what’s the sense in robots? - control design · control design, (issn: 1094-3366) is published 12...

Open Communication Between The Plant Floor And The IT Network

What’s theSENSE INROBOTS?

Stepper, Servo,CHA CHA CHA

Talking COKE CANSin the CLOUD

JUL

Y 2

01

5

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CONTROL DESIGN, (ISSN: 1094-3366) is published 12 times a year by Putman Media, 1501 E. Woodfi eld Rd., Suite 400N, Schaum-burg, Illinois 60173. (Phone 630/467-1300; Fax 630/467-1124.) Periodical postage paid at Schaumburg, IL, and at additional mailing offi ces. Address all correspondence to Editorial and Executive Offi ces, same address. Printed in the United States. ©Putman Media 2015. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without consent of the copyright owner. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Control Design, Post Offi ce Box 3430, Northbrook, Illinois 60065-3430. SUBSCRIPTIONS: To apply for a free subscription, fi ll in the form at www.ControlDesign.com/subscribemag. To non-qualifi ed subscribers in the Unites States and its possessions, subscriptions are $96.00 per year. Single copies are $15. International subscriptions are accepted at $200 (Airmail only.) Putman Media also publishes CHEMICAL PROCESSING, CONTROL, FOOD PROCESSING, INDUSTRIAL NETWORKING, PHAR-MACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING and PLANT SERVICES. CONTROL DESIGN assumes no responsibility for validity of claims in items reported. Canada Post International Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40028661. Canadian Mail Distributor information: World Distribution Services, Inc., Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9A 6J5. Printed in the United States.

CONTENTS Volume 19, No. 7FEATURES

COVER STORY

Tear down this wall!Open communication between the plant � oor and the IT network

Dan Hebert, senior technical editor20

MACHINE INPUT

The rise of roboticsSensors enhance robot capability, affordability and programmability

Mike Bacidore, chief editor29

CONNECTIONS

Up, up and away with analog and digitalRemote I/O becomes smaller, faster, customizable and intelligent

Hank Hogan, contributing editor35

PRODUCT ROUNDUP

Safety insideDevices protect workers, environment, machinery and production39

July 2015 Control Design 5

CONTROL DESIGN EXCLUSIVE

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Volume 19, No. 7CONTENTS

9 Editor’s Page Can you hack it?Mike Bacidore, chief editor

13 Embedded Intelligence Cloud-ready industrial applications?Jeremy Pollard, CET

50 OEM Insight The machine-building circle of lifeRick Rice, Crest Foods

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Mike Bacidore • editor in chief • [email protected] EDITOR’S PAGE

IMAGINE THE GAINS in profit-ability you’ll realize when you con-

nect machinery to the Industrial

Internet of Things (IIoT).

But are you ready to share your

data with just anyone who wants

it? If you think you’re secure, you

definitely are not.

The first rule of cybersecurity is

to assume you will be breached.

“Cyber risks exist anywhere a

connected asset exists, whether

that asset is an industrial com-

puter or another type of device,”

explains Doug Wylie, CISSP, direc-

tor, product security risk manage-

ment, Rockwell Automation (www.

rockwellautomation.com). “Pro-

tecting assets, including industrial

computers, requires a defense-in-

depth security approach,” he says.

Cybersecurity inhabits the day-

to-day thoughts of manufactur-

ers, and rightly so, says Daymon

Thompson, TwinCAT product

specialist, Beckhoff Automation

(www.beckhoffautomation.com).

“Machine security can be di-

vided into three categories—direct

local access, indirect local access

and remote access,” he explains.

“Direct local access means physi-

cally interfacing with the com-

puter and interacting with it via

attached input devices, such as a

USB flash drive, mouse or key-

board. Indirect local access means

that the potential attacker has in-

filtrated the system by other, non-

physical means. Remote access is

what happens when someone tries

to attack the industrial controller

from a remote location.”

Industrial PCs (IPCs) are very

vulnerable, and one of the weak-

est points inside an industrial

network, says Mariam Coladonato,

product marketing specialist,

networking and security, Phoenix

Contact USA (www.phoenixcon-

tact.com). “There are many legacy

IPCs still deployed running an

older, out-of-support operating

system, such as Windows 2000 or

XP. Microsoft no longer provides

patches or service packs for these

old systems, leaving them suscep-

tible to cyber attacks.”

Information technology (IT) and

operations technology (OT) net-

works are managed with different

priorities in mind, and each has

distinct security needs, explains

Pocheng Chen, director, embedded

software, Advantech (www.advan-

tech.com). “IT was traditionally

associated with back-office busi-

ness systems, with the purpose

of protecting data confidentiality.

OT is traditionally associated with

field devices and the systems to

monitor and control them such

as SCADA. An OT network needs

secure access to ensure data confi-

dentiality and physical safety.”

Among the defenses sug-

gested by Richard Clark, technical

marketing specialist, InduSoft,

Schneider Electric Software (www.

indusoft.com) is to authenticate

devices within the ICS. “Firewalls

using stateful packet inspection

can be installed within the ICS

along with appliances that estab-

lish authentication and authoriza-

tion of the data to and from all

devices, including legacy devices,”

Clark explains.

Cybersecurity inhabits the day-to-day thoughts of manufacturers, and rightly so.

Can you hack it?


EDITORIAL TEAMeditor in chiefMIKE [email protected]

managing editorNANCY [email protected]

technical editorDAVE [email protected]

associate editor, digital mediaGRETA LIESKEeditor, digital media

senior technical editorDAN [email protected]

contributing editorHANK [email protected]

columnist

JEREMY [email protected]

editorial assistantLORI [email protected]

DESIGN/PRODUCTIONsenior production managerANETTA GAUTHIER

assoc. art directorANGELA LABATE

SUBSCRIPTIONScustomer service888/644-1803

CIRCULATION audited december 2014Air & Gas Compressors 698Engineering & Systems Integration Services 8,838Engines & Turbines 1,327Food Products Machinery 1,654Industrial Fans, Blowers & Air Purification Equipment 649Industrial Heating, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Equipment 1,209Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens 526Machine Tools 3,015Materials Handling, Conveyors& Conveying Equipment 1,661Metalworking Machinery 3,846Mining Machinery & Equipment 556Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment 1,360Packaging Machinery 1,052Paper Industries Machinery 363Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment 489Pumps & Pumping Equipment 807Rolling Mill Machinery & Equipment 187Semiconductor Manufacturing Machinery 1,071Textile Machinery 210Woodworking Machinery 310Other Industries & Special Industrial Machinery & Equipment NEC 10,192

TOTAL 40,020

1501 E. Woodfield Rd., Suite 400N Schaumburg, Illinois 60173 630/467-1300 Fax: 630/467-1124

In Memory of Julie Cappelletti-Lange, Vice President 1984-2012

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Relay or Transistor Outputs

10A contact relay output, 300mA per channel transistor output

Digital, Analog and High-speed Inputs

• Eight built-in digital inputs of which two can be configured as 0-10VDC/4-20mA analog inputs

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RS232C and RS485 ports

• Serial and PLC communication• Driver to communicate with other PLCs

USB-A Port

For data logging, recipe data and performing program updates

Embedded USB Mini-B Port

3 Bezel Colors

• Silver• Light gray • Dark gray

Screens

• STN monochrome (740cd/m2)• 65K TFT color (400cd/m2)

RJ45 Ethernet Port

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Flexible and Stress-free Programming

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Analog Expansion Cartridges

Add up to two analog expansion cartridges for an additional four analog I/O

Analog Outputs Two 0-10V DC/4-20mA analog outputs

High Environmental & Safety Ratings

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HMI + PLC in One

Extreme Operating Temperature

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By combining PLC and HMI functions in one, the FT1A Touch makes it faster and easier to build smart machines. This integration reduces initial design and maintenance costs by eliminating extra components and duplicate programming. Just one HMI+PLC unit optimizes efficiency and productivity by providing the complete functionality of a separate PLC and HMI system.

