In the spring of 2010, Cimcorp launched an advanced controls concept for its wide-area gantry robot solutions. Three years later, the Cimcorp+ control system has truly earned its stripes
The Cimcorp+ series control system was designed in partnership with Cimcorp and Bosch Rexroth, a world-leading controls and drives specialist. As a result, a genuinely greener and more efficient solution – offering 30 % higher productivity and 40 % lower energy consumption – was created. Initially developed for Cimcorp MBR700+, the first of the Cimcorp+ robot series, the control system has now gained its position as a standard part of all Cimcorp›s gantry robot system deliveries.
All-inclusive control
Cimcorp+ control system covers both robot and cell control. The cell control system handles all cell-specific product data and controls the storage content and material flow. It also communicates with external systems, controls the safety devices and acts as a common user interface for the cell. The other side of the new controller, robot control, includes a motion controller and axis-specific servo drives.
Controlling the movement of the robot and the gripper according to commands coming from the cell control, it in fact acts as the heart of the whole concept. Due to the robot control system, the goals of speed, low energy consumption, and feeding braking energy back to the power network are reached. The control system’s software modules are standardized for each application and fitted to interact with every customer’s own extant systems at installation.
For the time being, the concept has been used in a variety of applications including testing buffer, palletizing buffer and horizontal palletizing in tire industry, tray sorting and sequencing in mail sorting centers as well as order picking systems for fresh produce and goods-to-man order picking systems. The control system’s application range is continuously growing, and novel applications are already underway.
