47 www.drivesncontrols.com July/August 2026 SENSORS AND ENCODER n problem for human personnel, but it is for robots that need precise positioning data. