Robotic Kits for “Do-It-Yourself” Packaging System Design

Modular programming and articulating arm kits let you design your own robotic-based packaging system.

By Tom Jensen
Engineering Manager
ELAU Inc., a Company of Schneider Electric

For many years two factors gave robot designers and manufacturers a lock on developing equipment for the packaging market: patents and the specialized kinematic knowledge required to program robotic motion. While the robotic arms were under patent, the controls held the unique motion algorithms needed to handle the complex path planning, blending, and resolution of multiple trajectories to the same point. Thus, robot articulating arms and specific controls were exclusive to robot developers.
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Low-cost photosensor apes eye’s response

The S10604 chip-on-board-type illuminance sensor displays a spectral response close to human eye sensitivity, with reduced sensitivity to IR light. Priced under $0.80 each in hundreds, the RoHS-compliant sensor suits energy-saving brightness control applications from large-screen TVs to cell phones LCDs.

Designed to reduce effects from 940-nm LEDs like those used in remote controls, the S10604 also features minimal error due to color-temperature variations of sources such as fluorescent and incandescent lamps. The device comes in a 2.0 x 1.25 x 0.8-mm package that suits mass-production pick-and-place operations. (From $0.77 ea / 100 to 999 — available now.)

Hamamatsu, Bridgewater, NJ
Information 800-524-0504
http://sales.hamamatsu.com

Development platform has FPGA, ARM 922

The RC240 development platform aids the design and optimization of high-performance algorithms using an FPGA and an ARM 922T core for digital entertainment, communications, and robotics applications. It includes a 4-Mgate Virtex-4 FPGA, 12 Mbytes of pipelined SRAM, 128 Mbytes of SDRAM for FPGA use, and 128 Mbytes of SDRAM for ARM CPU use.

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Power-dense battery targets robotics

The seven-cell 25-V 2.9-Ah 73-Wh PG3665A29 high-power-density smart lithium-ion batteries packs are for robotics and 24-Vdc motor applications. The battery provides the capability to continuously deliver 20 A with 30-A peaks making them appropriate for applications that have high inrush currents at startup and shutoff.

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5 Design Challenges and Solutions for Machine Builders

Machine builders can virtually prototype their machine control systems with LabVIEW and the NI SoftMotion Development Module for motion profile generation as well as mechanically simulate and detect collisions with SolidWorks and COSMOSMotion.

Intense competition is putting pressure on machine builders to deliver machines with higher throughput, reduced operating cost, and increased safety.

By Nipun Mathur, National Instruments

Faster, better, cheaper, safer is the name of the game for machine builders. For this reason, today’s machine builders have switched from rigid, single-purpose machines – relying purely on mechanical gears and cams – to flexible multipurpose machines by adopting modern control systems and servomotors.

Although these improvements have made machines more adaptable, they also have introduced a significant amount of complexity to the machines and subsequently to the machine design process. Along with designing the mechanicals, machine builders now incorporate control logic, human machine interfaces (HMIs), networking, and machine condition monitoring systems into their designs. The added complexity has created inefficiencies in the machine design process that lengthen design time and increase design cost.
Solving this multidisciplinary engineering problem requires improvements in three key areas – development techniques, design tools, and embedded control technology. The term mechatronics is gaining popularity as a way to describe this evolution. It represents an industry-wide effort to improve the design process by integrating the best available development practices and technologies to streamline machine design, prototyping, and deployment. A mechatronics-based approach can lower the risks associated with machine design and meet the following five key challenges that machine designers face today. Read more

Project Mechatronics Round-Up

Tools to help you with your designs - Oct 2007

Software: Motion Control System Design with Multi-Language Simulation Tools. From Mentor Graphics: http://mentor.com

While various analysis options for motion control systems have been available for many years, only multi-language simulation can completely handle the diverse modeling requirements of motion control systems in a “holistic” manner. This approach allows for rapid development of new models using hardware description languages (HDLs) which go beyond the capabilities of SPICE yet still supports the use of existing SPICE models. Read more