This blog is Part 4 of a multi-part series. Make sure to check out the other blogs on this topic:

1. Epson Robots Getting Started: Create a New Project in Epson RC+
2. Epson RC+ Project Structure Explained: Files, Folders, and Flow
3. Epson Robots Commissioning Tools and Workflows in RC+
4. Epson RC+ 7.0 Robot Simulator: Setup, Testing, and Debugging

Summary

This article is the fourth in a series to explain the basics of creating a base project using Epson RC+, Epson’s software for developing and simulating an industrial robotic application. Epson offers a wide range of industrial robots for a variety of applications. Programming and configuring are done through their easy-to-use configuration software, Epson RC+, which offers many time-saving features and various add-on packages depending on the complexity of each application. In this article, we will cover the configuration of the Robot Simulator and demonstrate some useful features for simulating and testing the robot program prior to deployment in the field.

Set up Virtual Controller

The first step to simulate the robot is to configure a virtual controller. This is done through the Setup > PC to Controller Communications menu. Here, you can add a new Controller as a virtual controller. Once added, the controller can be given a different name, and then click ‘Apply’.

For this demo, we utilized the Robot model LS6-B502S. Also, important for this demo are the points used in the program logic shown below.

Using the Connection dropdown, select the new virtual controller that was created. This will start up the virtual controller and allow us to control the robot in the simulator. Open the Robot Simulator by using the toolbar icon.

Robot Simulator Environment

The Robot simulator environment has several different features and functions to test parts of the robot application. The most basic use case is to import CAD shapes or models to create a simulated environment for the application. The first 4 icons in the Robot Simulator allow the user to add 2D and 3D objects to the workspace. By default, a 2D plane is generated, with the robot placed at the world origin. Often, a robot is mounted on a pedestal that requires the user to move it with some offset relative to the origin; however, we will keep the robot at the origin for simplicity in this example.

The first objects we will add to the simulation will be two rectangles to emulate stations within the machine. Click on the SPlane_1 object, then click on the layout box (purple cube) icon at the top. The size, position, and colors were modified as shown.

Devices mounted to the robot arm, such as a camera, are configured as mounted devices. This means the device will move with the robot rather than remain in a fixed position. To attach a device to the robot, right-click on the device in the layout tree and select Part/Mounted Device Settings. Two cylinders were added to the layout to emulate a camera mounted to the end of the second robot arm. The smaller red cylinder is just added as a reference to show where the center of the camera’s field of view is located. For this cylinder, we have disabled the Collision check option, since it will not be physically present in the actual application.

CAD models can also be imported to the simulation environment using the CAD icon in the toolbar rather than relying solely on basic shapes. Supported file types include XV3, VRML, STEP, IGES, and DXF. The dialog offers options for Scale Units, rendering quality, and CAD-to-Point functionality. If CAD-to-Point is enabled, the user can generate robot points directly from the CAD model for use in the robot program. The CAD to Point function is in the toolbar at the top. Once selected, you can click on an edge, and the simulator will automatically generate points for the number of vertices found on the CAD model.

This example shows how the CAD model provides robot points for the two corners of the part tray by simply selecting the right edge of the tray’s cavity. The selected edge endpoints are shown as the yellow spheres in the screenshot below. We have exported these two points into the points file at indices 5 and 6.

The simulator can also import CAD models as ‘Hands’, which are the same as the robot’s end-of-arm tooling. The hands are treated as an extension of the robot, so they will move and rotate with the robot. When importing hands, you can adjust the mounting position and orientation to emulate the tooling assembly on the robot. Below is a CAD model imported that has different-style grippers on either end.

Testing Your Epson Robot

Now that the 3D environment is set up, you can move the robot around using the robot manager, running a program function in the ‘Run’ window, or using the Robot Operation Panel in the Simulator environment. We put together a short demo program to move the robot between a couple of positions while enabling a trace of the Tool Center Point (TCP) with a green line.

The Robot simulator also has several other useful features, such as surveillance planes and areas, recording and playback options, rendering point locations in 3D space, and much more. For more assistance with Epson Robot programming and integration, please reach out to DMC’s Industrial Automation team!

The post Epson RC+ 7.0 Robot Simulator: Setup, Testing, and Debugging appeared first on DMC, Inc..

This blog is Part 3 of a multi-part series. Make sure to check out the other blogs on this topic:

1. Epson Robots Getting Started: Create a New Project in Epson RC+
2. Epson RC+ Project Structure Explained: Files, Folders, and Flow
3. Epson Robots Commissioning Tools and Workflows in RC+
4. Epson RC+ 7.0 Robot Simulator: Setup, Testing, and Debugging

Summary

In the third entry in this series, we will be going over some useful tools for commissioning a new Epson robot and troubleshooting programs. We will discuss how to configure the robot controller, operate the robot manually, teach and configure the points and coordinates required for the application, and highlight useful tools for troubleshooting and testing the robot program.

System Configuration: Defining Controller Behavior

The first step in commissioning an Epson robot is to configure the controller through the System Configuration menu. You can access this window by navigating to the toolbar and selecting Setup, then System Configuration. This area defines how the controller behaves at startup and establishes several foundational settings that impact safety, operability, and overall workflow during commissioning and production.

