The start of simpler, standardized robot programming

Leading robot experts and PLC manufacturers from more than 20 companies met in Nuremberg on November 16, 2022 to discuss activities and the future of robot programming. The 'Get together for Robotics' was organized by PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) in order to further promote cross-organizational standardization in robot programming together with PLCopen (Motion Control) and the VDMA/OPC Foundation (VDMA OPC Robotics Initiative). The basis for this is the Standard Robot Command Interface - SRCI for short. This is a standardized data interface between the PLC and the robot controllers, which was defined and published last year by a new PI working group.

There is a great desire for the increased use of robots in industry. The field of application of robot systems is growing, and their complexity continues to increase. However, robot experts are few and far between and the training required is currently considerable. As a result, the number of robots sold today remains far below their potential. Standardization will greatly simplify access to this technology, allowing users without manufacturer-specific knowledge to easily use different robot and PLC systems in their plants. At the same time, integration costs for the robot program in the system/machine are eliminated, as the robots are programmed directly in the system control and operated via a system control panel.

PI Chairman Karsten Schneider comments on the situation: “A characteristic of the current situation is that many solutions in the field of robotics are hardly or not at all economical due to a lack of harmonization. New applications have to be “redeveloped” for each system, so to speak, instead of being able to transfer them from one system to another. Harmonization and standardization will provide a remedy and act as an enabler to open up new applications and markets.”

The event marks the start of a joint working group initiated by PI with the aforementioned cooperation partners with the aim of exploring the potential for harmonization and, based on this, finding a solution for seamless data transfer between robots, PLCs and other devices involved.