TECHNOLOGY n 25 www.drivesncontrols.com March 2024 THE ROBOT-MAKER KUKA has developed an AR (augmented reality) app that visualises robot cells live on a smartphone or tablet, helping to achieve fast, safe start-ups. The free KUKA.MixedReality Assistant app does not need an AR headset or other dedicated hardware. The app displays tools and interference geometries that allow early detection of potential hazards, so that users can eliminate them before a robot starts to operate. It connects the real and virtual worlds and is said to provide clear, uncomplicated digital information. Users can detect and correct errors quickly, accelerating installation and enhancing safety. For example, the app can simulate robot motion with a virtual gripper. Any potential collisions identified in the AR environment can be avoided in the real world so that neither the robot nor the gripper are damaged. In addition to the app – which is available for Apple or Google devices – a package called KUKA.MixedReality Safe needs to be installed on the robot controller to act as a data source. All relevant information about the robot is transmitted directly to the mobile device via a WLAN using a router or access point and is shown on the device. The app depicts all relevant variables on the robot in real time, including Cartesian or violated monitoring spaces, safety-oriented tools and tool spheres. Users also can view the appropriate configuration parameters. A demo mode allows functions to be tested without needing an actual robot. "Augmented or mixed reality is a futureoriented topic that also offers promising opportunities in robotics,” says Kuka’s simulation portfolio manager, Roland Ritter. “Kuka.MixedReality makes robot installation more user friendly and safe. This benefits customers at all levels of experience.” www.kuka.com/en-gb Free AR app helps to avoid robot hazards without needing a headset Kuka’s free app allows potential collisions to be eliminated before a robot starts up Baumüller has developed a smart energy monitoring function which can be built into its servodrives, allowing users to analyse energy consumption per cycle without needing external hardware, thus saving both space and the costs of wiring and hardware. The function can be used to record the energy consumption of individual production orders. It can determine the energy consumption for the complete system and for each individual axis on a per cycle basis. It also helps to detect deterioration in production processes. The data collected not only serves to analyse energy consumption, but can also be used to improve eciency, allowing energy consumption to be reduced in a targeted manner. The software measures the energy consumption of individual production steps and then optimises the energy use based on a reference measurement. It also provides an initial value for detecting energy changes in production processes. Warning and error thresholds can be set on the basis of these values. The energy-monitoring function is integrated into the softdrivePLC software that runs on Baumüller’s b maXX servodrives and can be operated via a manufacturer-independent control system. The energy measurements are carried out autonomously in real time. Software running on a higher-level PLC can analyse the measured values and calculate, among other things, the actual energy consumption per cycle for each axis and across all axes. These values can then be displayed by the machine’s visualisation system. Alternatively, the results can be transmitted via open IoT interfaces, such as OPC UA, and shown on a dashboard. A higherlevel Baumüller controller can process the energy values and create a reference that can be used to compare subsequent cycles based on dened threshold values. The information collected by the energy monitor can also be used to detect wear and tear, thus avoiding machine downtime. It allows maintenance work to be planned and performed more eciently. Displaying the energy consumption per production item makes it easier to calculate costs and determine the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). The energy-monitoring software can be retrotted to existing drives, allowing machine-builders to promote it as an extra function. https://www.baumueller.com Per cycle energy monitoring is built into servodrives
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