Hello,
I have a Kuka KR60HA. I am an architect not an engineer, so I know nothing about I/O etc.. We have a CNC router mill on the robot with a VFD but it is not connected electrically to the robot, so it is manually switched on and off. Can someone please clue me (with a LOT of detail and step-by-step) on how to connect/wire the VFD to the KRC so that we can control speed and on/off of the CNC router through the program rather than manually? Thank you.
Connecting Robot to VFD of CNC Milling Router
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wassimj -
January 20, 2015 at 9:56 AM -
Thread is marked as Resolved.
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Well, first we need to know what model your controller is -- KRC1, KRC2, KRC4? Then we need to know what hardware options the controller has installed.
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It is a KRC4. It has the following option:
KUKA KR C4 Digital I/O 32/32 package comprising:-
• Digital I/Os installed in control cabinet to include
o 32 digital inputs, common ground
o 32 digital outputs (24 V, 500 mA/output), common ground, external power supplyIt also has GripperTech (unused to this point)
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is I/O configuration of robot done and all I/O are working?
what are part numbers of input and output modules?
what is the exact part number of the VFD? also post link to correct VFD manual.
what type of control you desire? (just turn on/off, or also control speed or whatever)
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If your spindle motor uses (industry-standard) 24VDC signalling, it might be as simple as wiring the power switch to one of the output terminals. It might be safer, however, to wire a relay coil to the robot output terminal, and use that relay's contacts to close the spindle power switch. Make sure to use a relay that has anti-flyback diodes internally, or added.
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Here is the exact information on the spindle and the VFD:
delta drive VFD022E21A inverter. single phase 220v input ELTE 2.2/3kwReference Manual at: http://docs-europe.electrocomponents.com/webdocs/1236/0900766b812364ef.pdf
To answer panicmode: We have not messed with I/O at all. I assume it is all in the cabinet as we ordered (and listed above with the Digital I/O package), but this is not tested.
I do not know where to find the part number for the input and output modules. If you kindly tell me where to look for them, I can provide those for you.
In terms of control: I would like both: on/off and speed control through the KRL program. (I code my own .src and .dat files, so I am hoping I can insert the needed code at the right moment to turn the spindle on and off and set its speed as needed).
To answer SkyFire: Good to know that it might be a simple task.. but could you please give me some more detail on how to identify the ports to connect to? and what kind of wire to use? Sorry, as I said, I am an architect not an electrical engineer.
Thank you for all your continued help.
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you have two options:
a) use physical I/O of the VFD to interface to robot I/O
b) use fieldbus to communicate with VFD (add DeviceNet module to VFD, add DeviceNet master module to robot)using first option (physical I/O) requires choosing control type - few discrete speeds (using multi-function inputs on VFD), OR continuous speed control (analog input of VFD). either way - to use physical I/O as interface, requires that they are compatible (PNP/NPN, matching voltage range, wired correctly...). for example to use analog input on VFD for speed control, required analog output of same type/range on robot side (otherwise you will need to also use signal converter).
Default I/O on KRC4 is from Beckhoff. It starts with bus coupler such as EK1100, followed by several I/O modules (I/O slices). In this case expansion is easy and low cost. You can add additional I/Os to match your needs (in this case you would want to add analog output). Configuration and I/O mapping is done in WorkVisual and then deployed to robot.
In case of Beckhoff I/O, part numbers are written on front of the module (bottom edge), such as
EK1100, EL1809, EL2809 etc. -
Part numbers for your I/O aren't really the issue -- at least, not the first issue. We need to know something much more basic: what I/O setup does the robot have? There are literally hundreds of options, and most of them require different approaches to the configuration. You could have Profibus, Interbus, Profinet, DeviceNet, EIP, ModBus, ABC, XYZ, EIEIO...
Okay, try this: post your IOSYS.INI file. Hopefully that'll tell us what FieldBus scheme you have, and give us at least an idea of the layout. You'll also need to track down the actual physical I/O modules where other signals are going in/out of the robot, and detail what they are, how many empty terminals you have, etc.
