Used
ROBOTIC APPLICATIONS
Machine tending
3 robots available. From €18,500 to €28,000.
In summary
Machine tending — loading and unloading CNC mills, lathes and press brakes — is the biggest growth area for industrial robotics outside automotive. Eurobots Marketplace lists used machine tending robots from FANUC, KUKA, ABB and Motoman, with payloads from 10 kg for small lathes up to 150 kg for heavy press tending.
About this application
Machine tending — loading and unloading CNC mills, lathes and press brakes — is the single biggest growth area for industrial robotics outside automotive. It frees machinists from a repetitive, low-value task and lets a single operator run multiple machines.
Robot payload follows the part: small lathes typically need 10–22 kg payload, mid-size 5-axis mills need 50–80 kg with reach to drop parts onto a pallet shuttle, and heavy press tending uses 150 kg+ robots.
Available robots
3 robots available · from €18,500
Used
Fanuc Corporation
Fanuc R-2000iC/165F Industrial Robot
2018 · Stuttgart
- Payload
- 165 kg
- Reach
- 2,655 mm
- Axes
- 6
€28,000
Used
KUKA Robotics
KUKA LBR iiwa 7 R800 Collaborative Robot
2022 · Augsburg
- Payload
- 7 kg
- Reach
- 800 mm
- Axes
- 7
Price on request
Frequently asked questions
Cobot or industrial robot for machine tending?
Cobots win on flexibility and quick deployment for small parts (<10 kg) and short runs. Industrial 6-axis wins on speed, payload and unattended operation. For night-shift unattended tending of heavy parts, an industrial robot in a fenced cell is usually the right answer.
Do I need a part-presence sensor?
Yes. A robot that closes its gripper on an empty position and tries to load nothing into a chuck will eventually crash. Most machine-tending grippers include a part-presence switch or use the CNC's in-machine probe.
Can one robot tend multiple machines?
Yes — common pattern is one robot on a linear rail serving 2–4 CNCs. The economics work when each machine's cycle time is long enough (typically >2 minutes) that one robot can keep them all fed.
What about chip and coolant contamination?
Use IP67 wrist robots and design the cell so the robot enters the machining envelope only after the door opens and the coolant shower is off. Bellows or covers on the wrist extend service life in heavy-chip environments.