RoboFold
London studio using industrial robots to fold sheet metal into complex curved surfaces for architecture, product design, and manufacturing without molds.
RoboFold is a London-based design and fabrication studio founded in 2007 by Gregory Epps, a graduate of the Innovation Design Engineering joint masters program at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London, with initial funding from InnovationRCA. The company applies industrial robotic arms to the precision forming of sheet metal and composite materials through a process of curved folding along developable surfaces — a technique conceptually rooted in origami and computational architectural geometry. RoboFold operates from a studio in Brixton, South London, running two ABB IRB6400 six-axis industrial robots.
Each robot is equipped with vacuum cup end-effectors that grip pre-scored metal sheets ranging from approximately 60 cm² to 1.5 m² in area, folding them into precisely calculated three-dimensional curved forms according to instructions generated directly from CAD design files. This process eliminates the need for custom molds or dies, making it highly suitable for bespoke, small-batch, and prototype-scale production of architecturally complex components. RoboFold's proprietary software pipeline interfaces with Rhinoceros 3D (Rhino) via a Grasshopper plug-in, allowing architects and product designers to simulate, plan, and export robotic folding sequences from familiar design environments.
The company also developed King Kong, a folding simulation tool, and Godzilla, a robot motion control program, with this software later commercialized through the sister venture Robots.IO. RoboFold offers three primary service lines: specialist fabrication for architects and designers, a full-turnkey system licensing model for industrial manufacturers seeking to integrate robotic forming into production, and software and robotics consultancy. The company has worked with internationally recognized clients including Zaha Hadid Architects, whose Arum sculpture for the 2012 Venice Biennale was produced using RoboFold technology, as well as Foster + Partners, BMW, and designer Joris Laarman.
RoboFold's work has been exhibited and commissioned in Japan, Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Wales, the United States, and the UK, positioning it as a leading specialist in computational robotic fabrication.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
RoboFold Robotic Sheet Metal Forming Service
Bespoke robotic curved-folding service using ABB six-axis robots to produce complex sheet metal forms directly from Rhino/Grasshopper CAD files without molds.
Contact RoboFold
WEBSITE
https://robofold.comHEADQUARTERS
United Kingdom
Company Facts
Founded
2007
Primary Role
System Integrator
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
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