For more details and to read our Tech Note, visit www.IDEC.com/Touch

The Most Efficient Automation Solution

Actual Size

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Relay or Transistor Outputs

10A contact relay output, 300mA per channel transistor output

Digital, Analog and High-speed Inputs

• Eight built-in digital inputs of which two can be configured as 0-10VDC/4-20mA analog inputs

• 4 high-speed inputs (up to 10kHz)

RS232C and RS485 ports

• Serial and PLC communication• Driver to communicate with other PLCs

USB-A Port

For data logging, recipe data and performing program updates

Embedded USB Mini-B Port

3 Bezel Colors

• Silver• Light gray • Dark gray

Screens

• STN monochrome (740cd/m2)• 65K TFT color (400cd/m2)

RJ45 Ethernet Port

• Supports remote Ethernet communication and Modbus TCP• Driver to communicate with other PLCs

Flexible and Stress-free Programming

• 5MB screen-editing memory• Over 7,000 symbol factory images

800.262.4332

Analog Expansion Cartridges

Add up to two analog expansion cartridges for an additional four analog I/O

Analog Outputs Two 0-10V DC/4-20mA analog outputs

High Environmental & Safety Ratings

• IP66f (water and oil tight) • NEMA 4X (indoor) and 13 • Class I, Division 2 for hazardous locations

HMI + PLC in One

Extreme Operating Temperature

-20° C to 55° C

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Smart Products... Simple Solutions

By combining PLC and HMI functions in one, the FT1A Touch makes it faster and easier to build smart machines. This integration reduces initial design and maintenance costs by eliminating extra components and duplicate programming. Just one HMI+PLC unit optimizes efficiency and productivity by providing the complete functionality of a separate PLC and HMI system.

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The SIMATIC ET 200SP PC Open Controller is the firstcontroller of this type to combine the functions of a PC-based software controller with visualization, PC applications, and central I/Os in a compact device. The SIMATIC ET 200SP Open Controller allows for the realization of automation solutions with a particularly favorable cost-performance ratio.

Compact design – space savings in the control cabinet of over 30% in comparison to similar systems

Independent of Windows – maximum controller availability even in case of Windows failure or during installation of updates

Increased security – protection of intellectual property and manipulation protection

PC and field bus interfaces onboard – easy connection to automation and IT networks

Efficient engineering – Integrated engineering of controller and visualization in the TIA Portal

Ruggedness – Continuous operation at ambient temperatures of 60°C without power loss and zero maintenance through fan-free design

Visualization – simply realized with a SIMATIC IndustrialFlat Panel connected via the graphics interface, optionally also with multi-touch functionality

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I WORK WITH a municipality that has 16 sites for wa-ter treatment, as well as lift stations, water towers and

the like. The square mileage is relatively large, and

getting access to the sites is somewhat difficult.

We currently use a broadband solution in the unli-

censed spectrum of Wi-Fi in the 5-MHz range. It has

served us well so far, but since it is a line-of-sight solu-

tion, I wonder about the reliability of the service in the

next 10 years as trees grow. And devices in housing

developments can use the infrastructure for personal

and business Internet access. Meanwhile, the argu-

ment over whether Internet access should be used is a

moot point since it was a requirement of the solution

provider to keep the municipality out of poverty for

the service.

Having said all of that, they’re adding a new site,

which is outside of the current infrastructure range.

Due to the number of repeater points required for the

line-of-sight connectivity, the consultant on the proj-

ect suggested I use a VPN over cell.

Hmm, that could work, I surmised. My software

would have to adjust to the expected packet loss, but

by and large we should be OK.

So I began researching the local cell provider—

Mother Bell—and started looking at the pros and cons

of using their normal Internet hubs vs. a gateway from

suppliers such as Moxa and Digi.

That’s where I got sidetracked. Bell, which is a com-

munications provider, is riding the Internet of Things

buzz with devices and services to provide to its cus-

tomer base. I said, “What?”

It made some sense, since Bell is targeting mobile

services such as fleet management and the like. I went

deeper and found Bell’s management-center software

powered by Jasper. Again I said, “What? Jasper?”

Jasper is a cloud-based software company whose

offerings allow product businesses to become service

businesses. It seems that most, if not all, mobile pro-

viders have employed Jasper to be their IoT partner.

Ever wonder how a local residential alarm company

can offer such a wide array of services, such as front-

door video, fire and smoke detection, and intrusion

alerts on your phone or mobile device using a cell

network for such a low cost? Jasper!

I would also expect devices from Nest use this

platform. The funny thing is that the promotional ma-

terial is talking about M2M, as well. One wonders how

a fire and smoke detector can be called a machine, but

seemingly it can. Who knew?

Speculation from many has connected Jasper with

a new talking Coke can idea, which may or may not

make it to the shelves, but it provides a road map that

could connect manufacturing with retail and service.

With my 10,000-foot view of Jasper’s capabilities, I

am excited to see how this “retail” technology can be

used or employed by plant personnel as push technol-

ogy, by manufacturing facilities for mobile device up-

dates on product status, and by governments to access

running deficit totals, as well as a distribution method

for other types of data.

Control Design has been embracing IoT for some

time, and I may have missed it, but our industry’s fo-

cus has been on our industry’s suppliers and vendors,

such as Rockwell Automation and Honeywell.

Jasper is a behind-the-scenes provider and Control

Design’s panel of 11 international IoT practitioners

might well have an opinion on how this service can

dovetail into the M2M space of our world.

I also ran into another service called Clayster, the

Internet for Things. As a cloud-based provisioning

server, it provides a real-time dashboard for your con-

nected devices, whatever they may be. It uses interop-

erable and open APIs, which allow any user to set up

an account and create an IoT domain.

One of Clayster’s marketing points refers to interop-

erability. It connects sensors and actuators which

individually have their own node IDs and addresses.

This would be useful for an application that, for in-

stance, displayed your house temperature and allowed

you to change the value of the thermostat setpoint or

turn on the lights before you get home.

The industrial applications for cloud-based stuff

may be a foreign concept to most and can provide

some really cool interfaces, but just because it can

doesn’t mean it should. But for those leading-edge

control geeks who may want to investigate what’s be-

hind your Oz curtain, Jasper and Clayster can provide

you with some challenges.


I am excited to see how this “retail” technology can be used or employed by plant personnel as push technology.

Cloud-ready industrial applications?

JEREMY POLLARD, CET, has been writing about technology

and software issues for many years. Pollard has been

involved in control system programming and training for

more than 25 years.