When the System Configuration window opens, it defaults to the Startup tab. While this tab may seem simple, the selections you make here play a critical role in how the robot transitions from power-on to operation and how engineers interact with the system during early testing.

Startup

In the Startup tab, there are two primary setup modes, ‘Auto’ and ‘Program’, as well as an option to require a password on startup.

Selecting ‘Auto’ means that when the robot is powered on, it will enter Auto mode and begin running its programs automatically. If you select ‘Program’, the robot will be stopped upon startup and wait for commands from the Epson RC+ 7.0 software. This setting is typically used in fully commissioned calls where the robot is integrated with external equipment like a PLC, safety system, or HMI.

Select ‘Program’ mode for initial commissioning. Only set the robot to ‘Auto’ mode after teaching positions and thoroughly testing programs to avoid collisions or unexpected behavior.

Controller

After confirming your startup behavior in System Configuration, the next step is to focus on the Controller section of the project tree. This area is essentially the ‘hub’ for how the controller communicates with the outside world and interprets commands. During commissioning, many issues that appear to stem from the program (robot won’t start, IO won’t respond, remote start won’t work) trace back to controller settings.

To access these settings, expand the Controller drop-down by clicking the ‘+’ immediately to the left of Controller. This opens a set of tabs that let you define network parameters, configure device control, set up multi-robot configurations, and map fieldbus bits used for remote program selection.

Spending a few moments reviewing these sections can help ensure your controller aligns with your cell architecture before you start troubleshooting motion, IO, or PLC handshakes.

Here is a quick summary of the important sections under Controller.

• Configuration Tab: This is where you will set the IP Address and Gateway. You can also select a control device from ‘Remote IO’ or ‘PC’. Selecting ‘Remote IO’ tells the robot to listen to the remote I/O, and selecting PC tells the robot to listen to commands from the Epson RC+ 7.0 software on the connected computer.
• Robots Tab: In this tab, you can add or remove robots when you have multiple robots tied to a single controller. Press the ‘Add’ button on the right, and the following window will appear, where you can add the details of your robot.
• Inputs/Outputs Tab: This tab lets you set the byte sizes of your inputs and outputs. For your Fieldbus I/O, depending on how you are communicating with your robot, you will need to configure the byte size here.
• Remote Control Tab: Map your program control to bits in the fieldbus space using the ‘Remote Control Tab’. There are separate tabs for inputs and outputs.

Robot Manager: Controlling Power & Movement

The robot manager is the primary interface for manually interacting with the robot from your PC. In the pop-up dialog, there are several tabs where you can control the robot’s power, move the robot, teach positions and coordinate systems, configure tools, set motion limits, and more. To access the robot manager, you need to first connect the robot to the internet. Then, click the robot arm icon in the toolbar to launch the window. From there, there are a number of features that allow you to manually control your robot’s motion.

Control Panel Tab

This is the primary screen of the Robot Manager. Here you can view the status of the controller’s power and safety signals, turn the motors on or off, select your power mode, and clear any errors. In addition, you can free any axis if you want to be able to move it by hand. For 6-axis applications, you can control whether certain joints are locked or unlocked.

The top row shows the selected robot, the local coordinate system, the tool number, and the external center point (ECP). When teaching points, be sure the correct values are selected, as the taught positions depend on them.

Jog & Teach Tab

To manually move the robot and teach positions, navigate the Jog & Teach tab. This feature is frequently used during commissioning and point setup, as it allows you to view the robot’s current position, control its motion, and save taught points.

On the right side of the window, you can see the robot’s current position and arm orientation, along with controls for jog-distance and speed. Position data can be displayed using different coordinates, including World, Joint, or Pulse. World coordinates are the standard Cartesian values; Joint is the angle of each axis in the robot; and Pulse is the encoder reading.

On the left side, you can jog the robot using the arrow buttons. The Mode dropdown lets you choose whether to jog along a linear path or control individual axes. To teach a point, first jog the robot to the desired location, then select the appropriate point file and name, and press ‘Teach’ to save the position.

To navigate to a previously taught position, select the Execute Motion tab.

Available motion command options will vary based on the robot model you are using, but ’Go’ and ‘Move’ are the most basic. The ‘Go’ command will move your robot from its current position to the selected destination using a joint move, meaning that any combination of 1-6 robot joints could move at the same time. This type of movement will mostly be non-linear. The ‘Move’ command will move your robot linearly from its current position to the selected destination.

After selecting the desired command and destination, press ‘Execute’ to start the motion. While the robot is moving, a pop-up window will appear, showing which point it is moving to and providing a stop button that lets you halt its motion immediately if needed.

Points Tab

The Points tab displays all point files and taught positions stored on the robot. This view allows you to review, edit, and manage the positional data used by motion commands throughout the program. Each point includes X, Y, and Z values in millimeters and U, V, and W values in degrees.

From this tab, you can manually adjust point values and save changes directly to the controller. Because points are referenced symbolically in the program, any updates made here automatically apply wherever the point is used, simplifying updates during commissioning and long-term maintenance.