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this is a KRC4 system, so no IOSYS.INI
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this is a KRC4 system, so no IOSYS.INIArgh... Missed that. Well, that's another reason to be annoyed with KUKA forcing everything through WorkVisual -- it makes it that much harder to examine these config files remotely. Hm... I haven't gone digging through the XML files, but is there one in the robot (or possibly an Export function in WV) that contains the equivalent information?
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If it's KUKA supplied on-board IO, then it's going to be Beckhoff ECAT. Can't remember if it's inline on X44, or it's own internal bus.
What I think I would do from quickly browsing the VFD's documentation is get communicate via X44 to a Beckhoff EK1100 bus coupler, EL2624 Relay outputs, EL4002 analog outputs, EL9011 end cap, and control the VFD via the analog control for frequency and 'MI1' to common through a relay output to run the VFD. You could use the other relay outputs to control direction as well.
That's where I would start at least just from a quick glance at it.
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I don't want to be impolite as you guys are very knowledgeable and want to help, but I am completely lost in the jargon: "communicate via X44 to a Beckhoff EK1100 bus coupler, EL2624 Relay outputs, EL4002 analog outputs, EL9011 end cap, and control the VFD via the analog control for frequency and 'MI1' to common through a relay output to run the VFD"
I have no idea what the above means. I need a *much* simpler and detailed set of instructions on what to do. I am not an electrical engineer so I have no idea what all these letters and numbers mean or even what a relay output is.
Would a photo of the interior of the KRC4 help?
Many thanks.
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Do you have a wiring diagram of whatever I/O is currently connected to the robot? For that matter, what is connected to this robot? You said it has a 32in/32out option installed -- how many of those signals are in use, and what are they wired to? If you can locate those wires, unless they're all in use, you should be able to find some empty terminals that you can use for the VFD. The next chore after that is figuring out which software signal numbers have been mapped to those terminals.
A picture might be of use. A copy of your WorkVisual project from the robot as it is currently configured would be more useful. Um... do you know how to make backups of the robot?
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when you open cabinet door, there is a large PCB on the left with 12 network connectors. One of the connectors is X44 (this is KEB or Kuka Extension Bus).
You would need network cable from this port to an EtherCat bus coupler such as EK1100 - probably what you already have, something like this:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nwMBLKXOWJE/T…QVU/s1600/2.jpgBus coupler is sort of a brain for I/O slices that attach to it. To get more I/O, you install more slices of desired type (digital input, digital output, analog output...).
Of course this will need power too (if you already have some I/O, than you are set). That would be hardware setup. Of course if you have different type of I/O, there will be slightly different way to expand....Next step is to make configuration adjustments using Work Visual.
First you need to get correct version of WorkVisual (should be included with the robot, check D:).
Then you need to install it and configure it on your laptop.Then you need to establish network connection with your laptop and get current project, save it on your laptop, then SaveAs (so you don't overwrite what is on the robot) and add all new I/O modules to hardware configuration. After this do I/O mapping, deploy project to robot and activate it...
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Do you have a wiring diagram of whatever I/O is currently connected to the robot? For that matter, what is connected to this robot? You said it has a 32in/32out option installed -- how many of those signals are in use, and what are they wired to? If you can locate those wires, unless they're all in use, you should be able to find some empty terminals that you can use for the VFD. The next chore after that is figuring out which software signal numbers have been mapped to those terminals.A picture might be of use. A copy of your WorkVisual project from the robot as it is currently configured would be more useful. Um... do you know how to make backups of the robot?
Many thanks for the help. I am printing all your comments and contacting the Electrical Engineering Department. Perhaps they can help us with the actual deployment. I worry I will mess it up if I do this on my own.
Just to answer your questions: Nothing is connected to the robot. We have a CNC router/spindle connected to the VFD and we operate it manually from the VFD control panel. The only thing added to the robot was the safety interlock (X11??) so when we open the cage door, it stops. There should be many free ports to use.No I do not know how to backup the robot and that is why we really need someone on the premises to help us. Sadly, the budget was so tight, we managed to get the robot and install it safely, but nothing more (no system integrator was involved). Still, I have developed the software needed for producing the .src and .dat files from within Autodesk 3DS Max and can get the hotwire cutter and the CNC router tools to produce 3D cuts.