Jeremy Pollard, CET • [email protected] EMBEDDED INTELLIGENCE

CD1507_13_EMBEDDEDINTEL.indd 13 6/25/15 10:50 AM

mailto:[email protected]

14 Control Design July 2015 controldesign.com

MACHINE BUILDERS ANDsystem integrators need exper-

tise in current safety standards,

a proven track record in building

or integrating safety systems

and knowledge of productivity-

enhancing safety technologies.

“Working for Rockwell Automa-

tion for 37 years, the one thing

I’ve recognized about safety is

that it’s ever-changing,” said

David Rasmussen, TÜV-certi� ed

functional safety engineer,

regional marketing lead safety,

Rockwell Automation (www.rock-

wellautomation.com), presenting

at Rockwell Automation TechED

in San Diego. “We’re developing

products that are technological

advances in safety. Implementa-

tion might get simpler, but the

advancements won’t stop.”

Companies implement machin-

ery safety solutions and pro-

grams to protect employees from

unsafe conditions and known

hazards; to reduce costs such as

medical and insurance expenses;

for regional or international

regulatory compliance; to protect

the brand from bad publicity and

reduced sales; and to improve

productivity and avoid complete

machine shutdown or full system

lockout/tagout.

“At an event like this where

most attendees are develop-

ers, they’re used to developing

standard applications,” explained

Steven Ludwig, safety programs

manager, Rockwell Automation.

“As safety becomes a bigger part

of what developers do, we want

to show what type of skill sets

are needed to successfully imple-

ment machine safety.”

Which OSHA standards apply

to machine guarding of produc-

tion equipment? CFR 1910.147,

the lockout/tagout

(LOTO) standard, applies

when employees per-

form maintenance and

service to production

equipment. It requires

that unexpected energi-

zation of equipment be

prevented by remov-

ing all energy from a

machine and locking

the energy sources in

the off state whenever

employees must place

any part of their bodies

in a potentially hazard-

ous location.

CFR 1910 Subpart O,

machine guarding standards,

applies when employees operate

and work around equipment that

is in the production state, and it

requires that employers provide

safeguarding of hazards that

could cause injury or illness to

employees.

The exception to LOTO applies

when employees perform “minor

servicing” to equipment, and it

requires that employers provide

effective “alternative measures”

to safeguard employees.

“Alternative measures are

ways to help keep you running

while you still protect the work-

ers,” said Ludwig. “We’re trying

to lend some clari� cation around

what they’re permitted to do as

an alternative measure because

you’re not allowed to decrease

the protection of the worker.”

If machine access is required,

the choices are LOTO or the alter-

native means—machine safety,

such as integrated machine

safety solutions.

“OSHA’s pretty clear on lock-

out/tagout standards,” said Ras-

mussen. “Machinery safety exists

in one tiny paragraph within the

lockout/tagout exception. OSHA’s

given us an exception, but

how do we implement it? With

machinery safety, we have two

choices—manual lockout/tagout

or automatic alternative meth-

ods. Environmental, Health &

Safety (EH&S) says to prove that

it was designed properly and that

it really works.”

The functional safety design

process utilizes the Machinery

Safety Lifecycle, which is a de-

fined process that is followed to

ensure that proper safety prac-

tices have been implemented.

The steps include assessment;

functional requirements; selec-

tion, design and verification;

installation, verification and

validation; and operation, main-

tenance and improvement.

“The � rst step is to do an as-

sessment,” said Rasmussen. “Risk

assessment can mean a lot of dif-

ferent things to different people.

In the lifecycle process, if you

don’t document it, then it didn’t

happen. The customer’s going to

feel the same way.”

INDISCRETE

Machine safety: your alternative to shutdown

RISK ASSESSMENTDavid Rasmussen, TÜV-certifi ed functional safety engineer, regional marketing lead safety, Rockwell Automation, describes the Machinery Safety Lifecycle at Rockwell Automation TechED.

RISK ASSESSMENT

CD1507_14_18_INDISCRETE.indd 14 6/25/15 11:19 AM

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INDISCRETE

MOST SYSTEM INTEGRATORS are obsessively focused on the needs of their end users right now, but

everyone can get better at scoping out and planning for

the future. To help system integrators identify and de-

velop the skills they’ll need, a trio of experts described

what their future is likely to bring at the Control Sys-

tem Integrators Association’s (CSIA, www.controlsys.

org) 2015 Executive Conference in Washington, D.C.

Craig Resnick, vice president at ARC Advisory

Group (www.arcweb.com), reported that a joint ARC/

CSIA survey of end-user � rms found they’re employ-

ing common data infrastructures and their automa-

tion systems are converging with IT, so they’re going

beyond the usual return on investment to gauge the

success of automation investments based on increased

production and better analytics; their ability to help

overcome manpower reductions; and dashboards that

provide one version of the truth. Customers are also

seeking certi� ed SIs, who can help to manage mobile

workers with smartphones, cloud-computing services,

big data, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), remote

asset management and security and the ongoing shift

from reactive to preventive maintenance.

“ARC recommends helping your customers reduce

downtime using predictive maintenance versus reac-

tive maintenance,” says Resnick. “Leverage technolo-

gies to better share information both internally and

externally with your customers. Collaborate with

automation suppliers who are competitors to help your

customers solve connectivity problems between those

suppliers, regardless of open technologies like OPC.

Support remote monitoring, remote � xes and updates,

especially for OEMs whose machines get shipped glob-

ally. Your customers’ ultimate pain point is unsched-

uled downtime, so preventing it takes precedence over

all else. Some positions eliminated at your customers,

either by retirements, layoffs or lack of skilled labor,

can be replaced by system integrators.”

Tom Braydich, senior consultant at Matrix Tech-

nologies (www.matrixtich.com) in Maumee, Ohio,

adds that other SIs can build their case with clients by

showing how their services can reduce inventory, ob-

solescence, scrap and expenses; continuously improve

throughput and long-term bene� ts; and leverage prod-

ucts and process data into chances for new revenue.

“End users assess their automation investment

using several business drivers,” says Braydich, who

identi� ed several of them, including,

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• information visibility—knowing each plant’s capa-

bilities and providing visibility up and down the

manufacturing process

• process agility—reacting quickly to changes in

plan and maintaining real-time communica-

tions

• material velocity—increasing plant throughput

• common platforms—standardizing plant systems

across the enterprise

• compliance with government regulations

• alignment of MES and ERP programs for the best

possible manufacturing

• managing requirements for what, when, where

and how many products to produce

• understanding what production requires and if

those capabilities are available, as well as tracking

resources, status and history for labor, equipment

and materials

• tracking results for attainment of and compli-

ance with goals such Six Sigma, ef� ciency, safety

and quality.

“Integration today means being able to connect

anything, even what’s not yet on market,” adds

Dominique Wille, industrial systems director at La-

farge (www.lafarge.com), a Paris-based cement and

building materials � rm. “This allows resources and

architectures to focus on prototyping and imple-

mentation speed. You also need your organization to

transition to combining both IT and automation, and

making both competencies available. You have to

prepare yourself to be part of the connected world or

your competitor will get the margin.”

Ensuring process availability.Providing flexibility.Challenging expectations.

