The Glue of Automation: Motion Control and Integration

POSTED 03/15/2023  | By: John Lewis, A3 Contributing Editor, Tech B2B

Over the last two a protracted time, the associated price structure of industrial automation, circulation control, and robotics has improved incrementally. As hardware and peripheral costs descend and the reach of easy-to-use hardware and tool will enhance, automation purposes originate bigger.

After a snappily COVID hiccup adopted by offer chain disorders, producers are again transferring at warp spin, deploying automation and circulation control to relief spin with ask. On the same time, pushed by increased labor costs, the necessity for flexibility, and severely lowered obstacles to entry for automation, a recent abilities of automation corporations and professionals is main the trend toward simplicity.

Collaborative robots are a substantial example. Corporations equivalent to Favorite Robots A/S and Kassow Robots possess made it more straightforward for more minute- and medium-sized corporations to soar into the automation fray with easy-to-house-up hardware and easy-to-program tool which would be substantial for automating easy purposes.

“Ten years ago, robotic implementations required sending somebody to a weeklong class to be taught enact a conventional robotic integration,” explains Jonathan Schroeder, executive vice president, PBC Linear. “On the present time, a college intern can set up a UR robotic within about a hours to relief out intention more advanced responsibilities.”

From Complexity to Simplicity

Even supposing contemporary users with dinky automation trip are in actual fact in a position to tackle many easy automation responsibilities snappy, programs integrators remain the glue of automation and circulation control, handling the increasing amount of advanced automation programs that integrate more than one robots or machine vision programs and better turnkey solutions. Fancy magicians poised at the confluence of engineering and paintings, integrators appear to tug improbable programs collectively out of a hat utilizing disparate automation technologies and making sure that every functions as designed to satisfy particular utility requirements.

Within the past, due to complexity, handiest better corporations with the capital wherewithal, investment scheme, and inside of resources would possibly perhaps well decide to automate. The foremost driver used to be price reduction to enhance margins and originate the alternate more a success. Complicated automation required particular skill sets to integrate circulation control drive programs, robotics, and loads of automation technologies.

“Beforehand, it goes to possess taken several engineers to enforce an automation system. A mechanical engineer to make your mind up and dimension mechanical circulation system ingredients to satisfy payload, precision, and spin requirements. An electrical engineer to provocative wire the controls, and a third engineer would possibly perhaps well need been in price for programming,” says Schroeder. “Now, with the focus on simplifying the full lot, we’re seeing more purposes the effect a single engineer can organize the final mission from open to relief out.”

Less Is More With Integration

Within the past, price reduction used to be the foremost goal of many automation initiatives, nonetheless more lately, producers decide to automate with faster shipping of improved merchandise at decrease trace facets in mind. Automation suppliers tackle such time-to-market challenges with more integrated solutions that aid producers gain merchandise within the arms of distributors and customers as snappy as that you are going to have the option to mediate.

Schroeder notes that the embedding of extra electronics into programs is one among the most valuable traits in circulation control drive programs. “Systems that were previously easy electro-mechanical devices, equivalent to motors and bearings, now possess sensors, which enable early failure detection and permit for connectivity of devices to networks,” he says. “One other is the simplification of integration, especially on the tool and electrical aspect.”

Traits within the offering of integrated drives are a residing proof. Motor-gearhead-controller combos are being equipped this day more than ever before, per Biren Patel, maxon alternate trend manager, Mobility Solutions & Electronic Systems. “maxon’s deep files of motor and controllers and its total system scheme offers substantial advantages in the case of minimizing losses and maximizing strength density,” he explains.

The company’s configurable IDX line of drives is a improbable example. maxon developed an ASIC to tackle peripheral functions and to relief with the miniaturization of their drives, which has been valuable in growing compact integrated drive solutions. One other relief of the ASIC trend has been minimizing verification efforts, which has resulted in decrease product costs and faster trend cycles because checking out of commonplace functions wants handiest to be achieved as soon as, pretty than for every contemporary discrete resolution.

