ELAU appoints Barr & Paatz as first robot solutions integrator

Citation

(2007), "ELAU appoints Barr & Paatz as first robot solutions integrator", Industrial Robot, Vol. 34 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2007.04934faf.005

ELAU appoints Barr & Paatz as first robot solutions integrator

ELAU appoints Barr & Paatz as first robot solutions integrator

Process automation and industrial robotics specialist, Barr & Paatz of Totnes, Devon has been appointed UK systems integrator for robot solutions, by the world's largest and fastest-growing automation supplier for packaging machinery, ELAU. It gives Barr & Paatz access to such cutting- edge technology as the very latest Delta 3 robot, which is ideal for high-speed pick and place applications, and the groundbreaking PacDrivee automation system, which offers scope for integrating robots into modular machines and the option of developing and building customised kinematics from scratch.

With a 16 year track record of automating production processes and a strong nationwide reputation in the field of robotics, Barr & Paatz is already an official integration partner for a number of leading hardware brands and positions itself as an early adopter of new technologies, passing on performance benefits to its customers. Its multidisciplinary team, specialising in robotics, vision systems, electronic and mechanical design, PLC programming and software development, builds customised assembly lines, production workcells and materials handling equipment, focusing particularly on the plastics, pharmaceuticals, light engineering and food processing sectors.

Barr & Paatz' access to ELAU automation technology and direct technical input opens up the possibility of exciting new high-speed applications in primary and secondary packaging, as well as electronics and assembly, where there is growing demand for automation solutions that increase flexibility and productivity (Figure 3).

Figure 3 High speed packaging line, designed to pick products at up to 1,000rpm, incorporating parallel Delta 3 robots co-ordinated by a single ELAU PacDrive controller and vision system

ELAU AG is one of the most experienced players in the automation industry, with more than 27 years' experience, and its PacDrive system controls more than 30,000 machines worldwide and is credited with enabling Generation 3 modular design. In 2005, the company joined the Schneider Electric Group, which provides assistance with global support and service in 135 countries, helping ELAU to achieve its goal of becoming market leader in packaging automation.

Marketed by ELAU in the UK as the PacDrive UltraPicker, the new Delta four-axis robot is ideal for single picking, feed placing and top loading applications, where individual items have to be moved quickly and precisely from fast moving conveyors, at speeds up to 160 picks per minute. With the design patent running out in Europe this year, ELAU's newly- available Delta robot brings something distinctive to the marketplace, with its comparatively-low 90kg gross weight, smaller, low-profile dimensions and highly competitive pricing opening up a wealth of possible applications, especially when combined with Barr & Paatz' applications design skills.

Resembling a three-legged spider, with its parallel kinematics and servo motors mounted off the arms on an overhead chassis, the UltraPicker offers three translational degrees of freedom, together with a fourth optional rotating axis. It has a payload capacity of 1kg and is capable of 160 pick cycles per minute, typically using a lightweight vacuum gripper, operating at acceleration speeds up to 10G. The robotic upper and forearms, are made from carbonfibre composite materials, employing advanced aerospace production techniques, resulting in low overall height, reduced mass inertia and extreme stiffness; neither the joints nor drive mechanisms require lubrication and there are no moving wires on the arms, contributing to long-term reliability.

Rather than employ a dedicated robot controller, which would need to be synchronised with the rest of the automation process, the UltraPicker uses the IEC-conforming PacDrive motion/logic control system and its family of controllers with embedded Pentium processor technology. Apart from seamless integration of robot functionality into the latest breed of packaging machines, PacDrive provides intelligent acceleration monitoring of the tool centre point, a belt tracking function for synchronising with multiple conveyor belts and, thanks to its capacity to control several robots, real- time collision avoidance for multiple UltraPickers operating in a shared workspace.

“These Delta configuration and control features enable a typical production line to be `squeezed' dimensionally in three directions, reducing the installation footprint,” explains ELAU's Mike Clarke. “The UltraPicker's smaller physical size means less overhead clearance above the conveyor, the no-clash shared working environment allows them to be installed much closer together, whilst the high picking-speed makes it viable to reduce the number of robots working on a line.”

An integrated robot vision system, implemented by Barr & Paatz, would further enable the high-speed UltraPicker to pick any object from a moving conveyor and place it into a package with a specified orientation or, using differentiated image recognition, to detect and remove downgraded or defective products from a fast-moving packaging or processing line. Coordinated with the vision system software, the PacDrive controller regulates the robots, as well as product transport belts and packaging supply, making for seamless operation.

In addition to its in-house 3D robot simulation and programming system, Barr & Paatz has been equipped with PacDrive's powerful EPAS-4 software development toolkit, complete with Robotic Library functionality. This IEC-compliant function block simplifies the development of robot kinematics and has been parameterised to include Delta 2/3, SCARA, gantry and articulated robot configurations. Furthermore, customised kinematics can be integrated as modules, enabling Barr & Paatz to design and build robot mechanisms in up to six dimensions, using ELAU intelligent servo drives, then embed these into the machine control system.

“ELAU's Gen3 technology and library of predefined control modules makes it easier, faster and cheaper to integrate robotics and vision systems into packaging and assembly machines, at the same time achieving the high- execution speeds that are required,” concludes Stirling Paatz. “Such integration requires technical skills to define the kinematics, then develop the appropriate robot solution, which is our specialist area.”

For further information, please enquire at Barr & Paatz, Ford Road, Totnes Industrial Estate, Totnes TQ9 5LQ; Tel: 01803 869 833; e-mail: s.paatz@barr-paatz.co.uk