FEAT RE FEA ATURE
PLCS IS, I, NDUSTR L P S & H
STRIAL PCS & HMI S
TW ROBOTS LEARN TO LIV E WOR WI
OTHE tio cell in ro t cell d lo in tw ise . T question pri ts and assem s over threem M
ost industrial robots working in close proximity to each other are
programmed simply to avoid each other, this system however uses a Mitsubishi Electric iQ PLC (programmable logic controller) to control both robots in full synchronisation. Part of their movement is physically taught, part is programmed and an element of working together is left for them to learn how to achieve in the most efficient way.
Paul Judge of Mitsubishi Electri c
comments: “The advantage we have here is that the robot controllers don't have to be standalone separate units. The robot control CPU (central processing unit) modules we used are actuallymounted on the same backplane as the PLC, so there is no lag or communication hysteresis in the system, it operates and learns, in real time. It sounds highly advanced, which it is, at the same time it is a standard feature on this iQ PLCmodel. ”
ROBO IN EGRATION SEMINARS oject actually started at one of
ROBOT INTEGRATION SEMINARS The proj
Mitsubishi Electric’s Robot Integration Seminars where an engineer from an authorised Mitsubishi Electric System Integrator was impressed demonstration of a robot
A robot cell developedrA obot cell developed using two Mitsubishi Electric M
using two Mitsubishi Electric MELFA RV Series robots has use
A R
Series robots has used the latest robot controlthe latest robot contr technology to ensure their movements are perfectly synchronised
ol d
perfectly synchronise their movements are technology to ensure
d
Technically each iQ PLC can support up to four separate processors, so could be configured with their own core CPU plus three robot controllers. The two-robot system is therefore well within the iQ control system’s capabilities. the two robot controllers wer
TWIN ROBOTS LEARN TO LIVE ANDWORKWITH EACH O THE R
A robot cell developed using two Mitsubishi Electric MELFA RV Series robots has used the latest robot control technology to ensure theirm veme rfe tly sy
tsubish Electric
com onents per year, changing over se amessly on - demand to assemble a range of different parts
to assem le a ran e of differen parts simultaneously for maximum control
clarity. The controllers have the capacity to communicate with up to seven vision systems, so can be used in very
e integrated For this cell
into the iQ PLC rack along with some additional input and output cards and a couple of specific output modules used to interface to specialised sens ors.
STANDARD AU OMAT COMPONEN
COMPONENTS The proj
ANDARD AUTOMA ION ATION oject was based on standard Mitsubishi Electric automation
components and even the robots were supplied from stock, which proved very cost effective. The robots are standard RV models with a 2kg payload capacity and six axis movement. They pick loose parts from a feed tray and manipulate them into different fitting, testing and printing stations. They also collaborate on dealing with rej
eject parts.
The robots work in close cooperation with the cell’s vision system, the integration of their respectiv e control systems being simple plug-and-play processes. The vision data is communicated to both robots
sophisticated multi-function systems if required. Production progress and cell activity can all be monitored on Mitsubishi Electric GOT 2000 HMI (human machine interface) panels installed as part of the control system. Built-in temperature sensors make adjustments to compensate for hot and cold running conditions (and will shut down operations if pre-set limits are breached). The robots can be
programmed from a simple-to-operate teaching box Usin g this th e
. ,
programmer walks the robot through the cycle of movements and functions, which are recorded in the controller’s memory and used as the basis for the operating program. Alternatively they can be programmed directly from a Mitsubishi Electric GOT 2000 HMI.
The RT ToolBox2 software has a 3D graphic display function which makes visualising the robot’s functions very easy and from which se t point coordinates ca n be captured. The software also has a simple pick-and-mix system allowing various jobs or tasks to be readily selected as required.
working with a by a
3D vision system. His level of interest was such that immediately following the seminar a robot was loaned to his customer to put on trial.
Judge adds: “We have a number of robots that we send out to customers and integrators to trial systems with, it helps with building knowledge and familiarity for the engineers and the end user. We also find that, more often than not, the proj
oject ends with a sale.” 24 24 MAR MARCH 201 2017 | AU AUTOMA MAT ATION
The RV-2Fs have an arm geometry that gives maximum movement in every plane and extends the operating
envelope of the robot in all directions. With the latest models the wrist joint is particularly strong and flexible. The RV- 2F robots can also be mounted on turntables or linear slides so that the y can move between two or more
workstations, with the movement being managed by the robot controller.
Mitsubishi Electric T: 01707 288769
T: 01707 288769 gb3a.
Europe W:
gb3a.mitsubishielectric.com tsubi hielectri om /AUTOMATION AT /AUTOMATION
LFA RV Series robots has used the l test robot control technology to ensure their movem nts are perfectly synchronised. The production cell in question prints and assembles over three million components per year, changing over seamlessly on- dem
s are
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96