Locals Tab

A local coordinate system is a coordinate frame that is rotated relative to the robot’s default world coordinate system. Defining local coordinates can be useful when a robot repeatedly interacts with a specific area of a cell—especially if motion does not align cleanly with the world axes. It can also greatly simplify programming by allowing moves to be defined relative to a task rather than the global frame.

To define local coordinate systems, navigate to the Locals tab. There is a Local Wizard that walks you through the process of defining a new local based on taught points. If you already know the desired origin and orientation, you can manually enter it into the table. Press ‘Apply’ after using the wizard or manually adding values to save your changes to the robot.

Tools Tab

The Tools tab is very similar to the Locals tab. Here you can define coordinate systems for your end effector. A tool wizard can walk you through setting up a tool coordinate system, or you can manually enter a coordinate system in the table. Tools are useful when used with a device at the end of the robot that is not centered on the robot arm. When commanded to move to a position with a different tool selected, the robot will move so that the tool’s center is in the correct position, rather than the robot arm.

XYZ Limits Tab

In the XYZ Limits tab, you can set limits for the X, Y, and Z axes within which your robot is allowed to move. You will need to set this up when commissioning a robot for the first time. The ‘Read’ button at the bottom of the pop-up dialog will capture the current position of the selected axis limit.

You can free all joints on your robot and move it by hand to the maximum and minimum positions to record these points. This can help quickly define the space your robot is allowed to move in. Alternatively, you can manually enter or modify any of the values.

Range Tab

The next tab we will look at is the Range tab. Here you can define the limits for the encoder pulses for each joint. Similarly to the XYZ Limits tab, you can read the current robot’s position as the maximums or minimums for any joint. Joint limits differ from XYZ limits in that they monitor each robot axis rather than the tooling position.

Home Config Tab

The last tab we will go over is Home Config. In this tab, you can set the home encoder positions for each of your joints. To set your desired joint home position in the left column Home Position, you can read the current position of a joint or manually enter its encoder value. In the right column under Home Order, you can send which order you would like each of the joints to home in. Leaving them all set to ‘Step 1’ means they will all return home simultaneously.

To test the home function, navigate to the Control Panel tab and click ‘Home’.

Testing & Troubleshooting Tools

Once the robot is configured and programs are written, effective testing and troubleshooting become critical to a successful commissioning process. Epson RC+ provides several built-in tools that allow you to test logic, monitor execution, and diagnose issues without repeatedly running the full application.

Command Window

The next feature we’ll review is the Command Window. To access the program’s editable command window, select the white icon with a carrot or greater than sign (>) in the main toolbar.

The program’s Command Window will open, allowing you to execute any SPEL+ commands for testing. For example, if you wrote a custom function called ‘Motion’, you could execute that function by typing in ‘Call Motion()’ and pressing enter. For more information on SPEL+ commands, you can reference the help document found by accessing Help > Manuals > SPEL+ Language Reference.

Run Window

The Run Window includes controls for running programs in the current project and can be accessed by clicking the grey-and-white square icon in the main toolbar. During commissioning, this tool gives engineers direct visibility into robot execution, allowing them to run programs, observe behavior in real time, and make targeted adjustments without leaving RC+. Built-in status feedback helps quickly identify pauses or faults, streamlining troubleshooting and reducing time to production.

The image shows what the run window looks like when it is opened. The white area will display all outputs from your programs and any errors that occurred. You can run specific functions by selecting the function drop-down and the desired function. This is a great tool for testing smaller portions of your program, allowing you to debug your robot without running the entire program.

If you have ‘Remote IO’ selected as the control device in your controller configuration under system configuration, the ‘Enable Remote I/O’ button will then wait for the program start command from the fieldbus input. If ‘Remote IO’ is not selected as the control device, the button will say ‘Start’, which immediately executes the selected function.

I/O Monitor

The I/O Monitor provides real‑time visibility into all configured controller inputs and outputs, along with their current states. This tool is especially useful during commissioning and debugging, as it allows you to quickly verify whether signals are being received and set as expected. The I/O Monitor’s interface opens when you click the icon of circles arranged in a square.

From the I/O Monitor, you can confirm that the fieldbus and local I/O are mapped correctly and that inputs change state when external devices, such as sensors or PLCs, are actuated. This helps isolate whether an issue is related to wiring, I/O configuration, or program logic.

Assigned I/O and their symbolic names can be viewed and managed in the I/O Label Editor, ensuring the values displayed in the monitor align with the labels used in your program. Using the I/O Monitor alongside the Run Window makes it easier to validate handshakes, troubleshoot start conditions, and confirm outputs are being driven correctly during program execution.

Task Manager

To access the Task Manager, click the icon with three documents layered over one another. After starting your robot, Task Manager is a useful place to keep track of which tasks are currently running, paused, or aborted. If a task is paused or waiting, it will show you which line it is waiting on.

After starting your robot, the Task Manager is a useful place to keep track of which tasks are currently running, paused, or aborted. If a task is paused or waiting, it will show you which line it is waiting on.

Display Variables

While running your robot program, it is useful to monitor the current value of any variables you may have defined in your programs. This is especially important during commissioning, when you are verifying logic, tuning motion, and validating system behavior against real hardware. Monitoring variable values lets you confirm that inputs, calculations, and state changes occur as expected, making it easier to identify and correct issues early.

