ATRO: Automation Technology for Robotics – the modular industrial robot system

The new ATRO system from Beckhoff is a modular industrial robot system that can be used to assemble the optimal robot structures for different applications on an individual and flexible basis. Standardized motor modules with integrated drive functionality, together with link modules in various designs and lengths, enable almost limitless combinations of mechanics. The complete integration of the control into the holistic control platform TwinCAT offers direct access to a wide range of proven automation functions.
This opens up an extensive range of individual possibilities for users to implement their own kinematics, such as:

• 1-axis rotary indexing table with integrated power feed
• 2-axis tracking unit
• 3-axis delta robot
• 4-axis pick-and-place robot
• 5-axis palletizing robot
• 6-axis serial robot
• 7-axis system to increase the reach/articulation for hard-to-reach areas

New Automation Technology: With the ATRO system, Beckhoff is once again living up to its ‘New Automation Technology’ claim. The development of modular robots and cobots – along with their full integration into the holistic control platform – both completes the Beckhoff portfolio and sets a new milestone in automation technology.

The machine’s performance is maximized by the direct integration of the robotics solution into motion control, safety, machine learning, IoT, analytics, vision, cloud engineering, and HMI, as well as through direct combinations with intelligent transport systems such as XPlanar and XTS. Another major advantage is that all components are fully networked with each other. Not only does this result in precise time synchronization, which means highly dynamic interactions between the systems are even facilitated during product transport, but it also naturally facilitates mutual data access, thereby eliminating the need for complex configurations. The time and effort required for commissioning the robot is significantly reduced, allowing initial movements to take place in just a few minutes.

The new robotics solution ties in perfectly with the holistic approach of the PC-based and EtherCAT-based control philosophy.

The ATRO modular robotics system marks a real turning point in the development of robots. Its direct integration into the Beckhoff system solution allows machine builders to offer fit-for-production machines complete with fully integrated robotics and their own kinematics. The robot/cobot solution in question can be adapted precisely to the task with any number of axes and is freely scalable, modifiable, and expandable.

All modules feature an internal media feed for data, power, and fluids (vacuum, air, and water), which are made available via the ATRO interface at the end effector. This means, for example, that a wide variety of tools, such as mechanical, pneumatic, or electric grippers, can be integrated with ease. Another major advantage is that all media feeds are designed in a way that preserves the endless rotation of the axes and the tool.

The modular and scalable features of the complete solution ensure both the future compatibility and investment security of the machine. The robot can be used flexibly on different machines and the application can be easily adapted to the new task.

Thanks to seamless integration into the Beckhoff architecture, ATRO robots can be combined directly with intelligent transport solutions such as XPlanar and XTS. An extremely powerful overall package can now be configured on a compact machine design, thus minimizing the footprint. All components are fully synchronized through EtherCAT. Highly dynamic pick-and-place applications are no problem – as with EtherCAT, coordinated motion is performed on the fly.

Boxes of different sizes can be flexibly and individually fed from a warehouse to one or more robot stations using an XPlanar system. The products in the boxes are identified and located by Vision and picked by the robot. The separated products can then be sorted into shipping boxes within a running transport stream on a roller conveyor, synchronized, for example, by the EP7402 EtherCAT Box module acting as the MDR drive (motor-driven roller) for the roller conveyor. The payload and reach of the robot are determined by the application. Using a multi-arm robot configuration can also increase the throughput of this pick-and-place application, so that there is always one arm available to grip a product. A palletizing robot stacks the finished boxes at the end of the line; these same robot modules can be used, but can now be operated in a 5-axis configuration.

Expanding the Beckhoff control platform with robotics means that machine builders and customers can secure a complete automation solution from a single source. What’s more, the integration into the Beckhoff system architecture means users now only need a single control system for all robot applications. The link with XPlanar and XTS, as well as the simple integration of all Beckhoff components into the robotics system, lays the foundations for entirely new machine concepts. The open control architecture increases investment security, while the EtherCAT technology also opens the door to real competitive advantages.