CODESYS Softmotion CNC+Robotics: Building Complex Motion Control Applications with Ease

With CODESYS Softmotion CNC+Robotics, a machine builder can apply a wider range of manipulators and robots and develop more efficient applications. In this article, we discuss this using a relatively simple motion profile to make the advantage crystal clear. This prevents it from getting lost in the complexity of an application. After reading this article, you will understand that the same principles can be applied to the most complex motion control applications.

In this article, we take a look at the CODESYS Softmotion CNC+Robotics package. With this package, a machine builder simplifies the programming of Motion Control applications such as robots and other manipulators.

Motion Control

Motion Control revolves around the movement and/or manipulation of a product. In practice, the Cartesian coordinate system is often used for position determination. This system has 3 axes (x, y, z) that indicate the position of various components of the application or product. To move from one position to another, a piece of mechanics is required first.

Serial Manipulator

A serial manipulator is a familiar and the most common solution for mechanically positioning a product. The manipulator depicted here moves in two dimensions, but these are also available with movements in three or even more dimensions, for example, rotation.

A serial or gantry manipulator is often used for the repetitive movement of products with a large mass. Think, for example, of products that need to be picked up from a conveyor belt and placed in the packaging correctly. Or boxes that are placed on a pallet.

Motion control: motion profile

For this article, let’s consider a relatively simple motion; a product needs to be picked up and moved to another position. A certain height is necessary because an obstacle needs to be avoided, for instance. The simplest way to do this is as shown in blue (A) below: the servomotor that controls the Z-axis ensures that it moves upwards to a certain position, then the Y-axis makes the necessary horizontal movement before the Z-axis moves the product back down. Each axis moves only after the previous movement is completed.

This is relatively easy to achieve by using the Move commands and capabilities included in the PLC Open standard, where the movements are executed sequentially, independently of each other.

However, this movement shown in blue (A) is also quite inefficient. The motion profile indicated by the red line (B) can achieve the same movement more smoothly and in less time. But this requires simultaneous control of the axes and mutual position determination; the application must understand when the horizontal movement needs to be initiated. The software needs to perform complex calculations for this motion profile.

Partly due to this complexity, many machine builders in practice still opt for a less optimal motion profile. Fortunately, VARIODRIVE has a solution for this.

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CODESYS Softmotion CNC+Robotics

With the CODESYS Softmotion CNC+Robotics module, an engineer or software developer can achieve optimal motion profiles for the application much more easily. This applies to simple single-axis movements as well as complex multi-dimensional applications such as robotics, CNC, or other motion control applications. CODESYS has integrated all this motion functionality directly into the PLC development system in the form of a toolkit module. By using this toolkit and programming language according to the IEC 61131-3 and PLCOpen standards, the engineer gains access to a much broader range of motion control possibilities.

Parallel Manipulator: Reducing Complexity

Next to this is a so-called parallel manipulator, a manipulator where the axes – unlike the serial manipulator – have mutual dependence; has several advantages compared to a serial manipulator.

Engineers familiar with this technology know that this type of manipulator is usually more challenging to apply than the serial manipulator due to the complexity of the required calculations. But is that still true?

With the toolkit of CODESYS Softmotion CNC+Robotics, programming a parallel manipulator is just as challenging as a serial manipulator. By implementing/selecting the correct model of your application, the software knows how to handle the motion. The engineer programs the movement, regardless of the application, in an identical manner. An additional advantage is that the software also prevents exceeding the equipment’s limits.

Programming complex parallel applications

In practice, machine builders are sometimes unfamiliar with the opportunities offered by advanced manipulators. They wrongly assume that the necessary development time does not outweigh the efficiency benefits or broader application:

“If we train someone to work with a relatively simple 2-axis serial robot, that person can also handle a 6-axis parallel manipulator. The software takes care of the necessary kinematic calculations so that the engineer can focus on the correct motion profile. This allows machine builders to apply a much wider range of manipulators and robots, achieve more efficient applications, and optimize existing applications.”

Support for machine builders

VARIODRIVE supports and assists machine builders in the field of Motion Control. This means that we not only help with assembling the application – the design and selection of the optimal components – but also consider the possibilities of the software. We even train your engineers to work with this software, making the necessary knowledge available for other projects. If you want to learn more about a possible collaboration with VARIODRIVE or are curious about practical examples, we’re here to provide all the details. Feel free to reach out to us via sales@variodrive.nl or phone: 0186-636280, and we’d be happy to schedule a meeting.