Hello, I want to do a project where I control a robot arm through a programmable logic controller (PLC) through ordinary dry contacts. Basically, I want to know if there is a robotic arm that can perform predefined motions and tasks, when it is given an on or off signal from an external source (in this case my PLC). I don’t mind programming the robotic arm through a special software so long as when i’m done i can control is strictly through my PLC outputs. Thanks.
Hi,
We have many product that may meet your requirements. You can check our catalog of robotic arms & grippers here.
An example of a product that can do what you require would be the Lynxmotion AL5D 4 Degrees of Freedom Robotic Arm Combo Kit (BotBoarduino). This robotic arm is controlled by a Lynxmotion BotBoarduino Shield-Compatible Robot Controller, a custom Arduino-compatible board with extra hardware for servo-motor control. Since it is Arduino-compatible, you can quickly code an Arduino sketch (or in C/C++) that will respond to your PLC output and send appropriate commands to the robotic arm.
Sincerely,
Thanks for the speedy reply, can I also use this Dagu 6 degrees of freedom arm for my purposes? It’s a little cheaper for some reason, and seems to have more movement capacity if I’m reading it correctly, also if you can tell me why it’s cheaper than the Lynxmotion AL5D 4DOF Robotic Arm SSC-32U Combo Kit (RIOS) i’d appreciate it. Thank you.
If you compare the specs of each arm:
]D.O.F: Base, shoulder, elbow, wrist, gripper (4+1)/:m]
]Kit / Assembled: Kit/:m]
]Servos: Hitec/:m]
]Frame: 1/16" thick sheet aluminum/:m]
]Software: RIOS/:m]
]Reach: 419.1mm (without optional wrist rotate)/:m]
]Payload: ~283g (median reach), ~200g max reach/:m]
]Electronics: SSC-32U Servo controller/:m]
]D.O.F.: Base, shoulder, elbow, wrist, wrist rotate, gripper (5+1)/:m]
]Kit / Assembled: Assembled/:m]
]Servos: TowerPro/:m]
]Frame: 3mm thick aluminum/:m]
]Software: Custom/:m]
]Payload: needs to be calculated/:m]
]Reach: 390mm/:m]
]Electronics: Arrexx servo controller/:m]
The last points would be in regard to quality of construction / design, aesthetics and service / support which we will not quantify here. Since we sell both products via RobotShop, it is ultimately up to you to decide which meets your needs, but keep in mind that RobotShop owns Lynxmotion and as you can see, we provide fast and complete service. The Dagu arm cannot be “programmed” and relies on signals from either an external microcontroller or a computer, which is the same for the AL5D (RIOS).
Please note that for your requirements of using a PLC with simple outputs to the robotic arm we greatly recommend an option like the AL5D with a BotBoarduino as the controller, not the SSC-32.
The BotBoarduino controller can be programmed to respond to any type of output from your PLC whereas the SSC-32 controller cannot. It expects specific commands sent in ASCII strings over a serial connection. The same goes for the Dagu robotic arm, it also requires specific commands to be send by a serial connection.
If you wish to also have a wrist rotate function, it can be added using this kit, this one or this one depending on your use requirements for wrist rotate.