"Singular Control" solution boasts new functions

Yaskawa has added new functions to its 'Singular Control' solution, which enables robots, servo drives, inverter drives and I/O systems to be controlled from a single controller.

One such new feature is “Circular Conveyor Tracking”: As well as automatic tracking of linear conveyor belt movements, this feature now enables the comprehensive 'Singular Control' solution MP3300iec RBT controller to track circular belt movements. Using a corresponding radius calculation, the software can determine the exact position of each product on the belt and position the picker or pickers with millisecond precision. This opens up new opportunities, especially for packaging and other picking applications, for example the possibility of a more compact design or the avoidance of waste products.

 A single controller …

The solution is based around the MP3300iec RBT compact machine controller, a particularly powerful model from the MP3000 product range. Uniform application programming takes place via a single software tool (MotionWorks IEC) with standard PLCopen and Yaskawa-specific function blocks, which are available free of charge and greatly simplify system programming. As well as enhanced conveyor tracking, the integrated functions also include visualization tools, camera systems, conveyor tracking, function blocks for picking and palletizing, and many more features.

Users and mechanical engineers can use this solution to integrate robots into existing architectures without the need for a programming device (teachbox) or a proprietary robot programming language. The movement sequence of the individual axes of the robot or of delta-specific and customer-specific kinematics is calculated in the controller’s firmware. The programmer can focus on the application without having to worry about the underlying complex technology.

… a single software environment

Currently, the Motoman robots with controllers from the DX200, YRC1000 and YRC1000 Micro series can be integrated into the machine architectures. Using MotoLogix building blocks the robot can be programmed and controlled according to IEC-61131. 

If the machine also has standard motion control axes, inverter drives or I/O systems, the entire system can be programmed in a single software environment. With the real-time MECHATROLINK III Ethernet bus, the new compact controller makes it easy to synchronize all devices. The CPU size and base unit can be selected freely, meaning that, in the event of future expansion, the performance can be increased by adding a larger CPU.

Machine manufacturers who use different architectures (robots, delta kinematics or gantry systems) but the same machine functions are now able to simply exchange the hardware without having to change the application program or integrate new controllers into the system. This can significantly increase flexibility and machine throughput.

MP3300iec motion controller with Sigma-7 servo system

Combined with the high-performance Sigma-7 servo systems, the MP3300iec motion controller really comes into its own. With the standard version, up to 62 real axes can be controlled simultaneously. In the RBT version there are 32 real axes and up to 8 robots. Combining Sigma-7 servo axes and MP controllers is an easy means of implementing powerful motion applications. In addition to process data, the servo systems also provide the controller with status information such as a vibration analysis. This data allows conclusions to be drawn about the condition of the overall system and enables efficient maintenance planning for the machine.