, with which the manipulator is moved, positions are saved (TouchUp), or where modules, functions, data lists, etc. are created and modified. To manually control the axles the enabling switch on the back of the control panel (the KCP, or KUKAControlPanel) must be activated (today only with a panic function). The connection to the controller is a VGA interface and a CAN-bus.
A rugged computer
located in the control cabinet communicates with the robot system via an MFC card. Control signals between the manipulator and the controls are transferred using the so-called DSE-RDW connection. The DSE card is in the control cabinet, the RDW card in the robot socket.
Controls for the old KRC1 types used Windows 95 to run VxWorks-based software. Peripheral equipment includes a CD-ROM and a disk drive; Ethernet
, Profibus
, Interbus
, Devicenet
and ASI sockets are also available.
Controls for the newer KRC2 type use the Windows XP
operating system. Systems contain a CD-ROM drive and USB ports, Ethernet connection and feature optional connections for Profibus, Interbus, DeviceNet and Profinet.
Most robots are finished in "KUKA Orange" (the official corporate color) or black.
KUKA industrial robots are used in material handling, loading and unloading of machines, palletizing, spot and arc welding. KUKA Robots have also appeared in various Hollywood Films. In the James Bond film Die Another Day
, in a scene depicting an ice palace in Iceland
, the NSA agent Jinx (Halle Berry
) is threatened by laser-wielding robots. In the Ron Howard
directed film The Da Vinci Code
, a KUKA robot hands Tom Hanks
’ character Robert Langdon a container containing a cryptex.
In 2001 KUKA developed the Robocoaster, which is the world’s first passenger-carrying industrial robot. The ride uses roller-coaster-style seats attached to robotic arms and provides a roller coaster
-like motion sequence to its two passengers through a series of programmable maneuvers. There is also the possibility that riders themselves can program the motions of their ride.
In 2007 KUKA introduced a simulator, based on the Robocoaster.
Since 2010 Universal's
Islands of Adventure
theme park in Orlando, Florida
utilises KUKA robotic arm technology in its revolutionary indoor attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
. The ride's seats are mounted on robotic arms which are in turn mounted on a track. This allows the arms to travel through the attraction while performing their movements in synchronization with the ride's show elements (animated props, projection surfaces, etc.).
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
producer of industrial robots for a variety of industries - from automotive and fabricated metals to food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
and plastics. The KUKA Robotics Corporation has over 20 subsidiaries worldwide, including: the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and almost all European countries
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The company name, KUKA, is an acronym for Keller und Knappich Augsburg, and at the same time is the registered trademark found on the industrial robots and other products they produce. The company was founded in 1898 and in 1995 was split into KUKA Robotics Corporation and KUKA Schweißanlagen GmbH (now KUKA Systems GmbH). The company headquarters are located in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The company belongs to the publicly traded KUKA AG (earlier IWKA Group).
In 1973 KUKA created the world's first industrial robot with six electromechanically driven axes
Degrees of freedom (engineering)
In mechanics, degrees of freedom are the set of independent displacements and/or rotations that specify completely the displaced or deformed position and orientation of the body or system...
, known as FAMULUS. Today the company’s 4 and 6 axis robots range from 3 kg to 1300 kg payloads, and 350 mm to 3700 mm reach, SCARA
SCARA
The SCARA acronym stands for Selective Compliant Assembly Robot Arm or Selective Compliant Articulated Robot Arm.In 1981, Sankyo Seiki, Pentel and NEC presented a completely new concept for assembly robots. The robot was developed under the guidance of Hiroshi Makino, a professor at the University...
s, palletizers, gantry and articulated robots, all controlled from a common PC based controller platform.
By 2006, the KUKA Robotics Corporation and its subsidiaries have installed close to 80,000 robots and the company has become one of the worldwide market leaders in industrial robots. KUKA industrial robots are used in a number of industries – from automotive and metal working to foodstuffs and plastics.
KUKA industrial robots are used in production by companies like: GM, Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
, Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
, Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
, Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
, Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
, IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
, Swarovski
Swarovski
Swarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal and related luxury products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria...
, Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, Budweiser
Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)
Budweiser is a 5.0% abv American-style lager introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and one of the highest selling beers in the United States. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the world...
, BSN Medical as well as Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
and others.
The KUKA Chair of Robotics (Prof. Henrik Christensen
Henrik I. Christensen
Henrik Iskov Christensen is a Danish roboticist and a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science in the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. At Georgia Tech, Christensen served as the founding director of the Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines and the...
) at the Georgia Institute of Technology is one source of KUKA's future robotics developments.
