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An integrated approach R
ecent figures from the IFR world robotics report 2012 shows Britain significantly lagging behind not just other European countries, but also growing economies, in terms of robot density per 10,000 employees. Furthermore, recent reports from the British Automation and Robot Association (BARA) show adoption levels of robots to be centred heavily in the automo- tive sector leaving food, drink, plastics and pharmaceutical lagging behind. So why should this be? Is it a lack of understanding of the technology or the potential gains to be derived, a fear to invest in capital equipment, or a mix- ture
of them all? A properly
researched and engineered solution can bring significant benefits to the user in terms of performance, quality, efficiency, safety and flexibility.
What’s available? Let’s take a look at the technology available today for pick and place using a Delta or parallel style robot system as the example. A basic robot cell will need to incorporate the robot itself, a controller, safety, vision, and potentially some other associated I/O and additional axes of motion, for example, infeed and outfeed convey- ors etc. If a machine builder has to take them from various vendors, using numerous and separately developed technologies and communication pro- tocols, a user could potentially see a lot of risk in this scenario. However, with the Omron Sysmac platform, all key components required to create a successful robotic pick and place application including logic, motion, robotics and vision, plus safety and I/O, reside on one integrated platform. Sysmac uses two distinct networks in every controller. First, EtherNet/IP, designed for transmitting larger amounts of data between controllers and to enterprise systems, as well as a link to local HMI stations. Secondly, every Sysmac controller also has an EtherCAT port as standard, and this is used as the machine net- work because of its fast and determin- istic technology which is well suited for motion and robotic applications. The Sysmac controller range includes numerous models to allow the user to
S4
Right: to create a successful robotic cell, all key components including vision, motion and logic, should reside on one integrated platform, such as Omron’s Sysmac platform
choose the most suitable product - the largest controlling up to 64 axes of servo, as well as the aforementioned I/O, inverters, vision and servo.
Vision is key
Right: Omron’s FQM vision sensor identifies part positioning with direct input from the conveyor encoder to deliver a truly integrated solution
A crucial aspect of any pick and place application is the vision system used. Omron can help in specifying various vision solutions, dependent on user requirements. For a system that is required to simply identify the position of a part to be picked on a conveyor, the FQM vision sensor is well suited to the task, as it not only sits directly on the EtherCAT network, but also has a direct input from the conveyor encoder to deliver a truly integrated solution. If a more advanced vision system is required, the FH high speed, precise and easy to use vision system is capable of controlling multiple camera inputs - all of which are integrated on the EtherCAT network.
As productivity improvements continually challenge us all, machine
designers often need to inte-
With a growing background debate concerning growth in our manufacturing sector, and the wider topic of whether the UK adopts automation and robotics in line with our global competitors, Omron takes the opportunity to address some of the issues that might be making machine builders nervous about using robotics
grate more than one robot into a project. A huge advantage with Sysmac is that it can handle multiple Delta robots easily, and is capable of incorporating up to eight systems on a single controller. Plus, depending upon the model used, throughputs in excess of 150 picks per minute can be achieved per robot. Furthermore, as well as an inte- grated hardware platform, Omron’s Sysmac Studio software offers the user a single programming environment, integrated configuration, program- ming, monitoring and simulation of all project tasks, all of which dramatically reduces time and user risk.
Omron continue to add new models of its Delta robot range, and now includes washdown, food grade and standard models.
Omron Electronics
www.industrial.omron.co.uk T: 01908 258 253
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FEBRUARY 2014 Robotics & Motion Control
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