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Welcome, robotsABB ROBOTICS HOSTED more than 1,600 guests at its U.S. Robot Manufacturing Factory opening cer-

emony and Customer Days 2015 events, at its North

American headquarters and training center in Auburn

Hills, Michigan, on May 20.

The U.S. Robot Factory is only the third worldwide

manufacturing location of ABB robots and related

equipment, joining Shanghai, China, and Vasteras,

Sweden.

The ceremony included addresses from ABB CEO

Ulrich Spiesshofer and other senior ABB executives,

and Bruce H. Andrews, U.S. Deputy Secretary of


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INDISCRETE

Commerce, Suzan G. LeVine, U.S.

ambassador to Switzerland and

Liechtenstein, and Martin Da-

hinden, Swiss ambassador to the

United States.

Customer Days featured more

than 55 live robotic and related

equipment demonstrations and

53 technical training seminars.

Robotic applications highlighted

on the demo floor and in the semi-

nars included packaging, mate-

rial handling, assembly, machine

tending, welding and cutting,

press automation, painting, auto-

motive and transportation, and

training and service.

Another highlight was the first

North American appearance of

YuMi, the world’s first truly col-

laborative dual-arm robot.

Winners ofDARPA robot challengeTEAM KAIST OF DAEJEON, Re-public of Korea, and its robot DRC-

Hubo took first prize and $2 million

in the DARPA Robotics Challenge

Finals held in Pomona, California,

the first weekend in June. Taking

second place and $1 million was

Team IHMC Robotics of Pensacola,

Florida, and its robot, Running

Man. Third place and $500,000

winner was Tartan Rescue of Pitts-

burgh and its robot CHIMP.

Launched in response to a

humanitarian need during the

Fukushima, Japan, disaster, the

DARPA Robotics Challenge involved

three increasingly demanding com-

petitions over two years. The goal

of the project was to be a catalyst

for the development of robots with

sufficient dexterity and robust-

ness to enter areas too danger-

ous for humans, such as those

contaminated by radiation or made

unstable by earthquakes.

In the final two days of trials,

the 23 participating teams had to

complete a list of eight tasks they

might encounter if they were de-

ployed for rescue operations.

Even better than expected.

WELCOME!Ulrich Spiesshofer, ABB CEO, welcomes visitors, dignitaries and robots to the grand opening of ABB’s U.S. Robot Manufacturing Factory in Auburn Hills, Michigan.


CD1507_FPA.indd 19 6/26/15 12:50 PM


by Dan Hebert, PE, senior technical editor

Open CommunicationBetween The Plant Floor

And The IT Network

CD1507_20_26_COVERSTORY.indd 20 6/26/15 10:58 AM


IN THE BEGINNING, machines were either islands of automation or linked to other machines in a produc-

tion line via a few hardwired I/O. Then came machine-

to-machine communication, usually via some type

of digital data link. Now, more and more machines

are linked to IT systems in many different ways for a

variety of purposes.

Connecting machines to IT systems provides a

number of bene� ts for machine builders and their

customers. In the past, this access was often hard to

implement due to proprietary communication proto-

cols and closed systems. But now open systems are

the rule, particularly when the controller or the HMI

is PC-based. These open systems and their standard

communication protocols are making it ever easier to

connect machines to IT systems.

OEMs, their customers and their suppliers can � nd

bene� ts in connecting machines to IT systems. “Linking

our tools and machines to IT systems allows our cus-

tomers to customize data acquisition systems to meet

their speci� c needs and to monitor machine perfor-

mance remotely and compare performance among mul-

tiple machines,” says Doug Putnam-Pite, director of soft-

ware development, Owens Design (www.owensdesign.

com) in Fremont, California. Owens makes high-speed

material handling equipment for the semiconductor,

disk drive, solar and consumer electronics industries.

“Linking machines to IT systems provides a great

deal of information about how and where to deploy idle

machines, along with information about when it is safe

to continue or when there is a need to stop a machine or

process,” points out Richard Clark, Wonderware InduSoft

technical specialist, Schneider-Electric (www.indusoft.

com). “This information can be used to increase uptime,

reduce operating costs and provide the ability to make

decisions remotely. Interfacing with ERP and using JIT

or other ordering or supply chain techniques can help

match machine production to process line needs.”

Rockwell Automation also sees bene� ts. “Connect-

ing smart machines to enterprise-wide IT systems

helps end users view their processes as a whole,” ob-

serves Christopher Zei, vice president, Global Industry

Group, Rockwell Automation (www.rockwellautoma-

tion.com). “They can readily access information to

make better decisions and improve plant ef� ciency.

Preventive maintenance, diagnostics and issue resolu-

tion can all happen more quickly, decreasing down-

time and reducing maintenance costs.”

Improved quality is a goal of most every production

process, and sending data from machines to higher-

level QA/QC software for analysis contributes to this

effort. Inventory control is often implemented by

connecting parts and machines to ERP and other IT

systems. And remote access to machines is a feature

used by many OEMs and their customers, and it often

involves linking machines via various types of IT

systems, often cloud-based (Table 1).

Plants are now able to more easily establish and

maintain links between machines and IT systems be-

cause of open communication hardware and software

standards. Much of this openness is due to the PC,

making machines with PC-based controls a natural � t

for integration to IT systems.

PCs provide easy integrationEcho Hill Automation (www.echohillautomation.com),

based in Beamsville, Ontario, manufactures centerless

grinding machines. It uses PC-based HMI and control

systems from Beckhoff Automation and installs qual-

ity control software on the same PC used for control,

greatly simplifying the required integration effort.

Albion Minerals (www.albionminerals.com) is a

vitamin and mineral supplement manufacturer based

in Clear� eld, Utah. It provides links from the plant-

� oor machines to its IT systems in one of two ways:

through PC-based HMIs or through Opto 22’s groov, an

embedded communications server.

“Opto 22’s groov box allows us to watch and control

our processes remotely through any smartphone or

tablet,” explains Jim Sciarini, an associate engineer

at Albion. “Any employee with clearance has the abil-

ity to view many of the HMI screens we have avail-

able, up to controlling complete operations. This has

proven itself invaluable to us for monitoring sensi-

tive processes. It’s also a wonderful diagnostic tool

if you’re not by a control screen, which describes our

situation, as we have several pieces of equipment a

couple of � oors away from the controller. With groov,

the technician can physically be by the equipment

and control it via smartphone,” adds Sciarini.

Owens Design often provides its tools and ma-

chines with a PC-based HMI, which is used to link

to IT systems via OPC. PCs and related hardware are

making it easier to connect machines to IT systems,

but others prefer to connect directly from the PLC to

IT systems.


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PLCs join the partyDuane Gilson is a control engi-

neer at Quad/Graphics (www.

qg.com), headquartered in Sussex,

Wisconsin, which uses PLCs to

link cylinders used in printing

machines and processes to an

inventory control system. “The

automation of our cylinder storage

and retrieval system in Franklin,

Kentucky, was instrumental in re-

ducing processing time, increasing

throughput, eliminating errors and

improving safety,” notes Gilson.

“From the time an operator in-

bounds a cylinder into the storage

system until it is processed and

sent back to the printing press, an

RFID system tracks the cylinders.