You can do this in the Display Variables window. To access it, click ‘Run’ in the main toolbar and select ‘Display Variables’ from the drop-down. Here you can see your ‘Global’, ‘Preserved’, ‘Module’, and ‘Local’ variables, their data types, and current values.

System History

One last useful tool for testing and troubleshooting is the System History window. This is a log of errors or events that have occurred on the robot controller and can be useful for troubleshooting the robot if it stops mid-run, especially if you are at a stage in your project where you are not always connected to the robot controller using RC+. To access this window, select ‘View’ from the toolbar and click ‘System History’.

Conclusion

All these tools can be used with the virtual controller, and I would suggest testing them in the simulated environment first. This allows you to familiarize yourself with the configuration changes, which robot is used, how to perform manual moves and operations, set up the various configurations through the robot manager, and ultimately test the robot program you have developed. Using these tools with the simulated controller will also help with the first-time commissioning of the actual robotic application.

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This article is the second in a series that explains the basics of creating a base project using Epson RC+, Epson’s software for developing and simulating an industrial robotic application. Epson offers a wide range of industrial robots for a variety of applications.

The programming and configuration of the robots are done through the easy-to-use configuration software, Epson RC+, which offers many time-saving features and various add-on packages depending on the complexity of each application. We will cover the overall project structure, types of files, and how they all work together in the application.

Program Files

This will contain all the logic for the robot application. You can define functions to call from within the robot program or leverage an external trigger, such as a PLC. When developing the robot application, you must have a function called “Main”. If this function is not defined, the compiler will throw an error. The main function is called when none of the 6 program bits are set. See the table below for the main functions that can be selected from the remote inputs.

The entire robot program can be written in a single program file or across many.  For organizational purposes, we generally like to separate functions into multiple programs for easier navigation, and based on which program tasks are executed. 

Include Files

Include files are generally used to define constants that can be used across the user program. To create an include file, right-click on “Include Files” in the project tree and select “New”. Fill out the dialog window as follows. We have added two constants for max parts and max speed, which can now be used in the robot program.

By putting all the constants into a single include file, we can use a single line at the top of the program file to give the functions access to use these constants. In the screenshot below, the first line contains an ‘include’ statement that references the constants file we just created. This allows the main function to use the defined constant values instead of hard-coded numbers.

Point Files

Point files are table-style views of all defined points for use in the robot program. The points can be manually adjusted from the programming environment, taught using robot manager, and assigned calculated values during program execution. Each point file contains points numbered from 0 to 999, and there can be multiple point files per robot. There can even be multiple robots per controller, depending on the application requirements.

In this example, we have simply added the two points ‘ptStart’ and ‘ptEnd’. The point files contain data for the most complicated examples, but depending on the application, some are not used. This example uses a SCARA robot, which only uses the X/Y/Z/U positions, since it is a 4-axis robot. Also included in this view is the Local coordinate system used and which Hand (Righty/Lefty) configuration the robot is in for that point.

In the program, the points can be used symbolically as shown below. The Go instruction is a move command for the robot, and the operator can simply use the point label defined in the Points file to access the robot’s positional data.

IO Labels

IO labels are used to assign symbolic names to integer values that represent input and output memory locations. These are useful when performing Input and Output mapping in the user program, rather than leveraging the hardcoded bit/byte/word values in the IO space. Below, we define 2 input bits and 2 output bits to simulate reading and writing to digital IO. The standard I/O is used for local IO on the robot, such as devices on the end-of-arm tooling.

To use these labels in the program, the user must use the proper input and output functions. Below is an example of using the Sw() function to read the status of the input bits and the On/Off functions to assign the output bit value. Notice how the IO Labels are used with these functions to make the logic more readable.

User Errors

User errors define an error space for the user to create custom error messages. The error codes reserved for this are from 8000 to 8999. When using these error messages, we can communicate the issue to an operator via the message field. This message will appear in the Status window when an error occurs in the program logic. This error code can also be used to communicate with the PLC controlling it, enabling easier diagnostics when the robot is not performing properly. A good example of this is communicating issues with tooling actuation controlled locally by the robot controller, even though the robot is part of a larger automation cell.

This example below shows the Error function used with the ‘ToolingError’ User Error we just created. When the Function fcVacuum_ON is called from elsewhere in the user program, it turns on the vacuum gripper’s output and waits for 2 seconds for the vacuum switch input to turn on. The TW value will be true if the 2-second timeout is reached, which is why the Error is thrown within the if statement in this example.

Tasks

Tasks are useful for executing the program on different threads within the robot controller’s CPU.  This allows the robot controller to process different pieces of logic simultaneously. The most useful example of this is having logic that performs Input and Output mapping in a separate task from the logic that controls the robot motion or tooling actuation. It is often desired to keep the functions used to read and write to IO running all the time, but to have the motion commands and functional logic in a task that can be paused or aborted during an Emergency Stop.

The example below shows how to start the IO monitoring function and motion logic in separate tasks. To start a new task, the ‘xqt’ instruction is used with the function that starts in the new task, and the task behavior when a Pause or Emergency Stop is issued. The IO function is set up to continuously run on Emergency Stop, where the motion logic function is set to Normal, which will respond normally to a Pause or Emergency Stop command.

