They grab goods from the crate, help take samples and dispense cans from the vending machine: Robots. Whether articulated arm robots, delta robots or linear robots: Igus offers all three kinematics as low-cost automation solutions in its portfolio. To enable users to try out in advance which robot is best suited to their application, the company now offers Robot Control software for simulating and programming all Igus robots.

"As a mechanical engineering company, we are very familiar with the different kinematics, so the next logical step for us was to develop a correspondingly simple and intuitive robot controller," says Alexander Mühlens, Head of Automation Technology at Igus. The special feature: the software is available completely free of charge online and is license-free.

There is a digital twin for all robots in the software, which can be simulated and taught like the real robot. The robot controller is also used later to program the robot intuitively. Any programming can be applied to the real robot afterwards. The complete hardware package, for example a Drylin linear robot with integrated controller in the control cabinet, is available from as little as 5,000 euros.

Programming robots is child's play
In Robot Control, the user can move all axes of the digital twin freely via a 3D interface. A teach-in function makes it easy to program the robot even without a robot connection. To do this, the user must manually move the robot to the desired position and define how it should be approached. The process is repeated until the desired movement profile has been created. Suitable end effectors such as grippers are easy to add, with the tool center point adapting automatically. Virtual boxes can also be added to prevent the robot from colliding with a machine, for example.

The Robot Control can also be connected to a higher-level controller, either via interface communication with Digital IO or via Ethernet communication using an IP address. The developers want to expand the control system even further: "In future, we want to offer cloud services such as vision integration, remote commissioning and online training for a small fee, which the customer can book. Further services such as image evaluation via webcam or bin picking solutions are planned as cloud-based solutions," says Mühlens. as