KUKA is inviting industry professionals to experience the very best in robotic automation, software innovation and customer service by visiting stands 18-530 and 17-370 at this year’s MACH event.

With over 125 years of engineering experience and expertise, KUKA continues to redefine industrial automation, offering manufacturers a wide range of cost-effective solutions. Visitors to the Automation UK show will have the opportunity to explore the company’s full portfolio of high-performance industrial robots, and an extensive suite of software and digital tools that support seamless automation integration.

KUKA’s presence at MACH 2026 will focus on how its advanced technologies help manufacturers across all sectors to boost efficiency, enhance product quality, reduce operational costs, and ultimately increase profitability – making automation accessible, scalable, and future-proof.

A complete automation ecosystem

At the heart of KUKA’s stand (18-530) will be a display of its portfolio of latest-generation industrial robots, showcasing the precision, speed, and adaptability that modern production lines demand. From compact six-axis models ideal for intricate assembly tasks, to heavy-duty robots capable of handling large payloads, KUKA’s hardware reflects the company’s commitment to quality and versatility.

Complementing its robot range, KUKA will also showcase its new iiQKA.OS2 robot operating system, my.KUKA online customer portal, and demonstrate the iiQoT remote condition monitoring and iiQWorks engineering software platforms, among others. Available via the KUKA digital sphere, these software tools allow for intuitive programming, simulation, and integration, reducing commissioning time and providing real-time performance insights that drive smarter decision-making on the factory floor.

The KUKA stand will also include a live demonstration of its Advanced Welding capabilities in the shape of a desktop friction welding machine built especially for the show.

At MACH 2026, Visual Components will co-exhibit with KUKA, showing how manufacturing simulation and offline robot programming help bring automation projects from concept to reality.

Visual Components will present its simulation and robot offline programming solutions, enabling manufacturers to explore production concepts, test layouts, and evaluate different scenarios in a virtual environment before anything is built. By programming robots directly from the virtual model, teams can reduce errors, improve planning accuracy, and shorten commissioning and ramp-up time.

Expert educational insight

In addition to the exhibits on Stand 18-530, KUKA will also contribute to the show’s educational programme, providing the opportunity to have a hands-on experience on Stand 17-370 in the Education and Development Zone. Here, visitors and students will be able to try the latest KUKA.AMR Fleet software, designed to programme and control AMRs, and learn how they are transforming intralogistics by enabling flexible, intelligent material transport within complex production environments.

KUKA will also provide a live robot demonstration in the Automation & Robotics Knowledge Hub during the show where attendees will gain insight into how advanced robotics can improve consistency, quality, and throughput in their manufacturing processes, while reducing waste and manual labour challenges.

These sessions will be ideal for manufacturing engineers, production managers, and decision-makers looking to stay ahead of the curve in their automation strategies.

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In recognition of the importance of comfort and convenience, which are the foremost features when deciding to buy a vehicle according to a recent survey commissioned by JLR of over 2,000 luxury and premium SUV clients, the robots test a range of different foams and coverings for quality, safety and comfort.

The robots can exert forces more than 800 Newtons (N) (approximately 82kg) on each seat design 25,000 times over a period of around five days, simulating movements akin to people of varying body shapes and weights entering a vehicle and sitting in one of its seats.

But it isn’t just the act of sitting JLR tests for, as the Occubots also review the resilience of the vehicles’ heated seats. Across 20,000 cycles over 25 days, a robot reenacts actions such as sliding and twisting in the seat, applying huge forces ranging from 350N to 700N to ensure the heated seat is robust and will remain operational throughout a vehicle’s lifespan.

Integrated sensors in the robot track torque hundreds of times per second to ensure forces are maintained during different tests, while a camera communicates with the Occubots to take regular photos to operate 24/7, independently reviewing progress and investigating failures.

The robots, which also test how quickly foam recovers it shape following pressure from different body types, form part of just one of JLR’s virtual and physical testing environments dedicated to delivering the next generation of safe, reliable, luxury vehicles from the Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar brands.

Thomas Mueller, JLR Executive Director, Product Engineering, said: “Settling into your seat is one of the first experiences when entering one of our vehicles. Comfort is critical to luxury, so it’s a make-or-break moment for our clients and they expect a consistently comfortable ride over the life of their vehicle.

“We’ve invested in robots to work alongside our expert engineers and rigorously test every aspect of our seat materials in super quick time. Automation like this is a vital part of our comprehensive vehicle quality component testing programme, which helps us review vehicle elements over a lifetime of usage and in the most extreme environments.”

