KUKA Systems
 | |
| Company type | private (Subsidiary of KUKA Systems GmbH) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Machinery and Plant engineering |
| Founded | 1898 / 2007 |
| Headquarters |  Augsburg, Germany |
| Products | Plant engineering, special machinery manufacture, photovoltaic industry, aerospace industry, contract manufacturing, tool manufacture, press automation, metal forming, welding, control systems |
| Revenue | € 605.5 million (2009) |
Number of employees | 3,500 (worldwide) |
| Website | www.kuka-systems.com |
The KUKA Systems GmbH, a division of KUKA Corporation based in Ausburg, is an international provider of flexible automation systems for Automotive, Aerospace, Energy and Industrial Solutions.
Around 3,500 employees in over 15 countries, working and coming up with new ideas, concepts and solutions for the automated production and the provision of products and services for nearly all tasks in the industrial processing of metallic and nonmetallic materials.
In 1995, the two separately operating companies – KUKA Systems GmbH (known as KUKA Schweißanlagen GmbH until September 2007) and KUKA Roboter GmbH – were formed under the parent company KUKA AG (formerly known IWKA).
KUKA Systems’ plants are established among various car manufacturers such as BMW, GM, Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes-Benz etc. and also in other industrial sectors, for companies such as Airbus, Siemens and many other companies in operation.
History
- 1898: Foundation of Acetylene Works Augsburg by Johann Josef Keller and Jakob Knappich leading to the company name „Keller und Knappich Augsburg“ Resulting in KUKA.
- 1905: Production of oxy-fuel welding
- 1922: Foundation of Bayerischen Kesselwagen GmbH for the development and production of bodies for municipal vehicles (street cleaning machines, sewage truck, garbage trucks)
- 1927: Presentation of the KUKA Heavy Garbage Trucks
- 1936: Development and manufacture of Point Welding Equipment
- 1939: KUKA has over 1,000 employees
- 1948: Production of double-cylinder circular knitting machines
- 1949: KUKA brings portable typewriter "Princess" to the market
- 1956: Delivery of the first Multi-point Welding Machine
- 1966: Construction of the first Friction Welding Machine
- 1967: Delivery of first Friction and Development of arc welding process
- 1971: Delivery of the first Welding Transfer System for the S-Class
- 1972: Delivery of first Magnet arc welding machine
- 1973: First KUKA robot "Famulus"
- 1981: Establishment of the KUKA Wehrtechnik GmbH
- 1983: Acquisition of the engineering firm LSW in Bremen
- 1993: Delivery of the first Laser Roof-Seam welding system and adoption of the KUKA Tool manufacturer, Schwarzenberg GmbH
- 2000: Implementation of modular production systems for sub-assemblies
- 2002: Delivery of the first Compression Moulding tools for high-strength steel automobile side panels
- 2003: Launch of KUKA RoboScan with Remote Laser Welding Head
- 2005: Large Project: Development of Photovoltaic system with multiple tracking units
- 2006: Production of the first management plan for Car Body Manufacturing in North America
- 2007: Creation of KUKA Systems GmbH from KUKA Schweißanlagen GmbH
- 2008: JEC Innovation Award for KUKA Induflex (new welding method for CFRP materials)
- 2009: Launch of innovative products in the field of virtual commissioning and press automation (KUKA and KUKA RoboSpin Cobra)
The Operation divisions of KUKA Systems
Automotive Division
The KUKA Systems portfolio includes the full range of factory automation for joining and assembling vehicle frames.
- Flexible systems for frame and body construction
- Production-oriented components development
- Metal sheet forming and Hydro-forming tools, Press automation
- Planning and construction
- Project and Quality Management
- Operator concept and approach
- Service Solutions
Aerospace Division
KUKA Systems is a partner in highly innovative robot-based manufacturing solutions for the aerospace industry. The KUKA’s expertise include the production of outer skin, structural components and drive propulsion components.
- Planning and Engineering
- Project and Quality Management
- Automated Systems for Wing blades and Fuselage production
- Automated Carbon fiber reinforced Plastic (CFRP) manufacturing stations and equipment
- Robot-processing stations
- Joining-technology for turbines
- Service Solutions
Energy Division
KUKA Systems provide engineering services, automated production modules and complete, customized turnkey production lines for photovoltaic, solar-thermal and wind energy industries. Examples of KUKA Systems’ key technologies can also be found in Power plant construction and Energy supply systems.
