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Robotics, assembly & logistics

Robotics

Precision and compactness when the motion must fit inside a moving arm.

  • Typical axes4
  • NetworkEtherCAT
  • Control modeCSP · CST
  • Recommended seriesSDU3 · SM10 · SD24-LP · SMR
Start Product Selection See the solution
01
The sector at a glance

Robotics

Articulated and Cartesian arms need low-inertia motors with absolute feedback.

Three things that decide it on the shop floor

  1. 01

    Coordination across joints

    The kinematics need every joint commanded in the same cycle.

  2. 02

    Changing inertia

    Reflected inertia changes as the arm extends; tuning is set for the worst case.

  3. 03

    Safe stop

    In shared spaces STO and the brake are designed together.

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
  • Coordinated multi-axis motion and kinematics
  • Gain tuning for changing load inertia
  • Safe-stop design with STO and brake
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.

Articulated and Cartesian robot arms need low-inertia servo motors with high-resolution absolute feedback so each joint can move quickly while still landing precisely at the commanded position. Compact drives and lightweight motor cabling matter as much as control performance when motion has to fit inside a moving arm.

An engineering-led approach that develops the drive and motor as one matched system balances the motion inside a robot arm between compactness and precision.

The control chain

A robot arm is where motor choice stops being a catalogue lookup. Mass at the joint is mass the joint below it has to accelerate, so the selection runs inward from the tool: SM06 and SM08 frames or the SMR series at the wrist, larger frames as you move toward the base, each on a drive from the SD-LP or SDE range. What holds it together is the cabling — a moving joint eats encoder and power cables that were specified for a static machine, and SMKE and SMKP connectors are what make a joint serviceable instead of a rebuild.

What decides the result

  • Inertia ratio, not torque. A motor that can move the load and cannot settle it is the wrong motor. Reflected inertia is the number to bring us.
  • Absolute versus incremental feedback. An arm that must know where it is at power-on needs absolute; the catalogue publishes multi-turn absolute variants alongside 13-bit incremental, and this decision changes the homing routine, not just a part number.
  • Flex life. The cable is a wear part in a moving joint, and it is the part that fails first in service.

Sizing it

Bring the payload and its distance from the joint, the reach, the cycle and the mounting orientation — gravity load changes everything about a vertical axis. The sizer takes the mechanics and the selection guide narrows the drive by feedback type and fieldbus.

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 Operator panel HMI-R9 Controller · CODESYS MAT-LC CPU I/O and sensors MAT-LC I/O · PNP / NPN Safe stop STO · brake Supply protection EMI · braking resistor Base and shoulder joints Drive · SDU3 CSP · EtherCAT Motor SM10 Elbow and wrist Drive · SD24-LP CSP · EtherCAT Motor SMR Gripper Drive · SDE3 CST · EtherCAT Motor SML Linear 7th axis Drive · SDU3 CSP · EtherCAT Motor SM13
  • 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.

3.4

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
    Sizer Selection guide
  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
    SD-LP-04-D1-M SM08-DIN13-075B0 SMKE0101-M SDCE0101-H
  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
    Power / Motor Cables Encoder Cables SMKP Power Connectors SMKE Encoder Connectors EMI Filters Braking Resistors
  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
    MAT-LC CodeSys CPU MAT-LC I/O Modules MAT-LC System Modules
    CODESYS FAQ Document centre
  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
    HMI-R9 Series
    Commissioning FAQ Troubleshooting
  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
    Technical support Document centre
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.

  • Coordinated multi-axis motion and kinematics
  • Gain tuning for changing load inertia
  • Safe-stop design with STO and brake
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.

EtherCAT CODESYS Servo commissioning & tuning System design

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