This has eliminated cylinders

being lost due to operator error,

incorrect cylinders being engraved

or wrong jobs being loaded into

the engravers,” add Gilson.

“The data from the RFID readers

also tracks the cylinder carts to

make sure the cylinders are placed

on the correct carts for transport,”

continues Gilson. “This prevents

accidents when cylinders are

misplaced on carts. The control

system reads the status of the

equipment to track the cylinder

movement, loads the correct

job into the engravers, controls

inventory and ensures the correct

cylinders are brought out to both

the imaging department and the

printing presses.”

Quad/Graphics’ inventory control

system starts with RFID scanners

from Turck, which it uses to scan

print cylinder Turck RFID tags

(Figure 1). These scanners are con-

nected to a PLC-based Horstmann

cylinder storage and retrieval sys-

tem. Quad/Graphics’ automation

controls system (ACS) uses OPC to

read status bits from the PLCs and

to write commands to the PLCs.

The commands can be to pick/

place cylinders, reset faults, abort

task and retrieve/store cylinders.

The ACS is a custom IT application

running on a server. Users install

and run a client application on the

laptop or PC to interface to the ACS.

Improved data analysisAnother company using PLCs to

communicate with IT systems is

Stiwa Automation (www.stiwa.

com). It uses its manufacturing

Echo Hill Automation (www.echohillautomation.com) is based in Beamsville, Ontario, and manufactures centerless grinding machines for Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers to the automotive industry. Echo Hill machines are frequently used for grinding high-precision mechanical parts used in the assembly of automotive transmissions.

Its Tactic 8 machine has an advanced-parts validation system with measurement tolerances within the micron level. Utilizing Beckhoff Automation’s PC-based controls in its designs, Echo Hill offers its customers simple and flexible connectivity to enterprise systems. An example of such an application can be found in the collection of quality control data.

Thorrez Industries, one of Echo Hill’s customers, uses this connectivity to enable its machine controller to write the quality validation data of each part to QC software installed on the PC-based controller. The QC software is Prolink QC Calc Realtime, and the data moves one way, from the machine control logic to the QC software, and from there to the plant IT network.

“We wrote code so that a txt file in the correct format is written to the hard drive of the controller after every part measurement,” says Dan Schellenberg, an engineer at Echo Hill. “The QC software automatically opens the file, reads it and deletes it. Since the controller is PC-based, the QC calc database files are saved on a network-accessible drive. We installed the optional Beckhoff Wndows file function blocks, so opening, modifying and saving text file is relatively straightforward,” adds Schellenberg.

“We also can access our machines remotely, using PC-based InduSoft Web Studio HMI software to connect to the machine controller. For some customers, we use a VPN connection, and for others we use LogMein. In both cases, the customer can share the HMI screen, which has a chat function, with us so we can discuss issues and suggest solutions. We can also see the actual computer code and fix things without having to make a service call to the site,” explains Schellenberg.

“The Beckhoff hardware and software, being PC-based, makes machine-to- IT integration possible at a very low cost. Probably the next step for us would be to use MTConnect as a standard format to provide information to higher-level computing systems. Ideally, hardware and software suppliers would support this neutral format so that it would gain enough market share and reach a critical mass and drive down cost such that everyone would use it,” concludes Schellenberg.

PC ENABLES LINKS TO QC SOFTWARE

ECHO HILL AUTOMATIONThe PC-based controller on this high-

precision grinding machine connects

to QC software running on the

same embedded Windows platform,

providing quick and easy integration.


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software to collect data from PLCs

and other controllers installed

in automated feeding, packaging

and transport systems, as well as

assembly and process modules

(Figure 2).

Stiwa engineers use MatLab to

analyze the large amounts of col-

lected production data, allowing

them to calculate time-optimal

trajectories for machinery, reduce

cycle times for production sys-

tems and increase output.

Every eight seconds, a typical

Stiwa system collects more than 9

megabytes of raw production data

in 150,000 data sets capturing

noise, torque and other machine

measurements. This data must be

filtered and processed to identify

appropriate tolerances, modify

processes or compute time-opti-

mized tracks for robots or flexible

transfer systems.

In the past, Stiwa engineers

wrote data analysis algorithms in

low-level languages such as IEC

61131-3 structured text for PLCs.

This approach was slow, and it

became unworkable as the algo-

rithms grew more complex.

So Stiwa engineers now import

machine and product data into

MatLab and then filter, resample

and visualize the data to identify

problems and optimization op-

portunities. Working in MatLab,

the engineers develop algorithms

to automate data analysis and

plan time-optimal trajectories for

robotic components.

“To be effective, our algorithms

must analyze a huge amount of

data in near real-time,” says Martin

Werner, software tools develop-

ment engineer at Stiwa. “We

achieved this high level of perfor-

mance by optimizing our MatLab

algorithms.”

Machine builders have been us-

ing remote access for decades, but

tying machines to IT systems can

improve these communications

by offering faster implementation,

better security and more wide-

spread access.

Simply easy!

Reliable detectionis just a few quick

steps away.Install the XX Refl ex sensor with a quick twist.

Set your background distance with a single push.You are now accurately detecting every object,regardless of shape, color, or type of material.

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CD201507_Telemecanique.indd 1 6/16/2015 9:00:10 AM

BEGIN TRACKINGFigure 1: A handheld scanner is used to read RFID data from a tag affixed to this print cylinder, allowing it to be tracked throughout the plant.

TURC

K

Table 1: Reasons to Link Machines to IT Systems

• Optimize operation of each machine

• Coordinate operation among machines

• Production planning

• Inventory control

• Quality analysis and control

• Remote access


IT improves remote accessPremier Tech Chronos (www.ptchronos.com) is head-

quartered in Quebec, Canada. and delivers bag pack-

aging equipment and complete end-of-line packaging

solutions (Figure 3). The company recently redesigned

the control system on its SPLX Compact palletizer to

improve operation and remote access.

“Typically, a customer would alert us to a perfor-

mance issue, and we could access their equipment

online and troubleshoot the problem,” says Louis

Brochu, engineering after-sales manager, Premier

Tech Chronos. “But we wanted to provide a service

that would be more proactive and better maintain the

health of the system.”

Working with Rockwell Automation, Premier

developed a cloud-enabled remote monitoring

solution that could be applied not only to the SPLX

Compact palletizer, but to all of the company’s

equipment. The CompactLogix PLC on the palletizer

connects to the Internet via its Ethernet port. Con-

nection to the cloud is per modular cloud informa-

tion integration standards, and it’s powered by

Microsoft Azure cloud services. The Azure platform

stores and processes the collected data, and it al-

lows remote viewing of pertinent machine param-

eters via any Web browser.

“Through this cloud-enabled solution, we can con-

tinuously monitor a wide range of performance pa-

rameters regarding machine components and overall

cycle times,” notes Brochu. “Based on the results, we

Simply easy!

Reliable detectionis just a few quick

steps away.Install the XX Refl ex sensor with a quick twist.

Set your background distance with a single push.You are now accurately detecting every object,regardless of shape, color, or type of material.

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CD201507_Telemecanique.indd 1 6/16/2015 9:00:10 AM

OPTIMIZE PRODUCTIONFigure 2: Stiwa sends production data from its machine controllers to IT systems for analysis, optimizing operation.

