Skip to Content
Skip to content
Robotics, assembly & logistics

Cartesian Robots and Gantry Systems

Fast, repeatable pick-and-place and loading on X, Y and Z axes.

  • Typical axes3
  • NetworkEtherCAT
  • Control modeCSP
  • Recommended seriesSDU3 · SM13 · SD24-LP · SM08
01
The sector at a glance

Cartesian Robots and Gantry Systems

Cartesian robots and gantry systems do machine tending, pick-and-place, dosing, gluing and palletizing on linear axes. The mechanics are simple, programming is clear and the work envelope is large; success is the axes moving together, without jerk, to the same point every cycle.

Three things that decide it on the shop floor

  1. 01

    Dual-motor sync

    On a long gantry two motors run as one axis.

  2. 02

    Vertical axis

    Brake timing and STO hold the load safely.

  3. 03

    Vibration

    S-curve profiles calm the gripper.

02
Our advantages

Why SMB TECHNICS?

One set, controller to cable

Controller, drive, motor, cable and connector arrive checked against each other; interface problems are solved at the desk, not on the shop floor.

Open standards

EtherCAT, CANopen, Modbus RTU, CODESYS and CiA 402: your machine is not tied to a closed ecosystem.

Engineer-to-engineer support

The same team from sizing to commissioning, on site and remotely.

Documented products

Manuals, CAD, ESI/EDS and firmware in the Document Centre; every product you choose comes with its documents.

Our application know-how for this sector
  • Dual-motor gantry synchronisation
  • Interpolated pick-and-place with PLCopen
  • Brake and STO design on the vertical axis
03
How we build the system

From control chain to commissioning, which product goes where

3.1

The control chain and the recommended products

How the machine is driven and the SMB products we choose for it.

Cartesian robots and gantry systems do machine tending, pick-and-place, dosing, gluing and palletizing on linear axes. The mechanics are simple, programming is clear and the work envelope is large; success is the axes moving together, without jerk, to the same point every cycle.

A gantry is measured by how fast and how calmly its axes settle.

The control chain

The X and Y axes are driven over EtherCAT by SD24-LP drives, or SDU3 on large gantries, with SM08–SM13 motors; the vertical Z axis uses a braked motor. A MAT-LC CPU runs interpolated motion and the sequence with PLCopen blocks in CODESYS.

What decides the result

  • Dual-motor gantry. On a long X axis two motors run in sync as one axis, or the gantry racks.
  • Vertical-axis safety. Brake timing and STO on the Z axis keep the load from falling on power loss.
  • Jerk limiting. S-curve profiles reduce vibration in the cable chain and the gripper.

Sizing it

We need the moving mass, strokes, speed and acceleration, cycle time and the transmission (belt, ball screw, rack). The sizer confirms each axis.

Select the products for this machine Enter power, torque and network; compare compatible drives and motors and add them to your basket. Selection guide
3.2

The architecture: which product goes where

The boxes show the real products; click one to open the series.

  • EtherCAT
  • Ethernet
  • Power and feedback
  • Safety
Where this machine sits on the full SMB system map
CPU / PLC & Motion Control 3 series Expansion Rack / IO 10 products Ethernet switch Ethernet Operator Panels 3 series Sensors 3 series EtherCAT Servo Drives 17 products CANopen Servo Drives 6 products Modbus RTU Servo Drives 4 products Servo Motors 6 series Power and Encoder Cables 2 series CODESYS IEC 61131-3 PLCopen Motion Control CiA 402 Drive profile
EtherCAT Ethernet CANopen Modbus RTU Digital I/O Power and feedback

CPU / PLC & Motion Control

Expansion Rack / IO

Ethernet switch

The industrial switch distributes Ethernet traffic between the controller, the operator panel and the engineering PC. It is part of the architecture, not part of the SMB catalogue.

Operator Panels

Sensors

EtherCAT Servo Drives

CANopen Servo Drives

Modbus RTU Servo Drives

Servo Motors

Power and Encoder Cables

CODESYS

SMB controllers are programmed in CODESYS: the IEC 61131-3 languages, integrated motion and a single project covering both machine logic and the axes.

PLCopen

PLCopen Motion Control function blocks give every axis the same standard interface, so proven machine code carries over from one project to the next.

CiA 402

SMB servo drives implement the CiA 402 drive profile: the same state machine and the same operating modes over EtherCAT and over CANopen.

3.3

Product placement, axis by axis

Each axis, its task, its control mode and the drive–motor pair on it.

  1. 01
    X (dual motor) Travel along the gantry
    CSP · EtherCAT
  2. 02
    Y Carriage travel
    CSP · EtherCAT
  3. 03
    Z (braked) Vertical pick-and-place
    CSP · EtherCAT

CSP: cyclic synchronous position · CSV: cyclic synchronous velocity · CST: cyclic synchronous torque · PP: profile position. The series is confirmed by load and supply voltage.

3.4

The build, step by step

From requirement to support; the SMB products and tools each step uses.

  1. 1

    Requirements and sizing

    The motion profile, load and cycle time of every axis are collected; torque, speed and inertia ratio are calculated per axis.

    • Peak and RMS torque, top speed
    • Load-to-motor inertia ratio and gearing
    • Supply: 220 V AC, 380 V AC or 24–70 V DC
  2. 2

    Architecture and product choice

    The network (EtherCAT, CANopen, Modbus RTU), the controller and the drive–motor pair per axis are chosen; the safety and power side is drawn at this step.

    • EtherCAT for synchronised axes, CANopen for independent ones
    • Drive current covers the motor peak current
    • STO and braked motors come from the risk assessment
  3. 3

    Cabinet, cabling and EMC

    Power and encoder cables run in separate ducts with their shields bonded 360°; an EMI filter goes at the drive input and a braking resistor where the load regenerates.

    • Flexible cable for the cable chain
    • Shields are earthed at both ends
    • The braking resistor is sized from the braking energy
  4. 4

    Software and network

    In the CODESYS project the axes are defined with PLCopen blocks; the drives join the network through their ESI/EDS files and run the CiA 402 state machine.

    • IEC 61131-3 languages and PLCopen Motion Control
    • ESI (EtherCAT) and EDS (CANopen) in the Document Centre
    • EtherCAT coupler for remote I/O
  5. 5

    Commissioning and tuning

    After wiring and direction checks the gains are tuned and the axes homed; the operator panel carries the machine recipes.

    • Direction, limit and emergency-stop tests
    • Speed and position loop gain tuning
    • Backing up the parameter sets
  6. 6

    Support and lifecycle

    Alarm codes, spare parts, firmware and training, from the same engineering team.

    • Alarm-code and troubleshooting guides
    • Manual, CAD and firmware downloads
    • Remote and on-site support
3.5

The solution package: what comes with the product

Hardware, software, engineering and lifecycle.

02

Software and know-how

The CODESYS project, PLCopen motion blocks and know-how specific to this machine.

  • Dual-motor gantry synchronisation
  • Interpolated pick-and-place with PLCopen
  • Brake and STO design on the vertical axis
03

Engineering support

Sizing, architecture, commissioning and tuning, on site and remotely.

  • Motor and drive sizing per axis
  • System architecture and network choice
  • Commissioning, gain tuning and homing
04

Lifecycle

Manuals, ESI/EDS files, spare parts and training.

  • Document Centre: manuals, CAD, firmware
  • ESI and EDS files, parameter backups
  • Spare parts and user training
Engineering knowledge base

Commissioning this application

The topics engineers in this industry ask about most, each with answers, checklists and troubleshooting steps.

Need this motion in your machine?

Request Quote
Start Product Selection Filter, compare, add to basket