The sculptor robot that shapes Carrara white marble has been born.
Robotor is the name of a Tuscan company that produces robots continuing the great tradition of Italian sculptors. The team of engineers behind the project markets multi-axis milling industrial robots for the stone industry, as well as wood and plastic industries. Their technological solution has even piqued the interest of American journalists from The New York Times, who dedicated a page to Robotor without sparing comparisons between the robots of the Tuscan company and great Italian artists like Michelangelo, Canova, Bernini, and others.
The sculptor robot Robotor's robots are composed of a mechanical arm (robot from the BOT-ONE range) controlled by advanced software (internally developed OR-OS). Thanks to an algorithm engineered by the team, the robot analyzes the raw marble block, identifies the points to insert the sculpture, plans the workflow, selects the type of tool to use in various stages, from roughing to finishing, reducing material waste, operating costs, energy consumption, and production times. The designers have entrusted an artificial intelligence with the task of managing the robot's processing stages. "A new era, no longer made of chisels and dust, but of scans and point clouds where Robotor's technology adds value by relieving humans of strenuous, risky, and dangerous work, simplifying the production process to the maximum," explains the company.
The future of stone
For over two and a half million years, humans have worked with stone: it is a humble building material for common use and a precious one for temples and palaces. It is also valued for its aesthetics, becoming the preferred material for works of art and commemorative monuments. With the increase in uses over the centuries, processing techniques have gradually improved. In modern times, it's the turn of robots, and Robotor has devised a technological solution that automates the production process and delegates stone processing to the robot, and not only that. The company, based in Carrara, has developed the OR-OS software for CNC robot programming, which allows everyone to use the robot without the need for experienced operators, starting from any 3D shape, including scanning an original work to reproduce. The system self-programs to work independently, managing and controlling all phases. The BOT-ONE series of robots can create sculptures up to 4.5 meters in height and includes three versions: M, L, and XL.
The marble sculptor robot Stone processing is very demanding, and robots have very stressful life cycles, both due to the loads they have to handle and the often hostile environment in which they work. For this reason, Robotor has designed the hardware to offer the best in terms of precision, accuracy, and functionality. The system consists of a mechanical arm that uses a range of spindles of various sizes and capacities, with automatic tool change, suitable for milling various materials. The arm is mounted on a multifunctional base inspired by lunar modules, where spaces and various electrical and hydraulic components are organized and optimized safely and highly protected. The system is completed by a rotating table on which the workpiece is placed (up to 50 tons), a fundamental accessory to exploit the full flexibility of the robots. Several of the company's robots are already working in some Carrara studios, and one of them is working on a work by the artist Maurizio Cattelan. The finishing touch remains that of a human, but Robotor's robots are revolutionizing the world of sculpture.
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