The SiRoWo consortium project, running from 16 April 2018 to 15 October 2021, aimed to equip small and medium‑sized woodworking enterprises with a flexible, robot‑based manufacturing cell that could handle a wide range of parts—from small, multiply‑curved components to façade elements made of mineral composites and fibre‑reinforced concrete—while keeping costs low and safety high. The funding came from a German federal programme for industrial research, and the project was coordinated by the Tischlerei Eigenstetter GmbH, which served both as an end‑user and as a development partner.

During the initial phase, extensive concept work was carried out. A visit to Holz Design Gigler in 2018 clarified the breadth of parts the cell was expected to produce and linked these requirements to Eigenstetter’s goal of creating a novel process technology for flexible end‑effector use. The partners identified challenging part groups and discussed them with Riexinger, the robot‑cell manufacturer. Explicit and implicit manufacturing processes from similar projects were documented, and a provisional production process for SiRoWo was derived. The partners also reviewed the existing information and component flow, establishing the necessary development steps and documenting the approach to complex geometry that Eigenstetter had accumulated over years.

A key technical outcome was the design of a robot cell that integrates a flexible tool‑change system, tool‑capture mechanisms, and clamp solutions. The cell’s design was validated through detailed CAD‑CAM workflows and practical tests with the companies robotized and Moduleworks. The partners produced a set of requirements documents for information flow and process integration, which were used to create an implementable yet ambitious plan for the robot‑based cell. Eigenstetter’s design concepts for tool changers, tool pickups, and clamping were evaluated for advantages and disadvantages, with particular emphasis on early‑stage decisions that would be costly to correct later, such as the absolute measurement of the robot before delivery.

The project also defined the market focus of the cell in collaboration with Gigler, deciding that pick‑place, hot‑wire, and laser end‑effectors would be excluded due to precision and safety concerns. The resulting design was tested with prototype parts that featured Eulerian curvature and were primarily made from mineral materials. In partnership with the Institute for Wood Technology (IfW), milling trials were planned and executed. During these trials, cutting forces were measured using a force‑moment sensor loaned from a local Fraunhofer institute. The data set, which also included measurements from conventional hand‑tools, provided a broad empirical basis for correlating cutting tasks with forces. These measurements confirmed earlier estimates of material removal behaviour and the influence of parameters such as tool geometry, feed rates, spindle speeds, and tool changes, thereby grounding the process parameters in a systematic, formal framework.

In the second phase, the project intensified the determination of process parameters and the implementation of peripheral solutions, including the production of test parts. Throughout, the collaboration with Gigler, Riexinger, ISW, and IfW remained highly constructive, resulting in a realistic yet ambitious plan for a robot‑based processing cell. The technical achievements—flexible end‑effector integration, validated force‑measurement methodology, and a reduced programming effort—directly support the consortium’s overarching goals of shortening production times, lowering complexity, enhancing safety, and expanding product range for small woodworking firms.