JLR’s investment into virtual testing forms part of the luxury vehicle manufacturer’s wider £18bn Reimagine strategy, with Gaydon home to a wide range of testing facilities including vehicle simulators, cold weather climate chambers and a semi‑anechoic chamber.

JLR’s Gaydon head office also features 32 miles of tarmacked test track, off‑roading courses, speed bumps and manhole covers, allowing engineers to put each JLR vehicle through a range of physical testing regimes that mimic real world conditions.

The semiconductor industry is booming. Megatrends such as home working, the growth in artificial intelligence and the rising demand for electric cars mean that the demand for semiconductors is continuing to rise sharply. According to management consultants McKinsey & Company, the branch grew by 20% in 2021 alone. The consultants are forecasting that the global semiconductor industry will continue to grow by 6-8% a year and to become a billion dollar industry by 2030. In order to meet the massive demand for powerful processors, the chip manufacturers are investing in new production sites. Investment costs for a modern microchip factory can often reach several thousand million dollars. Expectations in terms of the reliability and efficiency of these smart factories are just as high.

Wafer transport is susceptible to errors

Turning a raw wafer into a microchip can often require several thousand work stages in a laboriously secured cleanroom environment. Depending on the component, this means that it takes around three months before the wafer leaves the 24/7 production process. The transport systems and the control of the plant and processes therefore play a crucial role in the success of these mega-factories. Some stages in production are already automated very well and to a high standard of quality.

So far, one of the exceptions to this has been the transport of the semi-conductor substrates from one work station to the next. In older production plants in particular, the wafers are generally removed manually by an employee in what are known as wafer cassettes from one processing machine and taken to the next process stage in a trolley. But this process is susceptible to errors. If an employee drops a fragile wafer or accidentally places the wrong cassette into a processing machine, sums running into tens of thousands can be lost.

Automation of the handling and transport processes using mobile manipulator robots reduces the risk of damage to a minimum. With the KMR iiwa CR, Kuka now has a mobile cobot for the safe handling of sensitive components like wafers in its portfolio, which also meets the highest standards of cleanliness because of its inductive charging technology.

Mobile cobot for the cleanroom

The KMR iiwa CR is a combination of a cleanroom cobot and a mobile platform. The patented gripper is specially designed for handling applications in cleanroom environments. Thanks to the innovative navigation software, the KMR iiwa CR works autonomously in the room, loads and unloads the wafer cassettes independently and takes them to the next work station, all in compliance with strict ISO 3 cleanroom conditions. The mobile systems are designed to carry out their work and their mechanical movements in environments that need to be cleaner than an operating theatre.

The supply of energy to the KMW iiwa CR is one of the central features for compliance with ISO class 3. “Traditional battery charging systems with sliding contacts are not suitable for a demanding cleanroom environment,” explains Jakob Brandl, portfolio manager for mobility at Kuka. “Copper abrasion occurs during each charging process. The particles spread around the production environment and may damage the precious wafers in extreme cases.”

Kuka therefore uses Wiferion’s etaLINK 3000 inductive battery charging system. The transfer of energy is contact-free. In this way, Kuka guarantees a charging process with the absolute minimum particle generation.

In addition, the charging technology allows production to be maintained without interruption for charging the battery. “We charge our cobot using ‘in-process charging’. With this, the robot drives during the pick-and-place process over a charging station and is charged in the process – without any loss of time,” explains Pascal Caprano, head of industry management concept engineering at Kuka. The charging points can be installed in front of the processing machines, for example. The supply of energy then starts automatically when the KMR iiwa CR inserts and removes the wafer cassettes.

The cobot also sets new standards in terms of safety, thanks to the inductive power transfer. While traditional contact charging plates sit a few centimetres above the floor so that the energy supply works despite a robot being clear of the floor, Wiferion’s charging plates are very flat and can be installed flush with the floor. “In this way, we can eliminate the danger of employees tripping over in the cleanroom,” says Brandl, highlighting the system’s advantages. In addition, no maintenance is required due to broken or dirty contacts. “Overall, we are thus increasing process safety throughout production.”

For Kuka, efficiency was also decisive in choosing the inductive charging system. “Our robot only has a few minutes to carry out a handling task. It is extremely important for us to be able to call on high charging currents in this short time,” says Caprano. The etaLINK system transfers power at 3 kW and up to 60 V charging voltage. “This means that Wiferion is offering us the ideal solution for an efficient 24/7 system operation.”