- Production lines for Wafer production and the module-building
- Production facilities for Wind Energy and Heat pumps
- Planning and Engineering
- Project and Quality Management
- Tools and Components
- Service Solutions
Industrial Solutions Division
KUKA Systems delivers solutions for joining, assembling and handling applications. The process technologies, that include various kinds of welding, gluing and cutting, are constantly evolving into independent solutions for the manufacturing industry.
- Planning and Engineering
- Automated Assembling and Cutting systems for Rail vehicles, Equipment manufacturing, General engineering and the Agricultural industry
- Project and Quality Management
- Service Solutions
Assembly & Test Division
The Assembly & manufacturing systems and Testing rigs for the automotive and aerospace industries are built in Bremen.
- Assembly systems for chassis, power units, wheels and mounting parts
- Engine and Axle assembly lines
- Production systems for chassis and Drive trains
- Examination and Test Booths
- Planning and construction
- Project and Quality Management
- Service Solutions
Tool manufacturing Division
A modern tool manufacturing company is situated on the traditional site Schwarzenberg, Saxony with a team of highly experienced specialists that is responsible for the forming and cutting of tools made up of a variety of metallic materials in all degrees of complexity.
- Engineering
- Method Planning
- Tool design
- Die Casting manufacture
- Machining
- Tools assembly
- Tryout and incorporation
- Laser Cutting
- Quality assurance
- Service
Products and services
KUKA Systems offers both standard products and custom solutions in automation technologies for industrial production, in either metallic or nonmetallic materials, incorporating all the production steps, such as laser welding, laser hybrid welding, resistance spot welding, remote welding, arc welding, laser cutting, remote laser welding, bonding, sealing, linking, assembling, handling, drilling, riveting, and so on.
KUKA systems is active and provides robotic tools and manufacturing units to individual and flexible production lines in the automotive sector with its OEMs and feeder plants as well as in the Aerospace, Industrial and Energy divisions.
In the Aerospace sector, KUKA Systems is setting new grounds in the industry of automated assembly of new materials, such as fiber-plastic composites or carbon fiber components in aircrafts. Core technologies like deposit welding or laser welding are found again in the automated welding cells for aeronautics and its components.
For the sectors of energy and renewable / alternative energy, KUKA offers services and products for the automated production of photovoltaic cells and modules in the crystalline and thin-layer technology. In every step of production, KUKA offers flexible and scalable systems for automation modules, e.g. for glass handling, sheets-layup, cross-tie soldering of cell-stringers, taping, trimming and framing & testing of solar modules and solar panels.
KUKA Systems offer friction welding and magnet-arc welding technology to both special-purpose machines with optional levels of automation and for small series or prototypes in contract manufacturing.
The automation products and solutions go over the qualified engineering services and construction, covering areas such as digital factory, virtual commissioning, 3D simulations and RobCad-simulations.
KUKA Systems worldwide
Europe
- Norway
- Schweden
- Russia
- United Kingdom
- France
- Belgium
- Slovakia
- Czech Republic
America
- USA (Michigan and Toledo)
- Mexico
- Brazil
Asia and Oceania
- South Korea
- China
- India
Awards and Certificates
Innovation, experience and employee expertise and the transfer of technology from highly automated automotive industry into many new sectors and industries are the assets of KUKA Systems. Hence, its facilities and products have also received several awards:
Awards
- Global Supplier Award 2006 (Daimler)
- Q1 (Ford/ Volvo)
- R & M (Jaguar)
- World Excellence Award 2007 in Gold (Ford)
- Harbour Report (Chrysler)
- Innovation Award for "Induflex" (Network of Automotive Excellence, 2009)
- Performance Excellence Award (Boeing)
Certificates
- ISO 14001
- ISO 9001
- OHRIS - Occupational Safety Certificate
- VDA 6.4
- ISO 3834
- EN 9100
Gallery
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1920 Success in large container construction
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1931 Resistance Welding
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1934 KDF wagon
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1955 Large container manufacture
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1965 German-American tank program at KUKA
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1972 Construction of the first Magnet-arc welding machine
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1974 Seam welding
Weblinks
 | This redirect contains a translation of KUKA Systems from de.wikipedia. |