Conclusion

Now you have a basic understanding of how to organize an Epson RC+ project, and you have all the tools needed to get started creating your own application. The most important starting point is to create a ‘Main’ function in a program file and define a few robot points to use in the program. Then I would suggest adding constants with include files and user errors for better troubleshooting. Finally, you could start adding different task executions for different functions. Understanding how all these components interact is vital to developing higher-quality robot programs.

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Software Requirements 

This example will utilize TwinCAT 3 XaeShell and the TF6281 software license for Ethernet I/P Scanner communication. 

Task 1: Add Ethernet I/P Device in Project 

Use the dropdown ‘IO → Devices → Add new item’ and select the Ethernet/IP Scanner option. 

Next, we need to import a new EDS file for our Ethernet I/P field device. Right-click on the newly added EIP Scanner and select the ‘Import EDS File’ option. 

Navigate to the location of the EDS file for your device, then click ‘Open’. This will allow you to select the proper file for your device. 

Next, Right-click on the EIP Scanner again and select ‘Add New Item…’. Then select your newly added device from the EDS import. In this example I have added 2 different Cognex Camera models. 

Now, we need to open the added device properties and set the IP address of the device. 

The next step is to append the IO connection. Selecting yes to the popup option below will allow the connection to pull all the pre-configured tags in the EDS file, so that we do not have to individually bit and byte map all the data in the Ethernet I/P communication to the camera. 

The final step is to link the IO tags to the variable within the PLC program. Using the ‘Change Link’ option will allow you to search through the configured program variables and assign them to the appropriate IO tag.   

Task 2: Configure LAN Port for Ethernet/IP  

The first step is to install TwinCAT XaeShell on the IPC. With this installation comes the ability to install the Realtime Ethernet Driver to the LAN ports on the IPC. Using the install file from your TwinCAT install at the file path: (C:\TwinCAT\3.1\System\TcRteInstall.exe) you can run this simple application to install the runtime driver. For more information on the runtime driver see this link.  

The other option is to Open TwinCAT XaeShell on the IPC. Navigate to the dropdown menu ‘TwinCAT → Show Realtime Ethernet Compatible Devices…’ 

Next, you want to select the proper ethernet port on your IPC under ‘Compatible devices’. Clicking ‘Install’ will allow that port to now be used for Ethernet I/P Communication for the PLC program. After the installation, you will notice the ethernet port now shows up as ‘Ethernet – TwinCAT-Intel PCI (Ethernet Adapter)’ under ‘Installed and ready to use devices (realtime capable).’ 

Next, we want to make sure to configure the ethernet port for the correct address and subnet to communicate with the Ethernet I/P device. Notice the network adapter now has the ‘TwinCAT-Intel PCI Ethernet Adapter’ description in the Network Connections menu. 

Now, back in the PLC Project, we need to setup the properties of the Ethernet I/P Scanner. In TwinCAT on your computer, setup the route target system as the address of the IPC. Double click on the device, ‘TC3 EIP Scanner’, to open its properties. On the adapter tab we can search for the network adapter that we just installed the runtime driver on. Select that adapter, and the MAC and IP Address you configured in the IPC should automatically populate in the fields on that tab. 

Then, click over to the Settings tab and input an IP address and Network Mask. The IP address of the Master must be different than the static IP address on the IPC network adapter! 

Now, you should be able to build the solution and start the PLC into run mode.  At this point I was able to trigger the camera from the PLC. To do this I simply performed some online writes to the outputs mapped to the camera from the PLC program. 

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This article is the first of a series to help explain the basics of creating a base project using Epson RC+, Epson’s software for development and simulation of an industrial robotic application. Epson offers a multitude of different industrial robots, covering a wide array of applications. The programming and configuration of the robots is done through their easy-to-use configuration software, Epson RC+, which offers many time-saving features and various add-on packages depending on the complexity of each application. We will cover the first steps of developing a robot application by making a new project, adding a robot, teaching a few points, and executing a simple program.

Create a New Project

The first step is to create a new project. Create a new project by opening Epson RC+ and selecting Project -> New.

Give your project a name and select the folder you would like to save it in. You will notice that the Projects folder is at the location C:\EpsonRC70\projects on your computer. Once you have a name and folder selected, leave the Template as ‘None’ and then click ‘OK’.

Add a Robot

The next step is to configure the connection to the robot controller. There are three different ways to connect to a robot controller from Epson RC+. These options are USB, Ethernet, or virtual. The USB option is with a direct connection to the robot controller’s USB-B port. The Ethernet option is for a connection to the robot controller’s LAN port, where you can access the controller with its IP Address. The default is 192.168.0.1, but this can be changed later in the controller system configuration.

For this example, we will be using the virtual option, which connects to a virtual robot controller instance on your PC. On the toolbar, select ‘Setup -> PC to Controller Communications’, and then click ‘Add’. Use the radio buttons to select the virtual controller and click ‘OK’. Before applying the changes, you can also rename the connection.

Next, we will attempt to connect to the newly added virtual controller by selecting it from the connection drop-down menu. The virtual controller will take a few seconds to initialize, but once it starts, the words on the bottom right of the software will show you the controller is in Program mode and no robot is present.

