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As a result of a cooperative agreement with Comau, Siemens offers the jointly-engineered Sinumerik Run MyRobot DirectControl enabling the integration of robot kinematics into a CNC system. The Sinumerik controls the articulated robot arm directly using complex algorithms without the need for a separate robot controller. This solution enables the CNC to control the robot arm drive system while also containing the safety functions typically performed by the robot controller. Integrating control of the robot arm into the CNC helps improve path and positioning accuracy as well as reliability, the company says, thanks to enhanced dynamic response during robot-aided machining tasks.

The major difference between the new DirectControl technology and conventional solutions is that this system performs all the functions previously assigned to the robot control system. Apart from this difference, Sinumerik Run MyRobot DirectControl performs all the same functions as the previous Run MyRobot variants. The new solution not only enables more dynamic application of the robot, but also makes for tighter control, improving the capacity for robot operations to run parallel with machining cycles.

To simplify the engineering process, complete configuration for all DirectControl-supported robot arms is stored in the Siemens engineering tool Sizer. Data sets for the relevant mechanics are made available by Comau and are simply imported into a channel of the Sinumerik CNC. There is also practical support for other engineering functions. Digital twins are available for DirectControl-compatible Comau robot arms to enable work in NX CAM Robotics. The kinematic 3D robot model and the virtual NC kernel Sinumerik VNCK enable the realistic simulation of subprograms generated in the CAD/CAM chain.