10× · 5×Base joint torque, and arm weight
The mounting surface must withstand at least ten times the full torque of the base joint and at least five times the weight of the arm, and be vibration free.
UR10 CB3 User Manual, section 1.8.3
800.258.9700
IMTS 2026 · Chicago · September 14 to 19 · Workplace TORQ debuts at the show.
Book time to see it in personTORQ Robotics Infrastructure / Workplace TORQ Bench
Your robot is only as precise as the base it stands on.
Workplace TORQ Bench is the welded-steel robot workstation. Stiff enough to keep the mounted assembly out of the band your robot's own motion excites, and heavy enough to take the reaction load of every move. Order it fully assembled, or shipped knocked down with about one fifth of the assembly labor of an equivalent extrusion bench.
- FrameWelded steel
- ShipsAssembled or knocked down
- FitsRobot agnostic
- Lead time4 to 6 weeks
Workplace Modular Systems · Londonderry, NH · Est. 1950
Workplace TORQ Bench
TORQ Robotics Infrastructure · Build Spec REV 2026.1
- Construction
- Welded steel sub-assemblies
- Joints
- Serrated flange hardware
- Robot mounting
- Plate at 45°, 90° or 135°, or the work surface
- Work height
- 3 standard heights, ±1 in. at the feet
- Ships
- Assembled or knocked down
- Lead time
- 4 to 6 weeks
Robot work cell vibration
Stay out of the band.
A robot's own motion excites the structure it stands on. ABB puts the danger zone at 10 to 20 Hz, where disturbances get amplified, and sets 22 Hz as the minimum resonance frequency for the base. A stiffer base has a higher natural frequency, which keeps the mounted assembly clear of that band. That is the whole argument for TORQ.
Natural frequency map · 0 to 80 Hz
Published figures only
Industrial robot, its own structural modesMeasured, varies with arm pose
8 to 22 Hz
ABB installation requirementIRB 910SC, 6620, 6660 manuals
Amplified 10 to 20 Hz · base minimum 22 Hz
Welded structural steel pedestalPublished finite element analysis
69.5 Hz first mode
Aluminum extrusion pedestalCategory default
We have not found a published modal analysis.
Workplace TORQ Bench, mountedSame robot, same program
Controlled benchmark in progress.
Hz
ABB amplification band, 10 to 20 Hz
ABB minimum, 22 Hz
Measured range
Published point value
Sources: ABB IRB 910SC, IRB 6620 and IRB 6660 product manuals. Modal analysis of a six-axis industrial robot, arXiv 1201.4443. Finite element analysis of a welded steel robot pedestal, IJETR041592. The 69.5 Hz figure is a published study of a welded steel pedestal, not a TORQ measurement.
Robot installation requirements
The robot manufacturers already wrote the spec. Then they handed it to you.
Every one of these requirements is in the manufacturer's own installation manual. None of them is met by the robot. All of them land on whoever supplies the base.
0.5 mm · 0.5°Flatness and inclination limits
FANUC warns that a robot base on uneven ground may break or perform poorly.
M-20iD Mechanical Unit Operator's Manual22 HzMinimum resonance frequency
Resonance in the 10 to 20 Hz region is amplified and may shorten manipulator lifetime. A load rating cannot satisfy this. A frequency can.
IRB 910SC, IRB 6620, IRB 6660 product manuals
The gap
A tipping calculation tells you whether a stand falls over. Not tipping over is the bare minimum that keeps your people safe. It should never be the governing design constraint behind an asset you bought to multiply throughput, quality and consistency. Your robot manufacturer published a number. Ask how your base was checked against it.
Stiffness and mass
Two jobs. One welded steel base does both.
Stiffness
Stiffness moves the frequency.
Natural frequency rises with stiffness and falls with mass. On paper, the most efficient way out of the band is a structure that is stiffer and lighter than aluminum extrusion: k goes up, m comes down.
fn =
12π
√km
fn natural frequency · k stiffness · m mass. Raise k and fn climbs. Raise m and it falls.
Mass
Mass takes the hit.
You can't fake mass.
But you need mass in the robot's foundation. Every time the arm accelerates, it applies linear and rotational forces down into the structure it is bolted to, and inertia is what counteracts them. Strip the mass out and the base moves, walks and tips under the same load.
Engineering noteBallast bolted to a flexible frame adds mass without stiffness, which lowers natural frequency. In TORQ, the mass is the structure.
The solution
A stiff and sturdy structural foundation capable of withstanding anything the robot can throw at it.
Elastic modulus (stiffness)
Density (mass)
Same footprint. Nearly triple the stiffness and mass.
You have a finite footprint for your automated infrastructure, and the robot and base have to share it. Steel TORQ workstations nearly triple the mass and stiffness of aluminum extrusion kits.