To add a robot to the controller, select Setup -> System Configuration. Under Controller -> Robots, you can add a robot. If this is a virtual controller, you may need to add a dummy serial number before it will accept the input. The robot controller will reboot after you add a robot. Close the System Configuration.

Add your robot model to the project. 

Teach the Robot

Open simulator from Tools -> Simulator or by clicking this icon on the toolbar:

The simulator window will show the robot live while it is moving around. In a later blog, we will go over the simulation environment in more detail.

Next, open Robot Manager from Tools -> Robot Manager or by clicking this icon on the toolbar:

The Robot manager is the equivalent of using a teach pendant that you can control from your computer when connected to the robot.  In this window you have access to a lot of different functions including motor and power control, jogging, teaching points, configuring motion limits, and much more. In the Control Panel tab, click the ‘Motor On’ button.

Next, navigate to the points tab, add two points as shown in the screenshot below.

Now, navigate to the Jog & Teach tab. Under the execute motion tab, select ‘ptStart’ from the Point: drop-down and click ‘Execute’. You will be able to see the robot moving from where it starts to the configured point ptStart. A small pop-up window will display while the robot is in motion where you can stop the command if needed. Now, select the second point ‘ptEnd’ and execute the motion again. The robot will now move from ptStart to ptEnd. Our next step will be to write a simple program that can automatically move between these two points.

Execute a Simple Program

Our next step will be to use these two points defined and have the robot automatically move between them. Using the screenshot below as reference, add a couple commands to the main program with two points. The logic below defines an integer used to count the number of cycles, turns the servo motors on, and loops over the commands to go between the two points we defined above with a short pause in between. The Go command is a type of joint move to initiate motion, the Print command will write the values to the output window (a useful debugging tool), and the Wait command will initiate a program pause for the defined time in seconds. The final command is to turn the motors off and the function is complete.  

Send the updated code in your program to the robot controller by selecting Project -> Build. This will compile the project and load it to the controller automatically.

Finally, we can start the program from Run -> Run Window or clicking this icon on the tool bar:

Here you can select any function from your program to test, using the drop-down menu under the Function radio button. Since we only developed logic in the main program, we will use the main function as our selection. The output of the program should reflect the screenshot below.  

This example is just the beginning of what you can achieve with an Epson industrial robot. In the subsequent articles of this blog series, we will be introducing and demonstrating more in-depth aspects of programming, simulating, and commissioning with Epson industrial robots. 

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Luckily there is a way to preserve a computer without having to keep the physical hardware in solid running condition forever. VMware offers a free tool called VMware vCenter Converter that allows the user to take a physical machine and create a virtual version of it while it is powered on and running!

Virtualize a Physical Machine

In VMware workstation you can find an option to virtualize a physical machine:

This will prompt you to download the latest version of VMware vCenter Converter Standalone.

You can create a free account and download the software on VMware’s website.

You will have to create a FREE account to do this, accept the end-user license agreement, then the software download will begin.

When the download is complete you should have a .exe file available in your downloads folder. Run this executable and the software install will begin. For this example, I have installed the standard installation of the software on the local machine. The software can then be run on the host machine from either the shortcut created on the desktop or through the newly added program path where it was installed.

Once the application opens you will see a Convert Machine button near the top left corner, which will prompt with a wizard to start the conversion. You can also start this from File -> New -> Convert Machine, or simply pressing Ctrl+M.

The first page in the wizard is where you pick the source computer. In this example, we want to use the host machine to clone so we leave the drop-down as local machine and select the radio button for ‘Powered On’. Click Next.

The next screen is Destination System. Here you can select the Destination type, which affects the other options available. For a ‘VMware Workstation or other VMware virtual Machine’, you can select which software/version you will be using after the VM is created.

The VM details allow you to change the computer name for the VM and the destination path for where the application will save the files. Depending on the size of the host being used, this could be quite large, so make sure you have a destination that has plenty of storage.

For instance, my local machine has several virtual machines already saved on the hard drive which can take up a very significant amount of storage, so it is recommended to save files on external drives or networks then move them back to the VM later if needed using the shared folders options in VMware Workstation.

Configuring The VM

As a better example, I will go through the process using a bare-bones Windows machine that has very little stored on the hard drive.

You can see the destination was set to use a removable disk mounted on the F drive. The next page has several options the user can choose from. These options include the size of the virtual hard drive, memory allocated for the processor, number of cores for the CPU, etc.

The size of the hard drive has multiple options: Maintain Size (keeps the full size of the physical hard drive), Min Size (uses the minimum amount possible), or type in size (any value above the Min Size requirement). Depending on how much you plan on adding to the VM after creation, select your size accordingly. Also, the size of the hard drive will affect the size of the VM file so make sure your destination storage device can handle this.

Memory allocation and Number of processors can be adjusted in the VM settings later in VMware using the VM -> Settings. Then, navigate to the hardware tab and select the Memory and Processors to change their values.

Adding the VMware Tools Option

A useful tool that is recommended for install is VMware Tools. This install is great for using the auto fit and adjustment for the guest operating system so it will match the screen resolution to better fit the environment it is running in. The option to install VMware Tools on the VM can be found here:

Clicking to the next page will bring you to the summary. Here you can review all the options selected from the wizard and if anything looks wrong you can navigate back to change the options.

