New ABB Omnicore Robot Controllers Offer Faster, Scalable, More Energy Efficient Manufacturing

ABB is adding two new members to its OmniCore™ controller family. Available for a range of robots across ABB’s portfolio, the new E10 and V250XT controllers offer best-in-class motion control, as well as 20 percent energy savings and future-proofing through built-in digital connectivity and 1000+ additional functions to meet changing requirements.

Both controllers reportedly offer increased scalability through the inclusion of over 1,000 hardware and software functions encompassing areas such as programming, offline commissioning and simulation, maintenance, vision and safety. The controllers also feature built-in connectivity to ABB Ability™ Connected Services cloud-based service suite for robots, offering new opportunities for improving performance through enhanced predictive maintenance and lifecycle management.

ABB is also introducing its IoT Gateway open automation software for OmniCore. IoT Gateway makes it possible to achieve truly joined-up production by enabling the seamless transmission of data from the factory floor, machine to machine (M2M), robots to other machines and robots to sensors, to the MES/ERP system, or to the cloud.

Featuring a slimline 19-inch rack-mount design, the E10 is ideal for confined space and high-density production lines where space saving is a key requirement. The E10 controller is designed to power ABB’s SCARA robots and articulated robots with payloads of up to 11 kilograms such as the IRB 920T and IRB 1300.

Designed to power articulated robots with a payload of up to 300 kilograms such as IRB 6700, the OmniCore V250XT controller offers a versatile and powerful solution for use in electric vehicle production, automotive manufacturing, logistics and general industrial applications.

The OmniCore E10 and V250XT controllers consume up to 20 percent less energy compared to ABB’s previous IRC5 controllers due to energy-saving power re-generation technology and brake energy recovery, enabling manufacturers to cut energy costs and improve energy efficiency.

Both controllers are used with ABB’s FlexPendant hand-held controller. The large 8-imch multi-touch display supports standard gestures, such as pinch, swipe, and tap, simplifying robot programming. FlexPendant is “hot-swappable”, which means it can be unplugged or re-connected without interrupting ongoing production.

For more information, visit http://www.abb.com.