PC-JUL22-PG30-31.1_Layout 1 26/07/2022 11:14 Page 31


PROCESS AUTOMATION


Easy robot set-up: the camera talks directly to the robot and there is no control system in between


integrate vision guidance systems to communicate directly with the robot controller, make them quick to teach and ready to use in minimal time. In a typical application, a single camera with a SensorApp can ‘talk’ directly to the robot with no external PC or PLC. For example, it can be trained quickly to find the shape of a part or product, tell the robot how to pick it up and where to place it accurately. Critically, the camera talks directly to the robot and there is no control system in between. The same integration principles apply to


automated guided vehicles or Automated Mobile Robots (AMRs). New ‘off-the-shelf’ software applications for SICK’s Visionary-T AP 3D time-of-flight snapshot camera allow a 3D profile to be captured so an AMR can position its forks in pallet pockets, or to locate itself correctly under a dolly. The measured values required to pick up the pallet or dolly are pre- processed and evaluated on the sensor, then transmitted to the vehicle control.


Real-Time Monitoring Digitalisation has brought with it the


opportunity to monitor and track the data that sensors collect. Using cloud- based systems such as SICK’s Monitoring Box, for example, the collected data can be visualised in an easy-to-use graphical display. How soon will the sensor lens need cleaning? How many products passed or failed the quality inspection? How many pallets were stacked on shift A, compared to shift B? How many hours was the system operating? Even just a few years ago, the idea of using


a robot or cobot to automate a process might have been dismissed as a pipe dream. Collaborative robots have altered perceptions and increased accessibility. Once project planning gets underway, it could well be that the answer might not be a


“cobot” after all, but specified from a broadening spectrum of robot types and payloads. Yet cobots have opened up the conversation – and not as a reason to reduce headcounts. Robots and vision together are in the vanguard of a growing automation trend to redeploy staff more productively, and to improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).


SICK UK www.sick.com


ESI Technology Limited


HYDROGEN COMPATIBLE PRESSURE MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS


Compatible with Hydrogen based environments


Pass tested to ISO11114-4:2017


Superior Silicon on Sapphire sensing technology


Made from specialist titanium alloy and stainless steel material


www.esi-tec.com JULY/AUGUST 2022 | PROCESS & CONTROL 31


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