The demands on an intelligent automation system in a cleanroom environment are high. With the KMR iiwa CR, Kuka is offering a reliable, productivity-raising automation solution for handling and transport processes in semi-conductor production. Wiferion’s integrated inductive charging technology increases process safety and allows 24/7 system operation. For this reason, Kuka will also be integrating the charging technology as standard with successor models.

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In this new and exciting world, robots freed from their traditional guarded environments will work along side human operatives, defining a new paradigm of productivity on lines across the spectrum of industries. Forget the goliaths of the automotive industry capable of handling huge weights with ease, these are smaller robots adept at handling the smallest of parts. They are easy to integrate, easy to program and safe to work alongside. And they come at a cost that make them affordable for just about any business.

If any company can lay claim to have created the market for collaborative robots, then it must sure be Danish manufacturer Universal Robots. With its three-robot range (the UR10, UR5 and benchtop UR3), the company achieved record growth in 2014, with revenue increasing 70% over 2013 to reach more than $38 million, and profit more than doubling from the prior period. Universal Robots estimates the collaborative robots market to be worth some $100 million, and growing at more than 50% a year. That is borne out by the fact that Teradyne will reportedly pay $285 million for the company, plus a further $65 million if certain performance targets are met.

195 day payback period

The huge attractions of the Universal Robots products have been their combination of price, purpose and ease of programming. The company often quotes an average payback period of around 195 days, depending on the specific product and configuration. That makes it something that’s readily affordable for most businesses. Programming is easy, too. But perhaps most significantly, these robots can work alongside people without the need for guards, being designed safe.

“That combination of features makes the Universal Robots product ideal for SMEs,” says Peter Williamson, managing director of UK distributor RA Rodriguez. “Sales in the UK are beginning to grow as more companies see what it can do. Once a robot is installed, confidence grows quickly – seeing is believing.”

Universal Robots does not have the market to itself. Perhaps the highest profile alternative is YuMi from ABB. This made its debut at the 2014 Hannover Fair, but it is only this year that pricing has been confirmed at around $40,000 for a fully collaborative, dual-arm robot. Lead-through programming allows the robot to be taught to complete tasks by operators by simply moving its arms.

Extending its scope further within the fast growing collaborative robotics market, ABB announced that it was buying Gomtec, whose Roberta collaborative robot created something of a stir at last year’s Hannover Fair. Seemingly Roberta complements YuMi by expanding capabilities into higher payload applications, with YuMi focused primarily on areas such as handling smaller parts. “We are seeing an increasing trend of automation innovation where humans and robots work side-by-side in ways that weren’t possible before,” said Pekka Tiitinen, president of ABB’s discrete automation and motion division. “The addition of Gomtec to our robotics offering will help accelerate ABB’s expansion into new markets as well as our penetration of traditional industries as manufacturers pursue new ways to increase flexibility, agility and competitiveness.”

Collaborative robots at attractive prices

There are other collaborative robot offerings from the likes of Rethink Robotics with its Baxter product and Kuka with the LBR iiwa. All focus on the combination of the capabilities and the attractive price.

But how low can the price go? According to Justin Leonard, director at Igus, a key focus for a number of manufacturers is the £1000 robot, and Igus may just have stolen a march on the competition. Another key introduction at the 2015 Hannover Fair was the Igus’ Robolink D, a direct driven update of the original Robolink. The moving joints are based on Igus’ PRT slewing ring bearings, with prefitted motor technology and easy-to-use Wago control kit.

Robolink D is not yet an off-the-shelf product, and in typical style Igus is keen to do a lot of testing to really prove the technology. But certainly any interested parties who wanted to work with the company in the development could see Robolink D robots on their lines pretty quickly. By targeting a price of £1000, Igus is making a statement. “Nobody has yet addressed the low cost end of the robotics market, but there could be very high volume here,” says Leonard. “We see a gap in the market and we see a hunger for the product.”

For more information, visit the Universal Robots website, the RA Rodriguez website, the ABB Robotics website, the Rethink Robotics website, the KUKA website and the Igus website.

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Following the start-up of its new production facility in Shanghai, KUKA celebrated its opening in the company of guests from China and abroad. At centre stage was one of the best-known Germans in China; table tennis star Timo Boll. The premiere of a film in which Boll competes against a KUKA robot was a highlight of the event.

The contest celebrated the inherent speed, precision and flexibility of KUKA’s KR Agilus industrial robot, in tandem with Boll’s electrifying and tactical prowess in competition. In the early stages, the KUKA KR Agilus certainly demonstrated its skills with the table tennis bat, taking the first six points and providing a realistic vision of what robots can be capable of in the future. But in the end it was Boll who triumphed, winning a close-fought contest by eleven points to nine.

