Flexible, Fast and Modular. KUKA Robotics in Caracol’s Additive Manufacturing Platforms

Founded in 2017 in Barlassina (Italy) and Austin (Texas), Caracol was born from a clear market gap: producing large-scale industrial parts was slow, costly, and highly manual. 
“We started from the idea that producing large-scale parts was too complex, it took too much time, and sometimes it was very, very inefficient for several industrial companies,” explains Francesco De Stefano, Co-founder and CEO.

After two years of R&D, the team launched a platform that merges additive manufacturing with robotics — overcoming the size and flexibility limits of conventional 3D printing. 

Sustainability is a core principle. Every element is designed to reduce waste, energy use, and environmental impact.

Large-format additive manufacturing minimizes excess by depositing only what’s needed, enabling on-demand production and eliminating molds or inventory.

“Sustainability is at the heart of our business,” says Francesco Sortino. “We don’t just focus on how parts are made, but also on what happens after. Once a component has served its purpose, we can recycle it, re-pelletize it, and use it again — closing the loop.”

When Caracol set out to rethink how large industrial components could be manufactured, the team quickly realized that additive manufacturing alone wouldn’t be enough.

The ambition was clear: to produce complex, large-scale parts with greater speed, flexibility, and sustainability.

That’s where robotics came in. Caracol integrated multi-axis robotic arms — including KUKA KR QUANTEC and KR FORTEC — for their precision, modularity, and adaptability.

“We understood from the beginning that we needed a support that would allow us to scale the production and make it flexible and modular,” explains Francesco De Stefano. “Robotic arms gave us that flexibility — they’re widely available, cost-effective, and adaptable to the industries we serve.”

This flexibility wasn’t just about movement. It was about integration. Caracol’s approach to large-format additive manufacturing involves combining multiple processes — from material deposition to quality control — into a single, automated workflow.

“Robots are essential because we can leverage multi-axis deposition to manufacture complex geometries,” adds Gianrocco Marinelli. “We’re not limited to planar slicing — we can work in cylindrical coordinates, which opens up entirely new possibilities for design and production.”

Beyond the hardware, software plays a critical role. Caracol’s platforms leverage first its proprietary software suite, Eidos Manufacturing: with its slicing module and IoT for process control. Furthermore, for Vipra also the use of advanced packages like Architect and Robot Sensor Interface to monitor and control the deposition process in real time. These tools allow the system to adjust parameters dynamically, ensuring consistent quality even in the most demanding applications.

Caracol’s vision goes beyond 3D printing: it’s about full automation. “Our true vision is to enable different fleets of robots producing on demand in different areas of the continent,” says Francesco De Stefano.

To make this happen, Caracol is piloting autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to automate internal logistics.

While Heron and Vipra AM handle manufacturing, AMRs take care of what happens around it — moving parts across the facility without human intervention. “We’re working on how to automate the factory floor — not just for us, but for our customers as well,” Francesco De Stefano explains.

AMRs integrate seamlessly into Caracol’s digital workflow, connecting production and logistics in real time.

Combined with KUKA’s global customer service and automation expertise, this approach helps Caracol deliver scalable, autonomous solutions that go far beyond the printhead.