Hilscher: Success Story: Translating from POWERLINK to EtherNet/IP in Robotics

What needs to be done if a robot is to be integrated into an existing automation environment, but they speak different languages? Then a translator, in other words a gateway, is used to ensure secure data transmission - in this application implemented by robotics specialist More Robots from Austria from POWERLINK to Ethernet/IP with Hilscher's netTAP gateway.

The young company More Robots has only been up and running for just over a year, but is already in demand for its expertise in many applications. This is because More Robots offers a 360-degree service ranging from high-quality industrial robots and cobots to consulting and training. This includes, for example, recommending which robot is suitable for a specific task or application, such as pick & place, machine tending, material processing, gluing, grinding, welding, packaging or palletizing.

The start-up from Ansfelden in Upper Austria also provides answers to questions about spare parts, support or training. More Robots focuses on robots from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki Robotics, which cover a wide range of applications with payloads from 2 to 1,500 kg. Another partner More Robots has chosen is JAKA Robotics from China. With payloads from 1 to 40 kg, a wide range of working radii and configurations with six joints, the compact and lightweight JAKA cobots are designed for maximum safety and precision.

In other words, the young sales partner for JAKA and Kawasaki robots in Austria is on hand to answer all questions relating to the integration of these robots into existing production environments. Markus Hörtenhuber, Technical Manager at More Robots, is a seasoned veteran with many years of experience and industry knowledge in robotics. He has also worked with Hilscher products in previous projects. “However, it was a coincidence that I met Selim Kuljici, the Managing Director of Hilscher in Austria, at a trade fair and he almost casually told me about the NT 100-RE-EN gateway,” Hörtenhuber recalls the conversation with Hilscher's Austrian Managing Director. “However, I didn't realize at the time that I would need exactly this gateway just one week later.”

A white JAKA robot with red accents on a table with a laptop display in the bottom left corner.

A white Kawasaki robot in a production environment. On the right side are the logos of Ethernet POWERLINK and EtherNet/IP on white background.

A short time later, More Robots expert Hörtenhuber and his team had a project pending in which a robot from Kawasaki was to take an object from a machine and place it on a conveyor belt at a specific point. Previously, this was done manually. Mechanical handling was not a problem, but the actual challenge was different: The robot had to be integrated into an existing automation environment. The customer used a PLC from B&R as the machine and cell controller. POWERLINK was therefore the communication bus of choice for the robot. However, POWERLINK is not available from the factory for the Kawasaki controller, which by default relies on EtherNet/IP. Optional expansion cards are only available for CC-Link, DeviceNet, EtherCAT and PROFINET.

“Theoretically, it would have been possible to integrate the controller of the Kawasaki robot into the B&R controller with a lot of effort, but as a user you want to interfere as little as possible with a well-running controller,” explains Selim Kuljici. “In such cases, it is much easier to use a gateway that converts the data between two different industrial automation networks, especially if it is a single connection.”

A man sits in front of a table with two robots on it. In front of him is a laptop and on his right side lays a red gateway device.

Such gateways convert any type of data very cost-effectively and easily - regardless of whether it is fieldbus, Ethernet, Real-Time Ethernet or a mixture of these. This allows devices and plant components to be efficiently integrated into existing structures and systems and network sections to be reliably interconnected. In Kuljici's experience, this is a field that is becoming ever larger: “Our broad gateway portfolio offers a suitable solution for every case: from cost-optimized devices for dedicated and simple implementations to flexible high-end devices for demanding and individual conversion tasks. For me, nothing is impossible in communication.”

And it was precisely this credo that Hörtenhuber had in mind when he approached Hilscher. “Through the contact at the trade fair, my first thought was actually about Hilscher,” confirms Hörtenhuber. “In addition, I already had good experiences with Hilscher from projects with previous employers. I was therefore confident that the implementation with the gateway would work well and that I could rely on Hilscher's support if there was a problem.”

My first thought when implementing this project was actually about Hilscher. I had already had good experiences with Hilscher in previous projects. I was therefore confident that the implementation would also work well here with the netTAP gateway and that I could rely on Hilscher's support should there be a problem.

Markus Hörtenhuber

Technical Manager

More Robots GmbH

And this is how it came about: In order to connect the B&R controller with POWERLINK to the EtherNet/IP of the Kawasaki controller, the NT 100-RE-EN real-time Ethernet gateway from Hilscher was added to the system. The high-end gateway from Hilscher's netTAP family integrates a subordinate Real-Time Ethernet network into another Ethernet system and vice versa. The conversion time of the I/O data is less than 10 ms, devices can be replaced in seconds by loading via the memory card and it has a diagnostic and configuration interface via USB.

As an alternative solution with an even greater range of functions from the Hilscher portfolio, the successor gateway netTAP 151-RE-RE could also be used for this application.

The effort required to integrate the gateway was minimal. “I don't think it took more than a day to get it up and running, and even then everything was unspectacular,” recalls Hörtenhuber. “It certainly helped that I was already familiar with the netX product family, on which the netTAP gateway is based, and Hilscher's platform concept. This made the application and connection very easy.”

A man in a wihite shirt and white gloves holds a red and black device with three Ethernet ports in his right hand. With his left he holds something. There are many machine parts all around.

The approach has also convinced More Robots' customer. In view of the low outlay and the uncomplicated application, the customer is already thinking about integrating further robots into his system.

The experts at More Robots are also already one step ahead. “As part of the tests on the Kawasaki robot, we also tested the real-time Ethernet gateway on the JAKA robot, the market leader in Asia,” says Hörtenhuber. This is because discussions with customers also raised the question of whether and how this type of robot could be flexibly integrated into different networks - in this case as an EtherCAT SubDevice. “Here too, the connection of the Hilscher gateway as an EtherCAT SubDevice to the standard Modbus TCP/IP of the JAKA controller worked quickly and smoothly,” reports Hörtenhuber. “This means we can recommend a good solution to our customers should this be required for future projects.”

The solution is not limited to the standard bus systems available on the Kawasaki and JAKA robots. “We can fully recommend the gateway solution to our customers for other bus systems for connection to their preferred PLC,” concludes Hörtenhuber.