Beckhoff Automation Introduces Integrated Control For Robots

Beckhoff Automation (Minneapolis) has released TwinCAT Kinematic Transformation software. The TwinCAT software--which further integrates robotic control into its PC-based software platform--now extends its standard machine sequencing and motion control capability to Delta- and SCARA-type robot mechanisms with a Kinematic Transformation option.
 
The solution puts robotics, motion control, and PLC all on one multi-tasking hardware and software platform. This eliminates the need for a dedicated robot controller, the associated software, and handshaking routines in applications that require a robot to handle part loading/unloading tasks.
 
Since the robot control is in the same controller, the robot movements can be tightly coordinated with non-robotic motion such as conveyors and other moving mechanisms.
The software release provides a series of advantages, in advancing leading edge “Scientific Automation,” the company said.
 
--eliminates the separate CPU required for robot control
 
--reduces engineering costs: configuration, parameterization and diagnostics
 
--provides higher performance and accuracy because of direct interfaces; complex communication between separate CPUs is eliminated.