Our mission is to play a leading role for East Kent in developing the economic and social prosperity of the diverse communities we serve.
East Kent Colleges Group (EKC Group) is a further education provider in East Kent.
With six further education colleges in Ashford, Broadstairs, Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone and Sheppey, as well as nine adult training centres, which make up the EKC Training provision, the Group offers a host of education opportunities for people of all ages.
One aspect of its unique offer is its Mechatronics and Robotics Labs.
Manufacturing, Factory 4.0, Mechatronics and Robotics
Industrial Robots
Kuka Robotics has installed a KUKA ready2_educate mobile training cell at EKC Ashford College and EKC Canterbury College, perfectly suited for entry into the world of industrial robotics and a great tool for company training.
This mobile training cell can provide your existing and new employees with hands-on experience of a range of tasks from simple stacking to complex continuous path motion and logic programming.
EKC Group has also invested in the Kuka KR22 R1610, a 6-axis robot arm offering a 22kg payload and 1612mm of reach. Common applications include: additive manufacturing, dispensing and remote TCP.
The future of automation lies with collaborative robots, and you can experience working with (or alongside) your new robot colleague using our Kuka LBR iwaa robots.
These robots are among the world’s first lightweight cobots, specialising in delicate assembly work. They’re also incredibly safe to use, allowing for closer human-robot collaboration in the workspace.
CAD design software
The CAD set-up supporting our robot kit at EKC Ashford College and EKC Canterbury College includes:
ABB RobotStudio Suite
RobotStudio Suite from ABB is the world’s most used offline robot programming and simulation tool for robotic applications. It allows users to build, test and refine their robot installation in a virtual environment.
Kuka.Sim
Kuka.Sim is the smart simulation software from Kuka, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of global robotic companies and an important partner to EKC Group. The software allows users to optimise the operation of their systems and robots outside the production environment.
Autodesk
Autodesk is a global leader in software for architects, builders, engineers, designers, manufacturers and production teams. It allows users to visualise, simulate and analyse designs and layouts.
Mechatronic Training Station
Our Mechatronic Lab is located at EKC Canterbury College. It is part of a brand new learning zone designed to future-proof learners and train businesses how to use emerging technologies.
Industrial Printers, Lathes and Mills
We have industrial printers (MarkForged X7, Ultimaker S5) located at our Dover, Ashford and Canterbury college sites, along with a range of other 3D printing facilities.
We also have Siemens CNC lathes and mills available to use across EKC Group.
Get in touch
If you’re looking to find out more about the equipment at EKC Group or would like to hire our facilities, click here.
We are a group of six community-based colleges
