Beckhoff (Germany, Japan) - Highly flexible robot control implemented as firmware extension based on TwinCAT.

In their development of the RC9 robotics controller, DENSO WAVE and Beckhoff Japan followed a new approach by redefining the control concept for DENSO WAVE’s industrial robots. While previously all robot controls were only available as hardware, the new control system is software-based. RC9 will initially be adopted in new VM and VL series models before being gradually deployed in future products. The concept of the new control solution was presented to the media on Wednesday, 18 December 2019, at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo. In addition to the RC9 special presentation, DENSO WAVE demonstrated extremely smooth operation of a production line with the integrated RC9 control system at their booth.

In recent years, the application scenarios industrial robots are utilized in are highly diversified. Up to now, as the scope of robot application expands, robot users and integrators had to develop their own system by following the functions and environments provided by robot manufacturers. Robot manufacturers, on the other hand, were demanded to provide the development environment that matches a large variety of user requirements. DENSO WAVE has always pursued an open-architecture concept and with the partnership with Beckhoff Automation, they will evolve their strength to the next level.

The new RC9 features firmware in which TwinCAT is integrated in the real-time layer, and it does not depend on a specific housing. The software-based robot controls can be installed on any Industrial PC in the broad portfolio from Beckhoff and thus easily scaled to the requirements of the most diverse applications. The use of PC-based control technology and TwinCAT software from Beckhoff as core technologies for robot control ensures high-performance, real-time communication while offering the benefits of openness and expandability. This provides DENSO and their customers with access to all the features of the Beckhoff control system, such as Vision, HMI, Machine Learning, high-precision measurement, IoT/Analytics, and many more. To meet the most diverse expectations toward industrial robots today, Mr. Nakagawa, president of DENSO WAVE concluded the presentation with the announcement of a new concept that is to bring high added value to the robot controller that can be easily adopted to even the most complex applications.

The new solution is expected to become available in July of 2020.

Picture 1 Caption:
From left to right: Toshimitsu Kawano (Managing Director, Beckhoff Automation Japan), Thomas Rettig (Senior Management Control System and Communication Architecture, Beckhoff Automation), Gerd Hoppe (Corporate Management, Beckhoff Automation), Hiroyasu Nakagawa (President & CEO, DENSO WAVE), Koji Kamiya (Executive Officer of FA/Robot Business Unit, DENSO WAVE), Yosuke Sawada (General Manager of FA/Robot Business Unit, Product Planning Department, DENSO WAVE).

Picture 2 Caption:
From left to right: Toshimitsu Kawano (Managing Director, Beckhoff Automation Japan), Gerd Hoppe (Corporate Management, Beckhoff Automation), Thomas Rettig (Senior Management Control System and Communication Architecture, Beckhoff Automation).