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Device server allows networked control of robots

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 23, 2003

The IALink industrial device server from Sena Technologies can be used to manage robots over a network.

With customers demanding standardised solutions that can be set up more easily, last longer and work faster, it is no wonder that the robotics industry and its components are in the process of change.

Most industries consider industrial robots as key elements in their manufacturing and business strategies.

At the same time, optimisation of the production chain demands intelligent IT applications and network-enabling solutions.

The need to capture and analyse the data from industrial and manufacturing equipment and to integrate that machinery with the company's business network is quickly becoming a very real need.

Industry recognises that potential benefits impact all aspects of manufacturing - productivity, flexibility, quality, time to market - and that Ethernet-enabled robots can give them the competitive edge necessary for survival.

Ethernet - or more importantly TCP/IP - is fast becoming the preferred solution for centralised management of robot operations on the factory floor.

Until now, it has been commonplace for factory-floor robots to be managed using PCs directly connected to the serial console port of the robot controller, with work programs downloaded to the robots through these connections.

As a result, multiple PCs were required for the management of multiple robots, which prohibits efficient and systematic management due to the additional management layer from the PCs.

Driven by manufacturing's desire to connect the factory floor with the rest of the enterprise, industrial robots connected to Ethernet enablers are giving users new ways to view and control process data using industry-standard protocols.

Introduced under the umbrella name of IALink, the new industrial device server from Sena Technologies can be used to manage robots over a network.

By adding Ethernet connectivity using IALink, robot operation can be managed directly from the central office through an Ethernet network, and work programs can be downloaded over the same link.

IALink has made it easier to gain actionable information from industrial robots to improve operating performance.

It also provides full-featured management functions, such as: status monitor, remote reset, error log monitor and firmware upgrade using Telnet and serial console port with password protection.

Application areas include: remote management of the various equipments on the factory floor; remote work program transfer for the PLC and the robot on the factory floor; sensor data acquisition and monitoring; and more.

The IALink: connects legacy serial devices to 10Base-T Ethernet networks; supports RS232/422/485 based serial devices via screw terminal blocks; transfers serial data at a rate up to 115Kbit/s; can be mounted on a DIN rail using a special mounting rack; provides PPPoE protocol for ADSL connection to broadband Internet; supports powerful Ethernet modem function; supports static key based 3DES data encryption; and includes management software for configuration and administration.