Creating the VM

Clicking finish in the bottom right corner will start the conversion process. If you choose not to do this, you can install VMware tools later in VMware Workstation through the top menu bar VM -> Install VMware Tools… selection.

Depending on the size and specs of the host computer, the conversion process can take a while. The conversion screen will give you estimated time and total percentage complete while it is running, so you will have good feedback on where it is at in the process.

Once the process is complete. You will see the status change to ‘Completed’ and you now have the VM file that you can start in VMware.

Opening the VM

In the destination folder selected in the Wizard, you will find the ‘.vmx’ and ‘.vdmk’ files created from the converter application. The ‘.vmx’ file is what you select to power up the machine in the VMware workstation. In the picture below you can see the two files generated from the conversion process.

Before opening the VM, it is best practice to save a copy of the files on the host machine’s hard drive. A good idea is to make a Virtual PC folder on the C:\ drive to store all the VMs. As you can see below here is the location where this example VM will be stored.

In VMware Workstation, click the ‘Open a Virtual Machine’ button, and navigate to the path where the VM is saved. Select the .vmx file and click ‘Open’.

Now you can run the VM by opening the .vmx file in VMware, and if the VM is backed up it can live forever, even with a failure in the VM or the host computer. Make sure to save your VM in a safe place in case of something tragic happening!

If you chose not to install VMware tools earlier, you can still install it using VMware Workstation. It will prompt on screen how to start the installation. It may require a manual start from the start menu.

Once the installation is complete the VM will need to restart. Now you can run the VM with auto size adjustment for the monitor connected to the host machine, plus more seamless transitions from VM to host windows if working with multiple monitors.

With this short procedure, you can now enjoy the same machine running in a virtual environment!

Contact DMC with any questions and learn more about our Manufacturing Automation services. 

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These seven demos are much smaller and much more portable than the original demo allowing them to be transported easily to different events, plugged in anywhere, and stored in a minimum space.

Naming the New Demos

Our tilt demos are so interactive and fun that we felt they needed to be named, and not just numbered. We chose some of the most brilliant scientists throughout history as inspiration for our demo names. In some cases, the technologies developed by these pioneers is instrumental to the operation of our demo unit.

Marie Curie developed the theory of radioactivity.

Leonardo DaVinci created numerous inventions including his self-propelled cart, the first programmable robot.

Rosalind Franklin made significant advancements in understanding the molecular structure of DNA.

Katherine Johnson was a renowned mathematician for NASA calculating flight paths for space exploration.

Later adopted in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology, Hedy Lamarr discovered frequency-hopping radio transmissions.

James Clerk Maxwell is known for his significant contributions in electromagnetic theory.

Isaac Newton gave us the laws of motion which predict the path of the rolling ball on our tilt demo surface.

Let’s take a more in-depth look into how this demo works. Starting from the bird’s eye view, you can see there is an iPad mounted at the top. The iPad is used both as a workpiece and a display to show how the system recognizes the ball.

Switching between the different modes on the device changes the target location scheme for the ball, which is displayed as a yellow dot. The red dot shows the current location of the ball on the screen.

Locating the Ball with Sensors

The actual position of the ball is determined by a Neonode sensor which locates the ball on the screen surface. This sensor is mounted along the top edge of the iPad screen to give the 2D location of the ball on the iPad.

It uses an array of transmitters and receivers to triangulate an object’s location. Typically this sensor would be used for detecting touch-screen gestures on vehicles but we're using it for ball tracking. With the feedback from the Neonode, the system can adjust the iPad screen angle to move the ball around to mimic the target location in the iOS application closely.

Achieving the Ideal Position

Once we calculate a screen angle to roll the ball to the target position, that position is achieved by actuating the three Faulhaber motors which position the yellow crank arms of a tripod mechanism that tilt the iPad.

Target position path can be set to several different modes including a single point in the center, circle path, four corners, spiral, and maze.

Below you can see the device running in Maze mode and the Faulhaber motors going to work.

Safety First

Sporting a blue LED trim, the metal pushbutton on the side of the enclosure can be used to switch between modes.

Right next to the push button is an emergency stop button to power down the device in case of emergency stop conditions or to pack up the tilt-table demo.

However, the safety design doesn't end with the e-stop button. The new tilt demo's motors were sized to be safe to interact with. The unit can't produce enough force between the tilting iPad and the base to injure a hand. Unlike our prior version, we can confidently operate the new tilt demo without a safety cover.

Honey, I Shrunk the Electronics

We shrunk the electronics in the new tilt demo. There are two circuit boards involved in the system. This top one is the green, single-board RIO from National Instruments. Programmed in LabVIEW, the single-board RIO computes the tilt response on its real-time processor to best match the ball-target and actual locations. Its FPGA core reads the position from the Neonode and sends leg motion commands.

The lower board is a DMC-designed carrier board which distributes the cRIO digital signals to the motors and Neonode sensor. It also hosts power input, safety circuit, and iPad charger.

Keeping Everything Connected

The demo has a small, white network router on the bottom which links the system together and allows configuration and troubleshooting of the system.