On the opening of the new facility, Kong Bing, CEO of KUKA Robotics China, explains: “The demand in China for automation solutions is enormous. I am delighted that our new production facility puts us in an excellent position here.”

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KUKA has appointed table tennis superstar Timo Boll as its Chinese brand ambassador. Boll, the most successful German table tennis player ever, enjoys great popularity in China, where he will represent the KUKA brand.

KUKA and Timo have a lot in common: Boll stands for almost unrivaled speed, precision, and flexibility – qualities that are also valued by Asian clients in KUKA robots. That’s why KUKA established a brand-new plant in Shanghai in December 2013. To celebrate the grand opening on 11 March 2014, Timo will duel against KUKA’s lightening fast Agilus robot.

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Pictured are Grant Hudson (left), sales business manager at AIM Engineering and KUKA robot sales specialist Richard Goodwin (right).

Partners are not only able to work closely with KUKA’s experienced automation team at its West Midlands headquarters, but also with specialist engineers at its global operations centre androbot manufacturing plant in Germany. In addition, they can access KUKA’s official system partner portal, which offers a variety of promotional material for exhibitions and presentations as well as opportunities to be involved with the company’s PR activities.

KUKA has also strengthened its links with a number of system integrators in the UK in recent months. Other partners include Bauromat, Kensal, Linkx, Loop Technology, Neuteq and SCM Handling. “This special scheme enables KUKA to share its robotic expertise with the engineering skills of its system partners in order to create innovative and high performance automated solutions for a vast array of applications,” commented Ian Walker, general sales manager.

The industrial robot supplier is keen to further expand its operations and sign up more integrators to its official system partner programme.

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Pictured are Ian Walker (seated), general sales manager at KUKA Robotics UK, with Ken Young, MTC’s technology director.

KUKA has supplied two of its high payload KR 240 robots for a variety of research projects at the centre, a unique collaboration between a group of leading universities and technology organisations in the UK. The company will work alongside founder industrial members, which include Rolls-Royce and Airbus, in a bid to develop new technologies aimed at improving productivity and lowering costs.

“The centre provides a unique environment and we fully support its objective of raising the UK’s competitive advantage through innovative research,” commented general sales manager Ian Walker.

KUKA is also lending its robotics expertise to another top research body as a member of the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). KUKA robots are being used to explore automated assembly solutions for the aerospace industry as part of a major research project at the Rotherham-based establishment.

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A panel of 30 experts examined, tested and evaluated the robot not only for its green credentials, but also its levels of innovation, functionality and quality. Only a handful of the 4,000-plus entries were presented with the special award, which is given to products that meet the very highest design standards. KUKA also won a Red Dot accolade for another model in the QUANTEC series, the KR 240 R3100 ultra K.

The new range has been specially engineered to produce lighter, faster and more efficient models, which are said to be the most compact and powerful in their class. There are 15 basic types covering a high payload range from 90-300 kg with reaches from 2,500 – 3,100mm. Thanks to their streamlined design and lighter components, the robots deliver better performance, shorter cycle times and greater accuracy.

The award-winning robots are available from supplier KUKA Robotics UK, which will showcase the QUANTEC series at an open house event at its West Midlands headquarters in the autumn.

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The basic model, KR 6 R900 sixx, which can carry a payload of up to 6kg, is able to reach points not only near the robot base, but also in the overhead area up to a maximum of 901mm. It can be used in a variety of positions – floor, ceiling or wall – and has a compact design featuring an integrated energy supply system. It is operated via a smaller version of KUKA’s renowned KR C4 controller, which can manage KUKA robots as well as external axes thanks to its open architecture.

The new generation small robot series also features KUKA’s SafeOperation system, which checks the speed and workspaces of both robot and external axes. According to KUKA, this function eliminates the need for mechanical axis range monitoring equipment and opens up new, cost-effective options for cell configuration and human-robot interaction.

The new range consists of four other models – standard, food, cleanroom and waterproof – with more payload options set to be unveiled shortly.

“Speed, flexibility, simplicity and safety are the cornerstones of successful automation solutions. As the latest addition to the KUKA robot family, the KR AGILUS series is able to offer all these benefits for processes where low payloads are required,” commented Ian Walker, general sales manager at KUKA Robotics UK.

The company is set to hold an open house event this autumn at its Midlands headquarters where it will showcase its new small robots as well as the latest models in its QUANTEC high payload series.

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