STIW

A


http://www.ptchronos.comhttp://www.tesensors.com

EYEBROW


can determine the optimal time for maintenance and

also improve overall equipment effectiveness.”

Another type of remote access solution is used

by Stopa Anlagenbau (www.stopa.com), a European

provider of automatic storage and retrieval systems

(Figure 4). Stopa had been using a modem-based ser-

vice solution for remote support, and establishing the

connection and the exchange of extensive program

files with the Siemens Step 7 PLC required 20 minutes.

With the conversion to an mGuard VPN technology

from Innominate, establishing the connection was

reduced to just a few seconds.

“The connection time for remote service is an

important variable, because the faster we can help the

customer, the more cases the support team can attend

to,” says Ettore Caurla, customer service, Stopa.

The remote service connection is enabled with a

VPN hardware switch that can only be initiated from

the plant operator’s network, allowing an operator to

always maintain control over remote access.

REMOTE CUSTOMER SERVICEFigure 4: Stopa remotely accesses over a thousand of its material handling machines located at customer sites via a VPN connection from each machine to its customer service IT system.

STO

PA

REMOTELY MONITOREDFigure 3: Cloud-based remote access allows Premier Tech Chronos to monitor, maintain and service each of its machines via an Ethernet port on the PLC connected to the cloud via the Internet.

PREM

IER

TEC

H C

HRO

NO

S

Owens Design (www.owensdesign.com) is located in Fremont, California, and makes high-speed material handling equipment for the semiconductor, disk drive, solar and consumer electronics industries. It often links machine control systems to higher-level IT systems, using a variety of different methods depending on the specific application.

“Where the communications link is made from the HMI to an IT system, it’s typically through an OPC server running on the same PC as the HMI,” says Doug Putnam-Pite, director of software development, Owens Design. “The HMI’s OPC server connects to the machine or tool PLC, and the customer’s IT system connects to the OPC server running on our PC. With an OPC server running on the tool PC, several hosts can connect to the tool and gather data remotely,” adds Putnam-Pite.

“In the case where the machine or tool does not have a PC, then the customer will connect directly to the tool PLC using OPC. In these situations, the customer provides the OPC server and connectivity hardware,” explains Putnam-Pite.

Owens uses three major interfaces for these OPC connections: basic Ethernet, Ethernet using socket communication and EtherNet/IP. Ethernet using socket communication is typically used when the tool provided is a component in a larger tool.

“For OPC links via EtherNet/IP, the programming effort is typically fairly low. The primary task is documenting the interface so the customer knows the functionality of the tool variables and registers. This effort is one to two weeks depending on the size of the tool,” details Putnam-Pite.

“If we are providing an Ethernet socket communication interface, the effort level is much higher, as our developers need to write the socket communication interface and often need to spend a significant amount of time working with the customer to integrate the tool into the system. This effort can be on the order of four to eight weeks,” notes Putnam-Pite.

“Communication standards in most automation environments are nonexistent, except for the semiconductor industry, and to a lesser degree the solar industry. Both these industries have widely adopted the SEMI SECS300 and GEM interfaces. The development and adoption of interface standards in other automation industries would help both machine and tool builders to integrate machines and tools to factory IT systems,” concludes Putnam-Pite.

OPC AIDS INTEGRATION

OWENS DESIGN This Owens Design 300 mm wafer

platform is designed for semiconductor

metrology equipment applications and

is linked to IT systems via OPC.


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Presence sensors run the gamut—from capacitive and

inductive proximity sensors to ultrasonic and photoelectric

sensors, not to mention safety devices. Explain the impor-

tance of sensing devices to robotic integration in machines

and equipment.

Elston: There are three types of sensors that are added

in conjunction to an off-the-shelf robot, not including

the sensors that are already pre-designed in, such as

encoder feedback or, in the case of Yamaha Robotics,

resolver feedback devices. Basic tooling sensing is

end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) sensing. Preventive sensing

is for things you don’t want to see happen to a robot,

like a crash. Safety sensing is to sense humans when

they’re close to a robot in motion.

Each of these categories is important to ensure

problem-free, maintenance-free and injury-free op-

eration of industrial robots.

EOAT sensing is important in that not everything

is manufactured perfectly. EOAT, or gripper, sensors

are typically proximity or photoelectric type that

sense when an object is gripped into the robot tool-

ing, which is wired into the robot’s logic process. If

the gripper sensor is not active, for example, program

structure will instruct the robot to take a different

path or maybe stop operations to alert an operator

nearby to look and see what the problem is and why

the robot does not sense a part in the gripper. This

type of sensing is typically twofold, where it’s im-

portant to sense part presence with a robot to ensure

trouble-free operations, and it also instills a quality

standard when a part entering a work cell is verified

and detected by the robot EOAT before the robot at-

tempts to advance the process on the given part. All

robots should at a minimum have EOAT sensors as a

standard when integrated into a work cell.

Preventive sensing typically is trying to go one

step above and beyond basic EOAT sensing. Most of

the time, preventive sensing is made up of a type

of analog sensor such as a load cell. These are used

when a robot picks up a part, but there is a misalign-

ment in the process. The robot doesn’t typically


MACHINE INPUT

by Mike Bacidore, chief editor

Sensors enhance robot capability, affordability and programmability

The rise of robotics

ROBOTS HAVE THEIR hands—er, arms—in more manufacturing and assembly processes than ever.

Affordability and ease of integration have helped

to increase their popularity, but none of that would

be practical without the use of sensors to let the

robot’s control system know what to do, based on

the environment.

As these two technologies converge, several

questions arise, so we posed them to a panel of

industry veterans. They include Chris Elston, senior

controls engineer, Yamaha Robotics (www.yama-

harobotics.com); Scott Mabie, general manager of

Americas region, Universal Robots (www.universal-

robots.com); Helge Hornis, manager intelligent

systems group, Pepperl+Fuchs (www.pepperl-fuchs.

us); Victor Caneff, business development manager,

assembly and robotics, Banner Engineering (www.

bannerengineering.com); and Balluff (www.balluff.

com) marketing managers Wolfgang Kratzenberg,

industrial identification, Henry Menke, position

sensing, and Shishir Rege, networking.

PARTICIPANTS

CHRIS ELSTON SCOTT MABIE HELGE HORNIS VICTOR CANEFF

WOLFGANG

KRATZENBERG

HENRY MENKE SHISHIR REGE

CD1507_29_34_FEATURE2.indd 29 6/26/15 11:53 AM

http://www.yama-harobotics.comhttp://www.yama-harobotics.comhttp://www.yama-harobotics.comhttp://www.universal-robots.comhttp://www.universal-robots.comhttp://www.universal-robots.comhttp://www.pepperl-fuchs.ushttp://www.pepperl-fuchs.ushttp://www.bannerengineering.comhttp://www.bannerengineering.comhttp://www.balluff.Presencesensorsrunthegamut%E2%80%94fromcapacitiveandinductiveproximitysensorstoultrasonicandphotoelectricsensorshttp://www.balluff.Presencesensorsrunthegamut%E2%80%94fromcapacitiveandinductiveproximitysensorstoultrasonicandphotoelectricsensorshttp://www.balluff.Presencesensorsrunthegamut%E2%80%94fromcapacitiveandinductiveproximitysensorstoultrasonicandphotoelectricsensorshttp://www.balluff.Presencesensorsrunthegamut%E2%80%94fromcapacitiveandinductiveproximitysensorstoultrasonicandphotoelectricsensors

have the ability to feel that the two parts will not

fit together, so adding preventive sensing allows

an analog measurement of the robot process. If the

load cell detects a higher-than-normal threshold,

the robot would be instructed to stop trying to

insert or assemble the part in process. It’s the same

process as basic sensing, but gives a robot the abil-

ity to “feel” the part as it works. Some robots have

the ability to run in torque mode vs. position mode

when these critical operations are required. Other

times, preventive sensing might be breakaway tool-

ing. If there’s a crash or a foreign object that tries

to damage the EOAT, additional analog sensors can

stop the robot from damaging the tooling with its

powerful motors. One vendor that comes to mind is

ATI Industrial Automation with its collision sensor.

