Page 5 - Industrial Technology EXTRA - 27th April 2020

operation with maybe 2 or 3 axes of control; however, of by selecting an off the shelf dedicated robotic
the mechanics can be physically very large, having to system. A typical 4-axis SCARA (Selective
span tens of metres of the store. Using the built-in Compliance Articulated Robot Arm) system for
kinematics of the iQ-R PLC system, the setup times instance can now be supplied at a very competitive
and programming of the control system can be cost.
reduced, as the tin positions can be taught or the co- The robot mechanical system is already designed
ordinates calculated in the control system. and its CAD model can be imported into the machine
This system also allows other axes to be easily design saving time and cost. When the system is
integrated into the system; for example the system being built the robot is also simple to install and
could be expanded to include the control of the needs just four bolts to mount it into a machine and
delivery system, bringing the tins into, or away from can be programmed in less than an hour to do a
the store. simple operation.
The controllers contain hundreds of dedicated
Dedicated robot controllers instructions that make the more complex functions
Choosing a PLC-based robot control option may seem such as tracking a product along a moving conveyor
like the most cost-effective way to go. Yet, it is or complying with an external force, easy to integrate
important to consider the design time of the as they are already built into the system.
mechanical system, the flexibility required from the Further benefits come when machine safety is
manufacturing cell, the cell footprint and also the considered. Dedicated robot controllers have to
configuration and engineering time. This is taken care conform to industry standards that cover their design,

April 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA! • p5