Typical values: structural steel and 6000-series aluminum.
Make the most of your investment
Run the robot the way it was built to run.
A robust platform lets operators run the robot at higher speeds and accelerations, within its rated limits, without sacrificing precision, repeatability, accuracy or stability. The base stops being the bottleneck in the program.
Welded vs bolted
A bolted joint is at its best the day it's torqued.
TORQ is built from welded steel sub-assemblies. Inside each one, a weld has no clearance and no preload to lose. Where sub-assemblies join, serrated flange hardware bites into the steel instead of relying on bolt torque alone. An aluminum extrusion frame is a bolted, clearance-fit friction joint at every connection: it resists rotation through preload, and transverse vibration is exactly what takes preload away.
| Property | Workplace TORQ, welded steel sub-assemblies | Bolted aluminum extrusion |
|---|---|---|
| What holds the joint | Welds inside each sub-assembly. Serrated flange hardware between them. | Bolt preload and friction at every connection |
| Clearance | None inside a welded sub-assembly | Built in, by design |
| Under transverse vibration | Welds have nothing to loosen. Serrated flanges bite into the steel and resist loosening. | Micro-slip at the joint. Preload decays over time. |
| Damping | Lower, by design. TORQ avoids resonance instead of absorbing it. | Higher. Published comparisons put bolted joints at roughly two to three times welded, because that micro-slip dissipates energy.Extrusion's advantage |
| After months of cycles | Serrated flange hardware bites into the material instead of relying on bolt torque alone | Re-torque and re-teach |
| Reconfiguration | Welded sub-assemblies are permanent. Extrusion connection points kept where modularity matters. | Fast. The right call when the cell changes every month.Extrusion's advantage |
| How it ships | Fully assembled, or knocked down as welded sub-assemblies | A kit of profiles, T-nuts and screws |
| Assembly labor | None if you order it assembled. About one fifth of the kit estimate, knocked down. | The supplier's own estimate, per bench |
Building a production cell that has to hold its taught points for years?
That is what TORQ is built for.
Building a pilot cell you'll rebuild in six months?
Extrusion is a good answer.
The same micro-slip that gives a bolted frame its damping is the mechanism that walks preload out and shifts taught positions. One practitioner on the Tormach user forum describes where that ends: a bump shifts the robot table, and then it's time to re-train all my positions.
Damping comparison: Tom Irvine, "The Damping Characteristics of Bolted and Welded Joints."
Assembly labor
Order it built. Or build it with a fifth of the labor.
Order TORQ fully assembled and there is no frame to build. Ship it knocked down and its welded sub-assemblies bolt together with about one fifth of the labor of an equivalent extrusion bench, based on the extrusion supplier's own assembly estimate for a bench of the same size and shape. The extrusion bench arrives as a kit of profiles, T-nuts and screws.
Workplace TORQ Bench, fully assembledArrives built from Londonderry.
No frame assembly. Level it, mount the robot, route utilities.
Workplace TORQ Bench, knocked downAssembled by your team on site.
1×
Extrusion bench, equivalent size and shapeAssembled from the kit. Supplier's own assembly estimate.
5×
Every five hours
of extrusion kit assembly becomes about one hour with TORQ shipped knocked down.
A ten-cell line
About 80% of the base assembly labor comes back to the project, or all of it if the benches ship built.
For integrators
Assembly hours are either billed to your customer or taken out of your margin. Neither wins the next job.
Welded steel robot base
Built for the cell, not the catalog.
Welded steel where the robot needs stiffness and mass. Extrusion where you need to bolt things on. The numbers match the balloons on Fig. 1.
- 1Flexible robot mounting
- 2Welded steel sub-assemblies
- 3Extrusion connection points
- 4Vibration-damping leveling feet
- 5Room for end-of-arm tooling
- 6Serrated flange hardware
PartWorkplace TORQ Bench
Build specREV 2026.1
OriginLondonderry, NH
- 1Flexible robot mountingMount the arm on a robot-specific plate at 45°, 90° or 135°, or directly on the work surface.
- 2Welded steel sub-assembliesEach structural sub-assembly is welded, with no clearance and no preload to lose. Together they hold the mounted assembly's natural frequency above the robot's excitation band and carry the mass to take its reaction loads.
- 3Peripherals and accessoriesProvisions for a variety of internal and external peripherals and accessories give integrators and end users flexibility to equip the Bench for their cell.
- 4Three standard heightsConfigure one of three standard work heights, then fine-tune up to 1 in. up or down with the vibration-damping leveling feet. Units on casters are fixed height.
- 5Built for end-of-arm toolingRoom, routing and mounting for the peripheral hardware the robot manufacturer doesn't supply: grippers, vision, air, power and data.
