When the Machine Comes to the Workpiece

The technology, which is placed in containers, permits the implementation of additive and subtractive manufacturing processes in one setup. This permits repairs to be carried out and spare parts produced directly on site in power plants, chemical plants, the shipbuilding industry, port logistics, or in often quite distant mines. This significantly minimizes expensive downtimes. The core of the mobile repair factory is the Metrom Pentapod machine. Based on Metrom’s patented parallel kinematics, this exceptional technology concept unites the accuracy and stiffness of stationary machine tools with the mobility of a robot. With this invention, which led to the company’s founding in the early 2000s, Metrom assumes a unique position on the market.

In this concept, everything revolves around the actual part. While in conventional tool machines, the workpiece has to always be put into the right position, in the Metrom systems the tools actually move around the part. These Pentapod machines allow a very flexible configuration. They are capable of milling and welding but can also produce metal or plastic parts with the help of 3D printing processes. In addition, the subtractive and additive processes can also be combined into a single hybrid machining process.

Even more flexibility is offered by Metrom’s mobile systems with which the machine comes to the workpiece and not the other way around. This permits maintenance and repair work to be carried out on turbines, generators, or other large-scale plants.

As multifaceted as the configurations of the Metrom machines are, so are also their applications. The machines are used in the automobile industry, in mold construction, in energy and agricultural technology, in the manufacture of building elements as well as in many other branches.