Robot integration in the TIA Portal
Integrated programming of automation and robots
The digital transformation is opening up new chances to reduce downtimes, cut operating costs and increase productivity. Constant growth in networking between machines and plants means additional potential can be expected from the integration of robots into the automation environment. To make efficient use of the resulting advantages, however, you need to be able to combine the programming and operation of both plant and robots. PLC experts can make this a reality using the Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal), with no need for extra tools, in a shared development environment.
Teaching and simulation of robot functions
Integrating robots into your automation environment using the TIA Portal is ideal for teaching applications like palletizing and pick-and-place. Connecting PLM software like Process Simulate to the TIA Portal also supports simulation applications like welding, gluing or sorting.
A shared engineering tool for automation systems and robots
The conventional way of integrating robots into an automation environment involves two different engineering tools, two separate operating philosophies, and communication between the plant PLC and robot controller using I/O commands. TIA Portal offers an innovative and more elegant solution: using just one engineering tool and control panel, and a predefined interface, you can create both the machine program and the robot program in a uniform environment.
From simulation software directly into the TIA Portal
With the previous standard method of having two separate controllers for robots and the automation system, path points from Process Simulate had to be loaded into the robot controller, bypassing the TIA Portal. Because the robot program can now run in the PLC, and the Openness interface of the TIA Portal is open to Process Simulate, the simulation data can be imported directly into the TIA Portal. The program code is generated there, based on the function block library. The robot program is downloaded from there onto the PLC.
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How will you integrate robots into your automation environment in the future?
Reduce times to market, improve flexibility and efficiency: digitalization offers both challenges and opportunities. By integrating robots into the TIA Portal, you get the chance to benefit from additional optimization potential, in addition to increasing your availability and productivity.