Summary of Technologies

Here is a summary of the relevant technologies and devices used in creating this demo.

• National Instruments LabVIEW
• Apple iPad
• Neonode Sensor
• Faulhaber Motors
• Network Router

Contact Us to learn more about DMC's services.

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The hardware setup for one portion of the machine included several Sick IO-Link sensors. These sensors were used to measure the location of mechanical arms on the machine and move them accordingly for different machine setups. Before diving into the nitty-gritty of the final solution to this integration, let’s take a closer look at IO-Link.

Background on IO-Link

IO-Link paves the way for more smart devices and can replace the standard input or output devices currently in the field. The devices are designed to communicate directly over a single serial channel with the PLC standard of programming (IEC 61131) to provide three types of information: Process data, Service data, and Events.

This information can be used to collect data about the device during operation such as the latest state of the sensor, version, type, serial number, configuration, diagnostics, etc. There are multitudes of ways to use this information. It allows the user to have more control and the device can even alert the user if maintenance is needed due to low battery or device failure.

The great advantage of these devices is their ability to be implemented with any controller. The devices come with an IO Device Description (IODD) file from the manufacturer, which describes the exact configuration needed to integrate their hardware. This file eliminates all the “heavy lifting” of the programmer by automatically filling in all the module parameters in the PLC programming software.

System Hardware Goals & Difficulties in Commissioning

In the specific machine Andrew and I were working on, we had a Siemens S7-1518F Safety PLC communicating through Profinet to a Beckhoff EK9300 Profinet coupler with a Beckhoff EL6224 IO-Link Master card as one of many terminals on the coupler.

This IO-Link card was the input interface for the SICK DT35 laser distance sensors and had to follow the path back just described to get communication to the PLC. For a Siemens Profinet coupler, the drag-and-drop style of programming would have been possible through a program which functions in union with TIA Portal, the Port Configuration Tool (PCT). This software allows the user to select the Siemens Profinet coupler and import the IODD for any device connected to it.

However, the PCT could not be used for the Beckhoff coupler even with the General Station Description (GSD) imported to TIA Portal. Because of the cross-platform implementation, we were not able to directly remove the “heavy lifting” with a simple drag-and-drop of the IODD file.

Final Solution and Functionality

Our first step in configuring the device was utilizing a Beckhoff controller with the identical hardware setup. This setup allowed the drag-and-drop style configuration to automatically take place using only Beckhoff hardware and its respective TwinCAT programming software. From this initial functionality, we were able to see the direct parameters imported from the IODD file through the Beckhoff device manager.

This tool is a web page created from the Beckhoff Profinet coupler. It shows all the cards configured on the coupler and provides the necessary module parameters needed to establish communication with the IO-Link devices. Taking these parameters, we could then manually input these into TIA Portal to match the configured hardware in TwinCAT. This process allowed the PLC to receive the sensor value properly and be used other places in the controls.

For a more detailed step-by-step please see the steps below.

Visual Studio (Beckhoff) Implementation

The image above shows the quick links involved with importing the IODD for the sensor into the Beckhoff hardware configuration. The Import Device Description button allows the user to bring in the IODD file that is then available for selection in the catalog at the right and can be assigned to the specific port on the device. Once the proper hardware is selected in the project (EK9300 coupler and EL6224 IO-Link card), this process is completed.

Port Configuration Tool (Siemens)

This image shows the available right-click options for equivalent Siemens devices in TIA Portal. The second option listed, Start device tool, allows the user to launch PCT and then import the IODD file for the IO-Link device as shown below.

Under the Options tab at the top is the link to import IODD files. The device will then appear in the catalog to the right side of the screen. As you can see, the catalog tree is expanded to show the SICK sensor we were using.

Through these two methods, the IO-Link device configuration is very straight forward and primarily functions as a drag-and-drop configuration. The website for the Sick sensor also provides example code for use with their sensor on both Siemens and Beckhoff platforms. However, since we were integrating across both platforms, we had to resort to using the following combination of steps.

Siemens Hardware Configuration

Once the Beckhoff EK9300 coupler imports the GSD file, the different cards available for remote IO can be selected from the catalog menu on the right. The IO-Link card is the Beckhoff EL6224 and populates the available slots in the device overview window.

From this point, the individual channels can be configured for the IO-Link card. This specific piece of hardware had four channels depicted by the highlighted region above. Due to the inability to configure this hardware in the drag-and-drop fashion, we had to use 16-byte generic in/out channels for the submodules.

When the individual channel is selected, the parameters for communication are found under Module parameters in the Properties menu. These settings were the key to starting communication with the sensors.

We started by trying to locate these settings in the IODD file (which is not a recommended course of action) but ended up using the TwinCAT setup along with the Beckhoff Device Manager online portal to see what settings were mapped to the IO-Link card. The Beckhoff Device Manager gives live information from the EK9300 coupler including module parameters, device state, and diagnostic information for further debugging. This tool was the final piece to the puzzle in clearing up communication settings across the devices. Access to the device manager is available through the IP address configured on the Profinet coupler.

Lastly, below is an image of the parameters sent to the device from TwinCat when accessed from the Device Manager:

Learn more about DMC’s PLC Programming expertise. 

Learn more about DMC’s partnership with Siemens.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

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