ATI makse several anti-crash tooling adapters that

sense when a robot process is not going the way it

was designed.

Safety sensing has come a long way over the

years. The most high-tech method out there today

is Sick’s 3D scanner, which is normally positioned

and programmed at the floor level to detect when a

human steps into the radius path of a larger robot.

These types of sensing technologies keep us safe

from robots that run automatically, as sometimes

we might become distracted or unknowingly could

step into the path of a moving robot.

Hornis: Sensors are the eyes, ears and fingertips of

any kind of automated system, including robots.

While computational improvements have allowed

robotic systems to become more powerful, smaller,

and cheaper, sensing devices have not kept up.

Therefore, researchers and engineers involved in

robotics have identified the need for better sensing

technologies. Robotic integration may also play a

significant role in Industry 4.0. For instance, mate-

rial supply systems like KARIS Pro take advantage

of robotics by enabling small and nimble automated

units to act as individual AGV-like transport units

that can, if required or advantageous, self-assemble

into an intelligent conveyor system. KARIS Pro takes

advantage of sensing devices from photoelectric

scanners to RFID systems.

Menke: The primary mission of proximity sensors

in robotic applications is to detect the presence or

absence of work pieces and confirm that they are

properly nested for work to commence. Especially on

grippers and end effectors, sensors can confirm that

the right component was picked up and was picked

up correctly. This is accomplished with sensors

located to detect the part itself, as well as the status

of grippers and clamps. Such sensors can be simple,

discrete, on-off types or more advanced types that

provide continuous position or size information

via analog or serial digital outputs. For example, an

analog inductive proximity sensor can measure the

full travel of a robotic gripper to determine precisely

the degree of jaw opening or closing.

As work products and work cells are downsized,

robotic work becomes more demanding, with a

higher level of sensor precision required. As a result,

miniature sensors are coming into wider use. In

addition to obvious benefits like small size and low

mass, miniature sensors are more exacting in their

detection and operation. “Precision sensing” is a

term that refers to the ability of miniature sen-

sors to deliver more stable detection points despite

temperature fluctuations. They also offer more

repeatable behavior from sensor to sensor, smaller

windows of hysteresis—difference between on and

off points—and better ability to detect very small

targets that are invisible to larger sensors.

Caneff: Sensors give robots positional information to

detect the presence or location of the material being

processed, as well as personnel who may be exposed

to hazards related to the robot system. Technologies

such as laser distance sensors and vision are the eyes

of the robot that allow its end effector to properly

pick up or process material and also avoid collisions

with people or other objects in the area.

What is the most innovative use of presence sensing in a

robotic application you’ve been a part of?

Hornis: Autonomous navigation is still one of the

most challenging problems in robotics. While the

autonomous car fleet built by the research division

of a well-known Internet company has logged many

thousand miles in real-world traffic, the situation

is quite different when the weather is not cooperat-

ing. Until such cars are able to drive in rain, snow

and fog, the developers of sensors used to evaluate

the environment need to continue refining their

solutions. We’ve invested significant resources in

our pulse ranging technology (PRT), a time-of-flight

method that offers significant advantages over a

host of other attempts to provide reliable distance

measurement information.


MACHINE INPUT


More speci� cally, we succeeded

in implementing PRT in a 2D scan-

ner so that we can offer a 360° � eld

of view with virtually no wobble in

the scan plane. This is an essential

feature in robotic systems that

must measure or detect objects

close to reference planes.

The second revolutionary

development was the success-

ful implementation of PRT using

low-cost LEDs instead of laser

light sources. These LEDs are then

used to generate individual opti-

cal channels so that the result-

ing 2D scanner doesn’t have any

moving parts. Having been able

to solve the laser cost problem

and constructing a 2D scanner

without moving parts allows us to

reduce the price point of both PRT

and 2D scanners. Assuming that

robot designers will continue to

have many new ideas for low-cost

robots, providing a reliable sens-

ing and scanning technology at a

lower price point is important.

Elston: Preventive sensing has

always intrigued me to try to

write programs in robots that can

react dynamically based on the

force that’s sensed. It’s hard for a

standard industrial robot to feel

its way around a process. Most

robots are programmed to a hard

position, and accurate placement

of part and support tooling is

critical to a robot’s success in a

production environment. When

one of those pieces changes

unexpectedly, robots can’t think

on their own to adjust the path

or adjust pressure to manipulate

tooling in a safe manner, unless

you implement preventive sens-

ing methods and write additional

software code to handle those

types of errors and handle the

robot behavior based on those

logical changes.

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Rege: As robotic automation is evolving, robots are

becoming more and more multi-purpose devices,

rather than task-specific devices such as a decade

ago. The need for quick tool change technology is on

the rise. Inductive coupling technology for non-

contact exchange of power and data over a small

air gap is ideal for robotic tool changing. Inductive

coupling offers several benefits over traditional pin-

based coupling. Inductive coupling is noncontact, so

there’s no mechanical wear and tear to worry about.

Connections are instantaneous even with little

axial offset between the base and the remote, so

robots can identify the correct tool before engaging

the tool changer.

Mabie: Our robots can integrate presence sensing

to implement dynamic collision avoidance with fix-

tures and people. There are many ways to do this.

Contrast sensors can be used in conjunction with

our robots to actually navigate the tool around,

helping the robot locate a part and/or avoid un-

wanted collisions without using any conventional

vision systems at all. It’s an innovative, cost-effec-

tive solution to a seemingly complicated problem. A

Microsoft Kinect sensor can be used to implement

motion control. Vision sensors are often used with

UR robots. One example, from Etalex in Montreal,

Canada, included a Sick vision sensor that detected

when the operator walked into the robotic cell,

causing the robot to slow down.

Caneff: The use of adhesives for automobile assem-

bly is becoming more common. However, verifying

that glue is present and has been properly dispensed

by the robot can be challenging with standard vi-

sion inspection tools. With a unique vision camera

algorithm called “bead tool,” the adhesive can be

inspected for proper width, and, if any skips in the

bead are detected, corrective action can be initiated.

