Stäubli’s Robotics celebrates 40th anniversary

Stäubli Robotics has celebrated a milestone - 40 years in business. The robotics manufacturer, part of Swiss-based Stäubli Group, first entered the robotics scene in 1982.

It partnered with Unimation in Danbury, Conn., a manufacturer of articulated robots, which led to the distribution of 6-axis industrial robots. Later that same year, the two collaborated on their first SCARA robots. These hydraulic machines would later evolve into electrically driven SCARAs, and later still, into Stäubli’s 2021 Red Dot Award-winning TS2 SCARA.

Unimation was integrated into Stäubli in 1989, and in 1993 Stäubli rolled out its first robot produced entirely in-house: the Stäubli 6-axis RX90. It also marked the introduction of Stäubli’s patented JCS gearbox and CS7 control technology.

In subsequent years, Stäubli Robotics expanded through acquisitions.

Mobile robots were the next frontier, and in 2018, Stäubli developed the first mobile robot system in collaboration with WFT, a manufacturer of special-purpose machines and mobile platforms. The company merged with Stäubli soon after, forming Stäubli WFT.

In addition to its anniversary, recent record highs in production and order intake, as well as expanded production across multiple manufacturing sites, provide Stäubli Robotics even more reason to celebrate.