ATExpo 2006: Robotic systems add software interface, UL listing
| RC7 controller from Denso Robotics is fast, lightweight, and compact. |
Rosemont, IL and Long Beach, CA— Small assembly robots from Denso Robotics are now listed by Underwriters Laboratory (UL). The devices also use software that allows PC control for simplified interfacing with peripheral equipment. The company discussed the recent developments and displayed the products, along with its RC7 high-performance robotic controller, at the Assembly Technology Expo last week in Rosemont, IL (near Chicago).
The UL Listing, which applies to the United States and to Canada, covers the company’s HS and HM series of four-axis robots and VS series six-axis robots. The listing, added to the equipment’s global CE and ANSI certifications, gives the company ‘a definitive advantage,’ said Brian Jones, Denso Robotics section manager, since many companies require that only UL-listed equipment be used.
Denso also said that its robots also now offer use of ORiN (Open Robot Interface for the Network) software, a standardized interface developed by the Japan Robot Association. The software reportedly simplifies integration of peripheral devices such as PLCs, scanners, and vision systems into a robot cell and lets the robot and devices be controlled by a PC. The software permits communication among robots from different vendors. Programming can be done using such common languages as Visual Basic, C++, C#, and Delphi.
The company’s RC7 high-performance controller processes programs five times faster than its previous model yet retains user-friendly operation, light weight, and compact size. The unit weighs less than 50 lb and measures 440 mm wide x 425 mm deep x 157.5 mm high. It offers an expanded range of communications interfaces, including 100 Base-T Ethernet, USB, RS-232C, and Mini Parallel I/O. DeviceNet, Profibus, and parallel I/O ports are optional. The unit can control eight axes, including optional conveyor tracking and robot vision. Its 3.25 MB memory (expandable to 5.5 MB) can hold up to 10,000 programming steps and 30,000 teach points.
—Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jeanine Katzel , senior editor
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