- 6Serrated flange hardwareWhere welded sub-assemblies join, serrated flanges bite into the steel instead of relying on bolt torque alone. It's how TORQ ships knocked down without giving up the joint.
- Robot agnosticUniversal Robots, FANUC, ABB, Doosan, Techman and others. Change robots without changing the base.
- Built to order in New HampshireEngineered and manufactured in Londonderry with US-sourced steel. No import freight, customs or lead-time risk on your base.
Robot workstation applications
Ten applications. One foundation.
Wherever repeatability is the job, the base is part of the process. TORQ is aligned to the application language your robot manufacturer and integrator already use.
Anchor application
Machine tending
Machine tending
Taught points stay where you taught them.
A rigid, grounded base holds the robot in position relative to the machine through every load and motion cycle. The robot's position relative to the chuck or vise is the whole job, so the base cannot drift. Less re-teaching, less drift, fewer service calls.
CNC mills and lathes · injection molding · press tending
End of line
Palletizing
Full reach, full payload, all shift. That's where reaction loads run highest and mass earns its keep.
Pick and place
Material handling
Bin picking, kitting and part transfer, with every pick and place landing at the same coordinates.
Screwdriving · insertion
Assembly
Offset robot mounting keeps the full work surface free for fixtures and your process.
Glue · seal · fluid
Dispensing
Controlled paths where tool position is the job. A bead that wanders is a reject.
Sanding · polishing
Finishing
Controlled contact force across repetitive passes, on a base that doesn't give back.
Deburr · grind · trim
Material removal
Contact loads push back into the structure every pass. Stiffness keeps the tool on the line.
Vision · scanning · gauging
Quality inspection
Measurement that returns to the same point every cycle. Here the repeatability is the measurement.
Lab and analytical
Laboratory automation
WMS already builds the instrument benches in analytical and clinical labs. TORQ brings the robot onto the same infrastructure.
Training cells
Education
A teaching cell is handled by hundreds of people who never specified it. Welded steel takes that.
Specifications
Build Spec REV 2026.1
Workplace TORQ BenchREV 2026.1
- Line
- TORQ Robotics Infrastructure
- Frame
- Welded steel sub-assembliesJoined with serrated flange hardware
- Load rating
- Per configurationConfirmed on your quote
- Work height
- Three standard heightsFine-tune ±1 in. with vibration-damping leveling feet. Fixed height on casters.
- Robot mounting
- Robot-specific plate at 45°, 90° or 135°, or directly on the work surface
- Compatibility
- Universal Robots, FANUC, ABB, Doosan, Techman and others
- Modularity
- Provisions for a variety of internal and external peripherals and accessories
- Peripherals
- End-of-arm tooling, cable routing, vision ready
- Accessories
- Monitor and keyboard mounts, power strips, air troughs, storage drawers, pullout trays, adjustable shelves and moreOptions
- Utilities
- Air, power, data, lightingOptions
- Mobility
- Locking swivel castersOption. Fixed height, no leveling feet.
- Storage
- Heavy-duty drawers under the work surfaceOption
- Natural frequency
- Mounted benchmark in progressSame robot, same program, measured against the category default
- Shipping
- Fully assembled, or knocked downKnocked down: about one fifth the assembly labor of an equivalent extrusion bench
- Lead time
- Ships in 4 to 6 weeks
- Origin
- Engineered and built in Londonderry, NH
Published warrantyOriginal owner
- Welded steel frameLifetime
- Casework and powder coatLifetime
- Work surfaces5 years
- ESD laminate5 years
The line2026
The Bench is the first TORQ product, not the last. It is the configurable robot workstation available today, and further robotics infrastructure follows as it ships.
Buy it in one session
Our industry trained buyers to accept three unknowns. We removed all three.
- What will it cost?Your price, as you configure.
Size, finish, work surface and accessories update the price live.
- When will it ship?A ship date before you buy.
Built to order in Londonderry, NH. Ships in 4 to 6 weeks.
- What if it fails?A published warranty.
Lifetime on the welded steel frame for the original owner. Read it before you spend a dollar.
Trade note · reviewed September 11, 2026
US tariffs of 50% on specified Canadian goods took effect August 22, 2026. Separate Section 232 duties apply to covered metal products, with rates and exemptions depending on the product. TORQ is built in Londonderry, New Hampshire from US-sourced steel; US customers avoid importing the base across the Canadian border.
Configure the bench, see the price, get a ship date and complete the purchase. Nothing about how we build changed. You just no longer wait for permission to find out what it costs.
Qualified equipment acquired after January 19, 2025 is eligible for a permanent 100% first-year depreciation deduction. The base can be expensed in the same year as the robot.
