We are celebrating!! This week we are launching IRBCAM version 2.0, and the timing could not be better. In September two years ago was the public launch of the new online IRBCAM and 20 years ago (2006) was the year of the public launch of IRBCAM.
In the two years that have passed since the launch, we are fortunate to have users from 54 different countries. Top three countries are Norway, Germany, and United States. However, there is still a long way to go so help us spread the word about the amazing IRBCAM features and value!
Want a free trial of the full version? Contact us on support@hokarob.com
Version 2.0
Instant toolpath and tool-trace
Instant visualization of all targets and full tool-trace is a major improvement that we are very happy with. In fact this is a very good example of how we can use GPU acceleration in the browser.
Multi-tool
In milling operations it is quite common to use different tools, e.g. roughing with one tool and a fine pass with another. With the new multi-tool function you can now do full simulation taking into account the length of the tool.
Stäubli robot support
Stäubli robots are popular for robotic milling. For that reason, it was important for us to finally add it. It is now the 10th robot brand and Stäubli CS8 is the 24th controller supported in IRBCAM.
Highlight of developments in the past year
The full list of releases is available here.
| v.1.5 (October 2025) |
|---|
- Undo/redo functionality
- Resizable windows in Combination View and Optimizer
v.1.6 (March 2026)
- G-code import
- New optimizer plots
- Gun on/off animation
- Support for Kawasaki
- Joint moves
| v.1.7 (April 2026) |
|---|
- User-Frame with respect to robot base (Motoman, Kawasaki and Fanuc).
- VKRC support
v.1.8 (July 2025)
- Improved g-code import (handling E values)
- User-defined scene camera pose
- Multiple paths in JSON
UI overhaul Part 2
Version 2.0 has several UI improvements, most notably the target and tool-trace. But there is more to come soon. One update is a sidebar for quick access to the various edit menus.
More than just software
At Hokarob, hardware and machine design is also a big part of what we do. We believe this is a powerful combination. Lately we have delivered two rotary tables to customers, one to Denmark for a hybrid machining and additive application and one in Norway to an automation application.
A key feature of this delivery is that the rotary table can be programmed directly from IRBCAM and commanded from the robot - no need for an external PLC or low-level CIA-402 operation. Worth mentioning is also that the steel top plate on the rotary unit was machined on our very own machine PKM-1.
More than software applies to IRBCAM as well. We put a lot of effort into our customer support and work very closely with our customers to get them operational end-to-end with their robots (via e-mail or video calls). The “Share with support” feature makes it very convenient to quickly get help and troubleshooting assistance.
Nordic collaboration
It is extremely rewarding when our customers share some of the amazing things they make using robots.
This amazing fifteen meter long and four meters tall sculpture is called “Human Lace”. The artist is Tori Wrånes, and the venue is no less than the Nordic Countries Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia.
Otto at Storverkstan (Sweden) did the milling on his IRB6600, and Kilden Theatre workshop (Norway) did the dressing and final assembly. Great teamwork!
Let us know if you have a use case that we can share!
The road ahead
Additive Manufacturing
We are currently expanding into additive manufacturing with IRBCAM (metal and polymer). Basic AM has always been supported, but now we are adding support for more advanced use cases. For the time being (and at least until end of year) all use of IRBCAM for AM is free in exchange for testing and feedback.
Product configurators and parametric design
A lot of our users are doing very free-form milling with no two parts being the same and for these users it makes sense to have the flexibility that a full CAD/CAM workflow gives. On the other end of the scale, you have batch manufacturing of highly parametric parts. For these users it can make a lot of sense to replace the CAD/CAM workflow with a custom tool such as a 3d product configurator. Let us know if this is of interest to you.
Customer driven
For two decades, the IRBCAM user community has served as an invaluable source of feedback and inspiration, and the software has been developed based on needs and feature requests from the users. A big thank you to all the IRBCAM users for being a part of this! As a user you have the power to guide our development. Missing something, a feature or a robot brand or model? Do not hesitate to contact us.
Until next time
We realized that more than a year has passed since we sent our previous newsletter. We can promise two things - you will not be drowned with IRBCAM newsletters, but it will be less than a year before a new newsletter arrives in your inbox.
You can also keep yourself up to date with what is happening on our Linkedin page, our Youtube channel and our X account.
- the HOKAROB Team