Manufacturing Industry, Robotics
Service
Custom software
Basic Concept
For RBTX, we took over three web configurators, fundamentally redesigned them, and expanded them to include a STEP exporter: the Machine Planner, the 7-Axis Configurator, and the Gluing Configurator. Companies looking to have a robot configurator developed will find practical insights into its architecture and implementation here. The Machine Planner is an Industry 4.0 web application that allows companies to configure and directly order complete automation solutions.
The previous service provider was no longer available. At the same time, a new STEP exporter for the Machine Planner, the industry-standard format for 3D planning files that allows customers to verify whether an online-configured robot cell fits into their production, needed to be live in time for the Hannover Messe (HMI).
The goal was therefore to redeploy all three configurators for Hannover Messe Industrie (HMI) and to build the Step Exporter.
The initial technical situation was challenging:
Incomplete source code because many internal libraries were not provided
Three different frameworks: Astro, Vue, and Svelte—no unified stack
No access to the existing admin dashboard
Deployment on Netlify; migration to AWS was planned
A proprietary solution for PDF generation via a headless WordPress instance was also not provided
All three configurators were first consolidated into a single monorepo. Next, the two simpler configurators (7-axis, gluing) were completely rewritten in Svelte and deployed. This served, on the one hand, to build a deep understanding of the codebase, and on the other hand, to get the first working versions online quickly.
Next came the Machine Planner. After about two to three weeks, the first working version went live. At the same time, leads from the old Supabase instance were transferred to the new one via a script.
As soon as the first version went live, feature requests and bug reports started coming in from the RBTX team, many of which were bugs that already existed in the old Machine Planner. The RBTX team did a fantastic job with Q&A throughout this process. From that point on, development continued in parallel on the dashboard and the STEP exporter.
Monorepo & Framework Standardization on Svelte
By consolidating the project into a monorepo and standardizing on Svelte with a shared component library, improvements made to a single component automatically affect all three configurators. This has significantly accelerated iteration and bug fixes.
STEP Exporter via the Autodesk Design Automation API
Since RBTX works internally with the CAD program Autodesk Inventor, we investigated whether valid .step files could be generated directly from Inventor. The solution is a C# add-in for Inventor that runs in a headless instance via the Autodesk Design Automation API and writes the finished files to an S3 bucket.
A particular challenge was the iLogic scripts that RBTX uses in the Inventor files, which behaved differently or didn’t work at all in the headless environment. The export now takes about 2 minutes and runs reliably.
PDF Generation with Typst
The existing headless WordPress solution was replaced by a lean service based on Typst. The templates are stored in Supabase and can be customized directly in the dashboard, including a live preview. The result is significantly faster generation, easier template maintenance, and cleaner output.
Deployment auf AWS App Runner
AWS App Runner was used for the new deployment. The service hides much of the complexity of AWS; everything runs via Docker containers, and horizontal scaling and rollbacks work without any manual effort. This enables rapid iteration without much infrastructure overhead.
Admin Dashboard
The new dashboard enables the RBTX team to manage the products available in Machine Planner themselves, without the need for a deployment. In addition, the Typst templates for PDF generation can be customized directly in the dashboard.
Shortly after the go-live, the RBTX team provided detailed feedback. This allowed many bugs that had already existed in the old system to be quickly identified and fixed. The close collaboration with a team that uses its own product on a daily basis had a significant impact on the quality of the result.
An overview of the key results:
Consistency
All three configurators use the same component library
STEP Export
New export in about 2 minutes, industry-standard format
PDF Generation
Faster, more flexible, better output quality
3D Performance
Significantly improved rendering performance in Machine Planner
Maintainability
One framework, one repo; bug fixes and features take effect everywhere
Dashboard
The RBTX team can manage products directly in Machine Planner
Data Migration
Leads from the old Supabase instance were fully transferred
Sometimes it’s worth investing time in building a stronger foundation before iterating. Standardizing frameworks and setting up a monorepo didn’t slow down development, it actually sped it up significantly in the long run.
AI tools are good at rewriting a Vue or Astro project in Svelte. However, when it comes to very specific tasks, such as programming Inventor add-ins for specific version levels, they quickly reach their limits.
PDF generation with live preview makes template customization much easier and less prone to errors
Parts of the STEP exporter are loaded from S3 so they can be updated without a new deployment
Working with people who use the product themselves and are passionate about the subject makes a noticeable difference in the quality of the result.
Activities
A fragmented codebase consisting of three different frameworks, with no dashboard and no PDF solution, has been transformed into a unified, maintainable platform. All three configurators now run on the same stack, share the same component library, and are deployed on AWS. The new STEP exporter went live in time for the Hannover Messe, giving customers the ability to import their configured robot cells directly into their CAD environment. What began as the takeover of a third-party project under time pressure has evolved into a stable foundation on which RBTX can continue to build independently. The project demonstrates how modern software development for Industry 4.0 can lead to a maintainable, scalable result even under challenging initial conditions.