Renishaw Robotics Solutions Simplify Calibration, Maintenance

Renishaw’s new RCS product line aims to transform the process of commissioning and servicing industrial automation technologies. Developed to solve some fundamental challenges within the global industrial automation industry, the new RCS product line focuses on the problems associated with manual set up, calibration and maintenance of robots, such as operational accuracy and repeatability.

The range includes three products: RCS L-90, RCS T-90 and RCS P-series, all supported by a dedicated software suite. RCS L-90 is a ball-bar device that is designed to improve robot system accuracy, reduce deployment time and monitor robot health with simple routines controlled by its supporting software suite. RCS T-90 is a tri-ball-bar system that enables robot users to identify root causes of poor performance, with further comprehensive tests to capture critical robot information — such as remastering the joint offsets to calculated positions, running master-recovery routines and plotting 3D path performance. The third RCS product, RCS P-series, integrates a permanent Renishaw probing solution within a robot cell to apply in-process metrology and automatic recovery to automation processes.

According to Renishaw, this new product line for industrial robotics brings the company’s metrology expertise to an industry that has significant challenges with performance accuracy and repeatability. The new RCS products are designed to help simplify robot set up, health checks and recovery of robotic applications following collisions. Working with Renishaw’s new intuitive robotics software, RCS Software Suite, the products support robots from a wide range of manufacturers.

“The existing processes surrounding robot set up and maintenance are largely manual for an industry built upon automation,” says Dr Kevyn Jonas, director of Renishaw’s Industrial Automation Products division. “With no existing fully comprehensive solutions, these methods have been accepted, until today. Robot integrators and users now finally have a solution for a quick, simple and traceable means to manage their robots.”