Beckhoff's ATRO offers flexible, modular robotics
ATRO integrates modular, flexible industrial robots with internal media feed and endless rotation, reducing costs through reusable, identical module types within a PC-based control system.
www.beckhoff.com
With the ATRO modular industrial robot system, optimal robot configurations can be created for a wide range of assembly and handling applications on an individual and flexible basis. Standardized motor modules with integrated drive functionality, together with link modules in various designs and lengths, allow for virtually limitless mechanical combinations. Full integration into TwinCAT, the comprehensive Beckhoff control platform, also provides direct access to a wide range of proven automation functions – covering everything from machine control, robot control, safety, vision, condition monitoring, to connection to edge devices or cloud systems.
The end-to-end modularity of the ATRO system – both in its hardware modules and software for configuration, programming, operation, and safety monitoring – opens up a whole new level of flexibility. A six-axis articulated robot is not always the right tool for the job. In many pick-and-place scenarios, just three or four degrees of freedom are enough, which means fewer axes, lower costs, and reduced weight – and these weight savings can then be used to offset a higher payload. The same ATRO motor and link modules can also be used to create a wide variety of exciting kinematic designs that go beyond the options provided by traditional robot systems.
The European harmonized standards DIN EN ISO 10218-1 and DIN EN ISO 10218-2 apply to the safety of industrial robots. New versions of these standards were published in early 2025 and will soon take effect once harmonization is complete. As of the end of the transition period (expected in 2027), they will apply to all industrial robots that are new on the market. If a machine builder integrates a customized ATRO kinematic system into their machine, they must meet the requirements of ISO 10218-2 for the robotic portion of the application. In addition to the hardware modules for the kinematics, the ATRO system also offers software modules that – in combination with pre-checked safety templates – meet precisely these requirements.
www.beckhoff.com
