Latest Robotics Technical Articles

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Customizing Light Curtain Configuration: Muting and Blanking

Customizing Light Curtain Configuration: Muting and Blanking

Some safety applications aren’t a simple on/off at all times; they need objects to pass through a light curtain without stopping the machine. For these, we turn to muting and blanking features.


Tutorial: Driving Mecademic Robots with Siemens PLCs

Tutorial: Driving Mecademic Robots with Siemens PLCs

Learn how to create programs that directly drive a Meca500 robot arm using a Siemens S7 PLC, including adding the hardware and using pre-built function blocks for STEP7 TIA Portal.


How Do We Improve Uptime in a Faulting Wafer Handling Robot?

How Do We Improve Uptime in a Faulting Wafer Handling Robot?

Learn how to improve wafer handling robot uptime by identifying common faults, optimizing maintenance, and applying practical troubleshooting.


A Legacy of Factory and Motion Control: Mitsubishi Electric Automation

A Legacy of Factory and Motion Control: Mitsubishi Electric Automation

Showcase, manufacturing, repair, and research: Join Control.com for a recap of our team’s recent visit to the US HQ of Mitsubishi Electric Automation, and see where the magic happens.


Ask an Engineer: Universal Robots Shares Four Physical AI Predictions

Ask an Engineer: Universal Robots Shares Four Physical AI Predictions

Physical AI, where technology is applied to real-world devices like robots, is set to have a major impact over the next few years. UR Shares some predictions, along with some exclusive deeper insights.


Creating and Running a Robot Program for a Meca500

Creating and Running a Robot Program for a Meca500

This tutorial explains how the Meca500 executes stored motion programs triggered by a PLC.


Synchronized Motion for Servos | Coordinated Axes

Synchronized Motion for Servos | Coordinated Axes

Coordinating motion in three or more axes is a difficult manual process. For more advanced gantry or articulated robots, this motion type solves the complex calculation of a set of related joints.


Electrical Cabinet Best Practices: A Field Guide for New Integrators

Electrical Cabinet Best Practices: A Field Guide for New Integrators

A practical, experience-driven guide to designing and wiring electrical cabinets for machine-tending robotic cells.


The Perils of Palletizing Automation and Columbia/Okura’s Solution

The Perils of Palletizing Automation and Columbia/Okura’s Solution

Stacking items on a pallet seems a minor part of the manufacturing process, but it actually requires speed, precision, and flexibility to relieve a heavy burden placed on employees.


Tutorial: Driving a Mecademic Industrial Robot with a Rockwell PLC

Tutorial: Driving a Mecademic Industrial Robot with a Rockwell PLC

Learn how to drive a compact Meca500 industrial 6-axis robot with a CompactLogix PLC over an Ethernet connection, transferring direct TCP set points in joint and world coordinate systems.


A New Way to Robot: A Teach Pendant Feel With Structured Text Language

A New Way to Robot: A Teach Pendant Feel With Structured Text Language

Meet the Meca500 6-axis arm, a robot known for its ultra-high precision and compact footprint. Learn how to use the web server for programming and 6-axis jogging with a structured text interface.


How Do You Stack Up? A Look Into Robotic Palletizing

How Do You Stack Up? A Look Into Robotic Palletizing

Explore the art of automated palletizing and the different ways you can accelerate the packaging process using PLC and robotic controls.


Force Control | An Adaptive Method of Robotic Navigation

Force Control | An Adaptive Method of Robotic Navigation

Learn about force control in robots and what sets it apart from typical point-to-point programming. This feedback method can overcome many small irregularities in manufacturing processes.


The Rise of AI-Powered Humanoid Robots in Industry

The Rise of AI-Powered Humanoid Robots in Industry

Learn how AI, machine vision, and sensor breakthroughs are driving humanoid robots from sci-fi dreams to industrial realities.


Guide to Robotic Grippers: From Delicate to Heavy-Duty Handling

Guide to Robotic Grippers: From Delicate to Heavy-Duty Handling

Selecting the right robotic gripper is key to performance. Discover gripping solutions for delicate parts, soft foods, and industrial payloads.


Using FANUC’s EGD Protocol for Robot-to-Robot Communication

Using FANUC’s EGD Protocol for Robot-to-Robot Communication

Handshaking between robots can be handled in many ways, one of them being GE-FANUC’s protocol called “Ethernet Global Data,” or EGD. Learn how to set up EGD on a pair of FANUC robots.


Introduction to H-Bridges for Industrial Motor Control

Introduction to H-Bridges for Industrial Motor Control

H-bridge circuits are commonly used to provide current switching capabilities to different electrical components in automated systems like motor control circuits, VFDs, and DC/AC current conversions.


Collaborative vs. Industrial Applications: Understanding Robot Differences

Collaborative vs. Industrial Applications: Understanding Robot Differences

Discover the key programming differences between robots used for collaborative and traditional industrial purposes, highlighting ease-of-use versus advanced control in automation tasks.


Installing and Using Modern Industrial Joystick Controls

Installing and Using Modern Industrial Joystick Controls

Discover how digital and analog industrial joysticks can provide crucial precision in sectors like manufacturing and industrial automation, used mainly for motion control applications.


A Visit From Safety Nick

A Visit From Safety Nick

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: like you’ve (probably) never heard it before.