Robot programming now with EtherCAT connection
The software interface MotoLogix enables Yaskawa Motoman robots to be quickly and easily programmed and controlled via PLC in the standard IEC-61131 environment. Now Yaskawa has broadened the spectrum of supported platforms to include the EtherCAT standard. Above and beyond EtherCAT, integrated solutions on the basis of POWERLINK, EtherNet/IP and PROFINET are still possible with MotoLogix. Robots can thus be programmed and controlled with controllers from Siemens, Beckhoff, B&R, Rockwell – and, of course, Yaskawa.
After integration into the PLC all genuine advantages of robot control are retained. The robot controller calculates the movement kinematics and ensures high quality of movement. This means that Yaskawa know-how when it comes to exact motion sequences of the manipulators is still guaranteed. This is where the strong points of these robots and respective controllers come to the fore, particularly in all forms of handling, such as machine loading, picking, packaging, placing, palletizing or measuring, testing and sorting.
The simple integration of the robot controller into the PLC pays off not only in the operation of complex production systems. The choice of MotoLogix means that PLC expertise will suffice for the control of robots. It is no longer necessary to search for personnel trained in robotics or to spend money on retraining staff. Yaskawa robots can thus be operated worldwide under the same conditions.
