ARMS specifies your cell, introduces you to the manufacturers, then installs, commissions and trains on site. Hardware bought direct — typically 30% below a packaged turnkey system — with the people who built it on call.
A packaged turnkey cell bundles hardware you could buy yourself with margin you never see. ARMS splits those apart: expert specification and commissioning from us, hardware straight from the makers.
Every project runs the same five stages. Scroll through them — the counter follows you.
Stage 01 · ConsultWe draw on years of robotic machining across aerospace, automotive, marine, construction and film to match payload, reach and stiffness to your material — and the spindle, cutters and extraction to the process. Getting this right at the outset is where most of the pain and cost is avoided.
Stage 02 · SpecifyA detailed specification for every component: robot, controller, spindle, tool changer, workholding, extraction, guarding and CAM software. We introduce you to the specialist manufacturers in our network so you are talking to the right people from day one.
Stage 03 · Buy directYou purchase directly from the manufacturers. No integrator margin stacked on the robot, the spindle or the software — which is why clients typically save around 30% against a complete packaged system, and own every warranty outright.
Stage 04 · Install & commissionThe ARMS technical team installs, calibrates and commissions the cell, proves it with test cuts, and trains your people on both the hardware and the software — PowerMill, ENCY or whichever CAM suits your work.
Stage 05 · SupportService and support contracts to suit: remote diagnostics, scheduled servicing, spares, upgrades and retraining as your work changes. One number to call, from people who built the cell.
The saving is the integrator's margin on hardware, removed. The de-risking is a specification done by machining people before anything is ordered.
Illustrative figures for a mid-size robotic milling cell. Every project is quoted on its own numbers.
ARMS is founded by key members of the CNC Robotics team — cells specified, installed and supported across the UK and overseas since 2010.
Founded CNC Robotics in 2010 and led it as Technical Director for sixteen years. Co-developer of Autodesk PowerMill’s robotic post-processing pipeline. Before robots, ran a props and special-effects workshop for stage and screen.
Ex General and Service Manager of the CNC Robotics team. A "Robot Whisperer" with worldwide experience of installations, commissioning and support of robotic machining systems.
The things people ask before they commit. If your question is not here, send it through the form and we will answer it directly.
A six-axis industrial robot fitted with a milling spindle, mounted on a base or linear track inside guarding, driven by CAM software such as PowerMill or ENCY. It machines foam, tooling board, composites, timber, plastics and light alloys over a working envelope of several metres — far larger than a conventional CNC machine of the same cost.
A mid-size cell — robot, controller, spindle, tooling, guarding, CAM and installation — is typically £180–300k as a turnkey package. Buying the same hardware direct from the manufacturers through the ARMS route usually removes 25–35% of that, because there is no integrator margin on the equipment. Every project is quoted on its own numbers.
We do the parts that need machining expertise: consultancy to pick the right robot and spindle, a full specification and bill of materials, introductions to the manufacturers, then installation, calibration, commissioning, test cuts and training on site — followed by service and support contracts.
We specify KUKA industrial robots — KR Quantec and KR Fortec class for machining — with Hiteco electrospindles, and we work with the CAM packages already common in robotic machining: Autodesk PowerMill, ENCY and others. If you already own a robot, we can assess it for machining. We also supply complete Hiteco spindle kits — spindle, mounting, tool interface and drive — from £25k.
With the right robot, a stiff spindle mount, calibration and sensible cutting parameters, robotic machining holds around ±0.1–0.3 mm over large envelopes — ideal for patterns, moulds, props, composites and finishing. For tight-tolerance metal cutting a machining centre is still the right tool, and we will tell you so.
ARMS is based in the Liverpool City Region and installs and supports cells across the UK, with overseas projects by arrangement. The founders specified, installed and supported robotic machining cells across the UK and abroad for sixteen years at CNC Robotics.
Yes. Service, calibration, spindle replacement, software updates and retraining are available for existing robotic machining cells, whoever built them.
Send the basics and we will come back with a first view on robot, spindle and budget — no charge, no obligation.