Motion, sensors and real-time communication are based on the state-of-the-art fieldbus system 'EtherCAT'. The advanced characteristics of this bus facilitate new solutions for packaging applications and open possibilities that would hardly be accomplished with other technologies.
Product inspection, gathering of process data or extensive recipe management is realized with a standard Ethernet communication. Communication of these parameters and data units do not require real-time functionality, but a reliable information exchange between the various elements of a packaging or automation line. VELTRU offers their robot controller C10 with standard functionalities for motion control and supports advanced features such as conveyor tracking and tools for parts administration.
Conveyor tracking is required to pick-and-place objects which are transported on moving belts or chain mechanisms and which need to be placed in blisters or cavities that are fed on a different belt, chain or even from another packaging machine. Even rotary tables, curved belts or intermittent motion may be tracked with no additional effort.
Parts handling is tightly linked to machine vision and sensor systems. Parts recognized with our machine vision system V10 or other sensors will be registered. Later in the process, other data such as quality characteristics, weight or part numbers will be added. All this information can be used to sort and assign individual parts. Furthermore, part information can be tracked and traced throughout the complete handling and packaging process. The system therefore 'knows' the content of a blister or a cavity at all times and can access this information directly for marking, individualized printing or to store the information in a product tracing data base.
All functional modules include visualization elements for improved diagnostics and troubleshooting.