The Merlin 2+ milking robot: quieter, calmer, and built to milk more
Fullwood's latest robot puts cow comfort first — a whisper-quiet electric arm, an open stainless-steel box, and twin entry and exit that let the robot fit your shed rather than the other way round. Installed, commissioned and looked after by McCaskie's engineering team from Stirling.
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The smart choice for robotic milking
The Merlin 2+ is the newest generation of Fullwood's Merlin milking robot — the machine you may know as the M²erlin. It was designed around one idea: a cow that isn't stressed gives more milk, visits the robot more willingly, and stays healthier for longer. So the Merlin 2+ is exceptionally quiet, gives the cow room to stand naturally, and empties the udder properly at every visit using Fullwood's Streampulse milking technology.
For the farmer, the Merlin 2+ brings FULLSENSE software that turns every milking into usable information, smart sensors that watch health and fertility around the clock, and a robust, simple stainless-steel design intended to keep running with a minimum of fuss.
Higher number of milkings
Twin entry, twin exit and a tilting feed trough keep cows moving through the box, so each robot milks more times a day.
Exceptionally quiet
The arm is fully electric — no compressed-air hiss or clatter — so the shed stays calm and cows stand relaxed.
Maximum udder health
Streampulse milking, quarter-level mastitis detection and optional cell-count measurement protect the udder at every visit.
The robot in brief
The Merlin 2+ is built around a calm cow. Its robot arm is entirely electric — no compressed air — so it's whisper-quiet, and a 3D camera guides fast, accurate attachment, including re-attaching a rear cup without dropping the front ones. Streampulse milking keeps the milk-flow phase longer and eases the vacuum in the rest phase, so the udder is milked out fully and teats are under less strain.
Twin entry and twin exit let the robot fit sheds other robots can't and turn it into its own selection gate. FULLSENSE software comes as standard, pushing colour-coded jobs to your phone, and a family of sensors — AfiCollar, AfiTag III, FarmCan4QC, FullCount, Inline MilkLab — can be added for health, fertility and milk quality.
| Energy | 0.015–0.020 kWh per kg of milk |
|---|---|
| Water | 150–200 litres hot, 200–250 litres cold [per day — confirm with Fullwood] |
| Machine (L × W × H) | 3,537 × 2,284 × 2,150 mm |
| Space required | 5,000 × 2,700 mm |
| Weight | 1,200 kg |
| Standard | Stainless-steel build, electric arm, FULLSENSE + app, ICAR milk meter, per-quarter mastitis detection, Streampulse, 3-bucket separation |
Figures published by Fullwood, September 2026.
Milking in groups? Ask about Merlin Meridian
Not every farm wants free cow traffic. Merlin Meridian uses Merlin robots in a semi-circular layout with a central waiting area and a moving drive gate, so cows are milked automatically in groups — the routine and consistency of conventional milking with the labour saving of a robot, and no cow waiting more than an hour. If you're weighing up a rotary or a big parlour against robots, this is worth a conversation.
A milking robot is only as good as the people behind it
- Planning to commissioning. We support the project from first sketch to first milking. How a robot goes in →
- Engineers based in Scotland. Our team works from Springkerse in Stirling, with 24-hour call-out available. Service & support →
- Family-run since 1957. McCaskie is a Scottish family business, and Fullwood's exclusive dealer for Scotland.
“Since putting the robots into operation, production has increased by 3 litres per cow per day, and that's with the same feed.”Marc Vermue, who replaced his old robots with two Merlin 2+ machines. His somatic cell count came down from 180 to 130 within the first few months. Read his story on fullwood.com
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Frequently asked questions
How many cows can one Merlin 2+ milking robot handle?
It depends on yield, milking frequency and cow traffic, which is why we always start with a site visit. Fullwood's twin entry/exit and tilting feed trough are designed to raise the number of milkings per box per day.
Can the Merlin 2+ be fitted into an existing shed?
Usually, yes. Because the robot accepts straight or side entry and straight or side exit in any combination, it can be placed in positions other robots can't, and it can be set up as tandem, checkout or head-to-head. Our engineers will draw the layout with you before anything is ordered.
What does the robot measure at each milking?
As standard it records milk yield through an ICAR-approved milk meter and checks each quarter for mastitis. Optional sensors add somatic cell count (FullCount), fat, protein, lactose and blood (Inline MilkLab), and activity, rumination and heat detection through AfiCollar or AfiTag III.
Can I still graze my cows with a milking robot?
Yes. The Merlin 2+ works as its own selection gate, so cows can be sent out to pasture directly from the box, and Fullwood publish guidance on combining grazing with robotic milking.
Who installs and services the robot in Scotland?
McCaskie. Our engineering team in Stirling plans the layout, installs and commissions the robot, and provides ongoing servicing and support with 24-hour call-out available.
Talk to Chris
Chris Roskilly, Head of Technical — +44 7540 768499 · chris.roskilly@mccaskie.co.uk
McCaskie Engineering, 4 Munro Road, Springkerse Industrial Estate, Stirling FK7 7UU · 01786 474 481 · Monday–Friday 8am–5pm