Robotics system information
A rugged computer
Rugged computer
A rugged computer is a computer specifically designed to reliably operate in harsh usage environments and conditions, such as strong vibrations, extreme temperatures and wet or dusty conditions...
located in the control cabinet communicates with the robot system via an MFC card. Control signals between the manipulator and the controls are transferred using the so-called DSE-RDW connection. The DSE card is in the control cabinet, the RDW card in the robot socket.
Controls for the old KRC1 types used Windows 95 to run VxWorks-based software. Peripheral equipment includes a CD-ROM and a disk drive; Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
, Profibus
Profibus
PROFIBUS is a standard for field bus communication in automation technology and was first promoted in 1989 by BMBF...
, Interbus
Interbus
INTERBUS is a serial bus system which transmits data between control systems and spatially distributed I/O modules that are connected to sensors and actuators .The INTERBUS system was developed by Phoenix Contact and has been available since 1987...
, Devicenet
DeviceNet
DeviceNet is a network system used in the automation industry to interconnect control devices for data exchange. It uses Controller Area Network as the backbone technology and defines an application layer to cover a range of device profiles...
and ASI sockets are also available.
Controls for the newer KRC2 type use the Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
operating system. Systems contain a CD-ROM drive and USB ports, Ethernet connection and feature optional connections for Profibus, Interbus, DeviceNet and Profinet.
Most robots are finished in "KUKA Orange" (the official corporate color) or black.
Industrial robot products
| Kinematic Type | Number of Axes | Significance | Payload Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| articulated robot | 6 axis | handling robots | 5 to 1000 kg |
| articulated robot | 6 axis | arc welding robots | 5 to 16 kg |
| articulated robot | 6 axis | spot welding robots | 100 to 240 kg |
| articulated robot | 6 axis | shelf-mounted robots, top loader robots for machine loading and unloading | 6 to 210 kg |
| articulated robot | 6 axis | stainless steel robot for food processing, IP67 | 15 kg |
| articulated robot | 6 axis | cleanroom robots | 16 to 500 kg |
| articulated robot | 6 axis | heat resistant robots for foundry industry | 16 to 500 kg |
| articulated robot | 6 axis | painting robots, ATEX-compliant robots for operating in explosive atmospheres | 16 kg |
| articulated robot | 6 axis | heat resistant robots for foundry industry | 16 to 500 kg |
| articulated robot | 4 axis | palletizers for bag and box palletizing and depalletizing | 40 to 1300 kg |
| SCARA SCARA The SCARA acronym stands for Selective Compliant Assembly Robot Arm or Selective Compliant Articulated Robot Arm.In 1981, Sankyo Seiki, Pentel and NEC presented a completely new concept for assembly robots. The robot was developed under the guidance of Hiroshi Makino, a professor at the University... robot |
4 axis | handling robots for pick and place, handling and packaging operations | 5 to 10 kg |
| gantry robot | 6 axis | portal robot for machine tending and material handling tasks for distances of up to 20 m | 30 to 60 kg |
Application examples
Die Another Day
Die Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
, in a scene depicting an ice palace in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, the NSA agent Jinx (Halle Berry
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
) is threatened by laser-wielding robots. In the Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
directed film The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code (film)
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman and based on Dan Brown's worldwide bestselling 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code...
, a KUKA robot hands Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
’ character Robert Langdon a container containing a cryptex.
In 2001 KUKA developed the Robocoaster, which is the world’s first passenger-carrying industrial robot. The ride uses roller-coaster-style seats attached to robotic arms and provides a roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
-like motion sequence to its two passengers through a series of programmable maneuvers. There is also the possibility that riders themselves can program the motions of their ride.
In 2007 KUKA introduced a simulator, based on the Robocoaster.
Since 2010 Universal's
Universal Parks & Resorts
Universal Parks and Resorts is the theme park division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group and General Electric. The division is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the various Universal Studios resort properties around the world...
Islands of Adventure
Islands of Adventure
Universal's Islands of Adventure is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened May 28, 1999 as part of an expansion that, along with CityWalk Entertainment District, the Portofino Bay Hotel, and Hard Rock hotel, converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort...
theme park in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
utilises KUKA robotic arm technology in its revolutionary indoor attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is an attraction at the Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is the signature ride of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter area of the theme park, and takes riders through scenes and environments in and around Hogwarts Castle...
. The ride's seats are mounted on robotic arms which are in turn mounted on a track. This allows the arms to travel through the attraction while performing their movements in synchronization with the ride's show elements (animated props, projection surfaces, etc.).