Menke: Robots can follow pre-programmed paths,

of course, but they can also be made smarter by

providing them with additional information about

the status of objects in the physical world. The

behavior of a robot can be altered in response to

such enhanced physical condition data. Presence

sensors, especially those providing continuous

analog or serial digital data, can be creatively ap-

plied to help the robot overcome less-than-ideal

conditions in the process. One example is a robot

removing and replacing components in a reusable

transportation rack. The rack may be placed near

the robot by a human worker or an AGV. In either

case, the exact placement of the rack may vary in

several directions. The robot can be programmed

to approach the rack along a defined pathway. At a

pre-determined point, laser distance sensors take

over to help the robot locate key features on the

rack and provide final real-time guidance into and

out of the rack, even though it may be slightly out

of the ideal position. This avoids damage to parts,

tooling and racks.

What impact, if any, has wireless technology had on pres-

ence sensors with robots?

Kratzenberg: Ultimately, wireless technology has

boosted the brain power of robots. Think RFID. In

many applications RFID can be seen as an evolution

from the simpler presence sensors. Now, instead of

just identifying that something is present, we can

identify with certainty what actually is present.

Logic in the controls can then instruct the robot to

perform a task based on the information saved in

the RFID tag’s memory—for instance, placing a tag

on the end of arm tooling to identify the correct

tool is being used for the correct job. In addition to

a unique identifier specific to that tool, other in-

formation such as usage, maintenance and process

data can be stored on the tag, as well. Basically, the

reader is placed on the end of the robot arm, and

the robot is instructed to look for a specific tool.

When the reader identifies the correct tool, the

robot can couple with the tool.

This ensures the correct tool is being used, and it

has been properly maintained, and it is fit to perform

the task. This is all accomplished by sending data

through the air wirelessly.

Mabie: Wireless technology is still considered not

safe enough within the industry. It’s always easier

to see a broken wire than invisible electromagnetic

Especially on grippers and end effectors, sensors can confirm that the right component was picked up and was

picked up correctly.

MACHINE INPUT



signals. But the technology has been getting in-

creasingly robust and will definitely be influencing

the industry in the near future.

Hornis: We have not been involved in dedicated

wireless technologies for robot control systems.

Instead, we are working on SmartBridge, a wireless

interfacing technology for a certain class of indus-

trial sensors and, in addition to typical machine

applications, it may be beneficial in robotics, as

well. In a nutshell, SmartBridge interfaces with

IO-Link and other intelligent sensing devices and

allows users to perform configuration and mainte-

nance operations using smartphones and tablets.

In addition to this user-centric utilization, it is, of

course, possible to intercept the wireless traffic

using other devices or computers. In this scenario,

SmartBridge acts as a parallel communication

channel between the sensor and, for instance, an

automated maintenance system. While the process

controller, for example, the PLC, is using the sensor

data to run the process, SmartBridge sends other

data, such as temperature or operating hours, to

the maintenance system. Imagine a sensor that

monitors the rotational speed of an electric motor.

The PLC is tasked with keeping the speed within

certain tolerances. Combining this data with the

current consumption of the motor, obtained from

a second sensor, and the shaft temperature, from a

third sensor, will allow the maintenance system to

predict possible production interrupts due to bear-

ing failure. Having enough data points will enable

preventive maintenance to be scheduled without a

loss in machine uptime and productivity.

Caneff: With the necessity of deploying sensors on

robot end effectors, cables that are being continu-

ously flexed can become unreliable and a mainte-

nance burden due to frequent replacement. The use

of wireless I/O to transmit analog and digital signals

from sensors on the robot to the control system can

improve the overall system reliability.

Elston: Wireless sensing is only handy to reduce the

wiring harness on a robotics arm. There is certainly

always a concern when too many sensors, air lines

or motor cables are dangling from a robotics arm

that could be flexed over time and cause failure. Or

even snagging on another object in the work cells is

typically the normal “death” of basic sensors on a

robot EOAT.

It seems a good place to start would be basic sens-

ing of EOATs that could reduce some of that labor

headache of looming wires from the base of the robot

all the way to the tooling.

With the increase in collaborative robot applications—

where humans and robots work in the same space—what

advice can you give on presence sensing?

Mabie: Presence sensing will play a huge role in

collaborative robot applications. It is better to be

more aware than less. If we can improve the robot’s

environment awareness to achieve more dynamic

planning and collision avoidance, then why not?

Of course, the presence-sensing technology needs

to be cost-effective, easily accessible and readily

integratable. One of the key value drivers of the UR

robot is the ease of integration with peripherals

such as sensors.

We’re making our software intuitive and GUI-based,

as opposed to conventional command- or language-

based programming, which is also available for

advanced programmers who want that level of access.

Our Polyscope interface is now more open and acces-

sible to end users, enabling them to build their own

interfaces and wizards, even implementing their own

custom communication protocol.

Hornis: Safety will continue to play an important

role. But there is a second level of safety that will

be of greater importance in automation and robot-

ics in the future. The biggest issues with safety

systems as we know and use them today are cost

and complexity. We expect assistance systems,

not unlike what we see in modern cars, to be much

more important in the future. Assistance systems

will not provide functional safety, but help opera-

tors and robots in such collaborative situations.

Assistance systems will be used in situations where

currently nothing is used due to cost and complex-

ity. It is too early to tell what kind of assistance sys-

tems will be accepted, but, again looking at the au-

tomotive market, it seems clear that the inclusion

of a large number of low-cost technologies—ABS,

ESP, blind-zone assistant, distance radar, backup

sensors—is ultimately much better than having

just one safe-rated solution at the same price point,



perhaps a backup sensor that utilizes an expensive

safe-rated scanner.

Caneff: Although any robot has the potential for use

in collaborative operation, new-generation robots

on the market that are smaller, have power- and

force-limiting functions and speed monitoring are

commonly associated as collaborative robots. These

functions alone do not necessarily address all

safety requirements, and monitoring the separation

between operators and the robot may be needed

to comply with applicable standards such as ANSI/

RIA 15.06-2012, Safety Requirements for Industrial

Robots and Robot Systems. Current safeguarding

technologies such as safety laser scanners and light

curtains are still applicable; however, advance-

ments in vision and LIDAR technology for 3D-safe-

ty-rated monitoring of the space around a robot’s

work envelope would open up more potential ap-

plications for collaborative operation.

Elston: Collaborative robots seem to be in an arena

of their own when it comes to industrial robots.

They are used when programming ease is desired

and reducing safety costs is desired. End users

typically favor collaborative robots because of the

ease of integration. Because collaborative robots

must work on the principles of torque to sense

when a human is near, they tend to already have

preventive sensing built in along with safety sens-

ing. However, the trade-off with this type of torque

sensing is speed, and precision is given up. Col-

laborative robots have an advantage with this type

of technology already onboard, whereas the same

“touchy-feely” response would need to be added to

an industrial robot as an extra.

The only difference is we don’t want to give up the

speed and precision we already are familiar with

when using an industrial robot.

Rege: The age of robots started out as replacing

humans in areas where operations are repetitive,

hazardous or tedious. Then the concept of produc-

tivity and efficiency drove robotics automation to

new heights, not only elevating robots’ operation

speeds, but also increasing their payload capacity.

This led to tremendous growth of robots in most

sectors of manufacturing. Presence sensing related

to operations, for example, picking correct object or

number of objects, and presence sensing related to

safety for personnel in

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