Robots glue timber components at Swissbau

18. February 2026 3 min.

A robot arm performs various manufacturing steps for a wooden structure under the eyes of numerous trade fair visitors: sawing, printing, and – gluing. This vivid example of automation in timber construction was presented by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts at Swissbau, the leading trade fair for the Swiss construction and real estate industry. Also featuring: an adhesive application system from Robatech.

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts booth at Swissbau 2026

Automated manufacturing (trade fair model)

Robot-assisted manufacturing: Wooden struts are sawn

First step: sawing …

Second step: printing …

Third step: applying glue …

Robot-manufactured wooden skeleton at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts booth at Swissbau 2026

... and the wooden structure is complete!

What could be seen live on the model at the Swissbau Lab illustrates the potential of automated manufacturing in timber construction. Production is thus shifting from the construction site to the production hall. In the trade fair example, wooden struts were glued together to form a wooden skeleton using a robot and an automatic adhesive application system, which significantly simplifies and accelerates the manufacturing process. The data is transmitted electronically, and adjustments can be made in seconds.

Robatech refers to the use of adhesive application systems with robots as 360° Gluing, as it allows even geometrically complex shapes to be precisely and reproducibly applied with adhesive. Samuel Ackermann, Lead Digital Construction Lab at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, was amazed at how easy it is: “Integrating the adhesive application system into the robot controller was very simple. A Robatech technician briefly explained the system to us, and then we were able to operate it ourselves without any problems.”

AX application head applies adhesive to wooden strut Automatic adhesive application with Robatech system at Swissbau

The innovative model from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts attracted considerable interest at Swissbau. While the robot continuously produced wooden frames, numerous visitors gathered around the demonstration and watched the automated processes up close. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts clearly achieved their goal of providing a clear illustration of the possibilities of automated manufacturing in timber construction. The trade fair presence was also a success for Robatech: it showed that modern adhesive application in timber construction is not only efficient, but also ideally suited for combination with robotics. Robatech looks forward to further projects with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and with industry partners who would like to use such systems in the future.

You can find more information about adhesive application with robots here.

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