Questions
The questions we get asked
The claims on this site, answered plainly. If yours is not here, ask us — we answer within a working day or two.
Do I need a PLC?
No. The robot controller already runs the sequence, and Stackmill drives it from an ordinary industrial computer — nothing real-time, nothing special. If your line already has a PLC we can talk to it, but palletizing does not need one.
Do I have to buy an HMI panel?
No. The operator screens are served over the network by the machine running Stackmill, so they open on the robot's own tablet pendant where the robot has one, on a tablet, or on any computer in the workshop. There is no dedicated HMI hardware to specify or to buy.
Which robots does Stackmill drive?
FANUC today: that is where the driver is proven, and where most of our customers are. The rest of the software is brand-independent and other brands will follow, but FANUC is what is available now.
What computer does it need?
Any computer does the job: an industrial PC, a standard desktop, even a laptop. The desktop application runs on Windows and on Linux; a Stackmill server — the machine that drives a robot in production — is Linux only. No real-time operating system, no dedicated hardware.
Does it need an internet connection?
No. A licence is activated once on a machine and the software then runs offline. How it behaves with no network depends on that machine’s security module, and the documentation explains each case.
Is there a subscription?
No, and there will not be one on the standard product. The licence is bought once and does not expire. Maintenance exists and is optional: taking it or not never decides whether the software keeps running.
What does it cost?
2 950 € per machine, paid once — the same price for a workstation and for the computer that drives a robot. The demo is free, complete and has no time limit. Education licences and training are quoted separately.
Desktop or server — which licence do I need?
A desktop licence is the workstation where you prepare, simulate and validate a station. A server licence is the computer that drives a robot in production, with the operator screens. A station that produces carries its own licence; ask us how to count them for a line with several robots.
Can I try it before buying?
Yes. The demo is the full software, every feature, no time limit — only export is disabled. What you build in demo stays yours: a licence unlocks export on that machine and the files you saved open normally again.
What comes out of it, and do I keep it?
A program in the robot’s own language, which the controller runs on its own with no PC in the loop. It stays on the robot whatever happens to your licence — or to us.
Can operators change the pallet without calling an integrator?
Yes. Formats are recipes: the operator picks one on the screen and the cycle follows. Alarms are written in plain language, and restarting after a stop is guided step by step.
Do you train and support?
Yes. Training covers the software and the robot side of it, remotely or on your site, and is quoted per project — there is no fixed price because no two lines are the same. Support can run over a secure remote link that you open.
Still not answered?
Write to us with the robot, the product and the rate you have in mind. A real answer, from the people who wrote the software.