New TM Robotics fieldbus systems get connected

TM Robotics (Europe) Ltd, has released new Ethernet and Devicenet Fieldbus systems that complement its existing range of SCARA and Cartesian robots. These two new network interfaces connect to the Toshiba SR7000 controller.

The Ethernet interface is designed for analog, digital, and serial input/output (I/O) modules. It can be attached to an existing TCP/IP Ethernet network, built into an independent control network or used with a PC or industrial controller that can be directly connected to the Ethernet brain using a crossover cable.

The system can be used as an inspection device to classify products with minute differences into separate groups. In one application a Toshiba SR-654HSP robot picks up individual cylindrical pins, illustrating the entire system's pick and place capacity. The pins are divided into two groups, one with a diameter of 14mm and the other with a diameter of 13.8mm.

The robot picks up the pin and checks its diameter using a laser sensor. Then the results are fed to the robot's Toshiba Machine SR7000 controller via a Devicenet interface and a PLC. The SR7000 has a newly developed Devicenet Interface through which it receives the data, before deciding on which of two pre-prepared stands, one on each side of the sensor, to put the different pins. If the pin belonged to the 14mm group, it is placed on the right stand, if it belonged to 13.8mm group; it is placed on the left stand.

At the same time, the SR7000 sends the diameter value to a PC via the Ethernet interface and its value is then displayed on the display screen. In addition, the on screen display shows the amount of pins in the two groups, the quality of the goods and the quantity of NG as well as its percentage. The Laser Sensor is also provided with its own private display unit so that the user can check the measured data against this display and the value on the PC's screen.

An embedded Windows CE I/F card for Ethernet interface could also be used with Toshiba Machine's Injection Molding Machine Controller.

Published: July 2001