“Having the final drive system in a single package deal reduces the number of cables and cable routing required for the OEM, which simplifies the originate and bounds the number of ingredients that must restful be stocked,” says Patel. “Having self reliant drives can furthermore aid scale back the number of responsibilities that the grasp controller needs to tackle, and the talents required for set up are minimal as handiest one enlighten needs to be installed. Additionally, in many instances the integrated drives advance preconfigured and tuned so there’s less tool to tackle for set up.”

Gain to Market Sooner

From open to relief out, machine builders, OEMs, and programs integrators can gain their programs to market faster utilizing the latest automation traits for the explanation that engineering effort required to originate, program, commission and toughen automation programs has reduced over time.

On the hardware aspect, as an illustration, pretty than hunting for separate ingredients — as an illustration, linear handbook rails, a motor, a gearbox, and a drive belt — machine builders can now buy a complete linear actuator system that’s interesting to hurry on. This scheme not handiest shortens integration time nonetheless furthermore lowers the stage of technical skill required for integration.

Engineers can furthermore originate bigger effectivity and scale back trend time by at the side of flexibility and functionality to tool. For instance, ctrlX AUTOMATION from Bosch Rexroth Company offers a diploma of freedom and effectivity, allowing developers to conquer the challenges of contemporary automation programming snappy and creatively. In accordance with Dan Barrera, product manager, Automation and Electrification Bosch Rexroth, the automation platform entails the following:

• Virtual trend control and tool environments for engineering responsibilities without utilizing hardware
• Internet-based completely system configuration portals that enable snappily and easy open-up without the necessity to set up tool
• Free alternative of programming language to attenuate technical files requirements (e.g., for IEC 61131: PLCopen, G-Code, C/C#, Python, Java, Node-RED, Blockly, and more)

“With the most most recent traits in automation abilities at the side of industrial PCs, AI, sensors, vision, communication, and safety, we’re in a position to originate and engineer more begin, versatile, and scalable programs that can aid us enlighten IT and OT nearer than ever. Here’s a pass toward more complete factory automation,” Barrera explains. “At Bosch Rexroth, we see the significance of mixing the latest traits as much as spin-drive abilities, IT, AI and IoT for us to use the chance of digitalization and networking within the contemporary world of automation.”

Adaptable Automation

Manufacturing requirements possess progressed from early price control efforts toward making better merchandise faster and more cost effective. Now the predominant heart of attention of automation is on handing over versatile and customizable manufacturing. The reasons extend some distance past assembly the multifaceted buyer preferences of the day and encompass serving to with the mitigation of sourcing disorders, transportation delays, labor shortages, and effortlessly adjusting to the ebb and movement of ask by scaling manufacturing at an ideal decrease price structure.

“Mechanical originate enhancements will continue with more integrated motors and drives, more compact designs,” predicts Schroeder. “But the most valuable breakthroughs will be on the tool and programming aspect, that will originate integration great more straightforward and faster.”

Patel agrees, noting breakthroughs in tool with drivers to enhance integrated drives as one key. “This would possibly perhaps occasionally aid originate the integration task simpler and permit robotic and AMR [autonomous mobile robot] developers to pay consideration on the reach of more refined purposes and not wretchedness about circulation commands and algorithms wished to govern motors,” he says.

Barrera thinks the alternate will open mirroring the particular person-friendliness of particular person electronics, making automation as easy as handling a smartphone. “Our ctrlX AUTOMATION resolution follows the example of a smartphone, which brings the highest stage of functional integration that you are going to have the option to mediate and a flexible app abilities the effect users can effortlessly individualize their devices. Additionally, we provide a fashioned ecosystem, ctrlX WORLD, around ctrlX AUTOMATION the effect developer companions can introduce their very possess strengths and solutions via cocreation, which offers users a gigantic fluctuate of apps and permits them to gain pleasure from the continuously growing ecosystem.”

Manufacturers who can gain pleasure from this day’s automation abilities lunge the gamut from those contemporary to robotics to those having a explore to enhance. In spite of a manufacturer’s trip stage, it’s actual to know that there are such loads of corporations with large trip in automation. These corporations provide many resources to permit you to gain started, present route, and guarantee your next automation mission will aid accommodate future requires.