See the tax math
Tax treatment for manufacturing equipment
Expense the base the same year as the robot.
A robot purchase is already a capital equipment conversation with your CFO. Include the workstation in the same capital request, and confirm its eligibility and placed-in-service year with your tax advisor. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, qualified property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2025 is eligible for a permanent 100% first-year depreciation deduction.
- Same line item as the robotPosition TORQ with the automation investment, not as facility overhead. It is manufacturing equipment the robot cannot run without.
- Plan around your production scheduleThe 100% deduction is permanent for qualified property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2025. The deduction applies in the year eligible equipment is placed in service.
- A capital justification for your CFOWe will build the justification document for your capital request: equipment list, pricing, ship date and the first-year math. Request a capital justification
For automation integrators
Spec it into your next cell.
You design the solution and you are accountable for it on site. TORQ is built to make that easier, and to stay behind you with your customer, not in front of you.
- Robot agnosticOne base across every brand you integrate. Your line card doesn't change.
- Built, or a fifth of the laborOrder it assembled, or ship it knocked down with about one fifth the assembly labor of an equivalent extrusion bench. Your techs spend the install on the robot and the program.
- A date for the project planBuilt to order and shipped in 4 to 6 weeks. Standard configurations price in the configurator.
- CAD for your layoutDrop a TORQ model into the cell before the customer signs.
Why believe us
New to robotics. Seasoned in steel.
Workplace Modular Systems has engineered welded-steel work environments in Londonderry, New Hampshire since 1950. TORQ applies 76 years of that to the newest thing on your floor.
Founded
1950
76 years of domestic manufacturing. US-sourced steel, sold direct from the manufacturer with no distributor markup.
TORQ units, one robot manufacturer
5
A leading collaborative robot manufacturer bought five TORQ units as the infrastructure its own product demonstrations run on.
Debut
IMTS
Workplace TORQ debuts at IMTS 2026 in Chicago, September 14 to 19.
WMS workstations are on the floors of
- Lockheed Martin
- BAE Systems
- GE Aerospace
- NASA
- Abbott
- Analog Devices
- IDEXX
- Philips
- Waters
Engineering questions
Asked by the people who spec these.
Does welded steel damp vibration better than bolted aluminum?
No. Published comparisons show bolted joints damp roughly two to three times more than welded ones, because micro-slip at the joint dissipates energy. The TORQ frame doesn't try to absorb resonance. It avoids it, by keeping the mounted assembly's natural frequency above the band the robot's own motion excites.
The same micro-slip that damps a bolted joint is what walks its preload out over time. Their damping advantage is our durability argument.
My robot is vibrating. Is it the base?
Maybe not, and we'll tell you if it isn't. A base is a common first suspicion and often not the cause. Check programmed acceleration, payload and tool settings first.
If those check out, compare your base against the installation requirement your robot manufacturer publishes. A Design Specialist will walk through it with you.
Which robots does TORQ fit?
TORQ is robot agnostic: Universal Robots, FANUC, ABB, Doosan, Techman and others, on a robot-specific mounting plate. Change robots later without changing the base.
Can I still reconfigure it?
TORQ uses welded steel sub-assemblies joined with serrated flange hardware. Provisions for a variety of internal and external peripherals and accessories let you adapt the Bench to your cell. Options include monitor and keyboard mounts, power strips, air troughs, storage drawers, pullout trays and adjustable shelves.
Does it ship assembled? How long does setup take?
Your choice. Order it fully assembled and it arrives built: level it, mount the robot, route the utilities. Order it knocked down and assembly takes about one fifth of the labor of an equivalent aluminum-extrusion bench, based on the extrusion supplier's own assembly estimate.
Is TORQ height-adjustable?
Not at launch. Configure one of three standard work heights, then fine-tune up to 1 in. up or down with the vibration-damping leveling feet. Units on casters are fixed height.
How fast can I get one, and what does it cost?
Standard configurations show price and ship date in the configurator and ship in 4 to 6 weeks. Custom configurations are scoped and quoted by a Design Specialist. Need it sooner than our standard lead time? Just ask. We can often accommodate expedite requests.
Who am I talking to when I book a call?
A Design Specialist who works directly with WMS engineering in Londonderry. No distributor in between.
Book the call and you're done until we talk. No pre-call forms, no videos to watch first.
Two ways to start
Build it now, or talk to an engineer first.
Build your TORQ Bench now.
For standard configurations and buyers who already know the application.
- Choose size, finish and work surface.
- Add robot mounting and accessories.
- See your price and ship date, then check out.
Schedule a call with a Design Specialist.
For custom cells, new applications, or a second opinion on the base you already have. We'll scope arm and tooling compatibility, layout and delivery.
No homework. Book the call and you're done until we talk.