Maximising Machining Flexibility and Reliability with FANUC ROBODRILL

For ARCUS ELEKTROTECHNIK, manufacturing high-precision, safety-critical products in Germany demands both quality and competitiveness. 

Manfred Schicht, CEO at ARCUS, says: “The products are 100% made in Munich. That means, without automation, we would have no chance of producing competitive products here.”

The latest investment at ARCUS centres on the Häberle ROBODRILL Plus-K, an automated solution based on a FANUC ROBODRILL 𝛼-D21M𝑖B5 ADV Plus machining centre.

According to Florian Häberle, Technical Head of Mechatronics at Häberle Feinmechanik CNC-Technik GmbH, the ROBODRILL provides an ideal platform for automated machining: 

For ARCUS, the key challenge has changed significantly in recent years, as Head of Production Philipp Lutzny confirms: “In the past, the challenge was to automate simple parts and large batch runs. Now, the task is to automate small batch sizes and complex parts.”

The ROBODRILL Plus-K addresses this requirement by automating both workpiece and tool handling. Its integrated FANUC LR Mate 200𝑖D robot has a 7 kg payload and 717 mm reach, while the cell's storage system accommodates up to 65 tools and 60 workpiece pallets. This capability means ARCUS can operate economically from batch size one, with the cell able to switch between different parts automatically.

“It can change over to a new component on its own, unmanned, during the night shift, for example,” points out Lutzny. “By the next day, various orders have been processed and we can deliver to customers quickly.”

The compact, self-contained system also simplifies operation, with pallet management and program assignment handled directly through the FANUC 31𝑖-Model B5 Plus control.