Society of Robots - Robot Forum

Software => Software => Topic started by: jake minns on March 10, 2008, 09:50:08 AM

Title: PLC or PMC?
Post by: jake minns on March 10, 2008, 09:50:08 AM

Has anyone here had any experience with having multiple robot cells outputting products onto a line?  I am wondering about the pros and cons of using a plc to control the traffic stops linking the robots or using the FANUC PMC software and use ladder logic inside each robot cell, with I/O handshakes.  Ive heard the PMC software is not entirely stable when running a network of 6 robots like we are planning on doing. 

Title: Re: PLC or PMC?
Post by: Admin on March 15, 2008, 04:14:06 PM

I recommend buying the 3rd book on this page, Affordable Automation:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/robot_books.shtml
Its usually like ~$10 so worth the money.

I haven't done any multicell work, but everything I've read says each cell should be kept 100% independent from each other. No I/O handshakes, but instead sensors to detect when parts have entered the cell.

This makes early testing and programming simple, so that one cell doesn't affect another. And if one cell fails, the others will just wait.

The additional benefit of error detection is that it allows your factory to run unsupervised at night.