This project uses a mobile manipulator with an onboard workpiece buffer to automate loading and unloading at a CNC machining center.
The system combines a mobile robotic platform, a collaborative robotic arm, dedicated workpiece holders, and a gripper designed for large circular metal parts. During the machine-tending cycle, the robot is positioned directly in front of the CNC machine, where the arm transfers workpieces between the machine interior and the storage positions carried on the mobile platform.
The arrangement allows the robot to bring its own workpiece supply and temporary storage directly to the machining station, reducing the need for a separate material cart or fixed loading system beside the CNC.
Workpieces Travel with the Mobile Robot
A distinctive part of this system is the workpiece storage integrated directly onto the mobile platform.
Several circular metal workpieces can be held vertically in dedicated positions within the working range of the robotic arm. The holders keep each part separated and provide repeatable pickup locations for automatic handling.
When the robot is positioned at the CNC machine, the arm can move directly between these onboard positions and the machining area.
The basic material interface is therefore:
Onboard workpiece holder -> robotic arm -> CNC machining center
and, for unloading:
CNC machining center -> robotic arm -> onboard workpiece holder
This allows both incoming and processed workpieces to remain with the mobile system during the tending operation.
Robotic Access to the CNC Machining Area
The CNC machine door opens as part of the machine-tending sequence, providing access to the internal workholding area.
The robotic arm then extends through the machine opening. Its reach allows the end effector to move from the mobile platform into the machining area while the base remains outside the CNC enclosure.
The gripper is configured to handle the circular workpiece from its central region and maintain control of the part as the arm changes orientation between the machine and the onboard rack.
During the cycle, the arm repeatedly moves through a sequence of:
approach machine -> enter machining area -> handle workpiece -> withdraw from machine -> transfer to onboard position
The mobile platform remains positioned close to the machine throughout these operations, effectively becoming a temporary automated loading station.
Loading and Unloading Without a Fixed Robot Cell
A conventional automated CNC station often uses a permanently installed industrial robot, together with fixed raw-part and finished-part storage beside the machine.
This project uses a different architecture.
The robotic arm, workpiece storage, and mobile base are combined into one unit. The workpiece buffer therefore moves together with the robot rather than being permanently installed beside the CNC.
For workshops where machine layouts already exist, this reduces the amount of additional floor-mounted handling equipment required directly around each machining center.
The robot can be brought to the machine, positioned for the tending task, and use its onboard material positions to support the loading and unloading sequence.
This type of arrangement is particularly useful when production requires a more flexible relationship between robotic handling equipment and existing CNC machines.
Onboard Buffer Supports Repeated Tending Cycles
The workpiece holders on top of the mobile platform perform more than a simple transport function.
They create an intermediate buffer between the CNC machining process and the mobile robot's material supply.
A processed workpiece can be removed from the machine and placed into an available holder, while another workpiece can be taken from the onboard storage position for the next machining cycle.
This allows the robotic arm to manage the exchange between machining and storage without requiring an operator to present every part individually.
The overall process can therefore be organized around a repeated sequence such as:
position mobile manipulator at CNC -> open machine access -> unload processed workpiece -> transfer workpiece to onboard holder -> retrieve next workpiece -> load CNC -> retract robotic arm -> continue machining
The exact machining parameters and part specifications are independent of the mobile handling system, while the robot provides the physical interface required between the workpiece buffer and the machine.
Mobile Machine Tending for Existing CNC Workshops
The production area shown in the project already contains multiple CNC machining centers installed along the workshop aisle.
Instead of redesigning the entire machining area around a large fixed robot cell, the mobile manipulator places the robotic handling capability directly in front of the existing equipment.
The system combines three functions in one platform: mobile positioning, robotic loading and unloading, and onboard workpiece buffering.
For CNC production environments handling repeated circular workpieces, this architecture provides a practical method for automating machine-side material handling while retaining greater flexibility in how the robotic resource is deployed across the workshop.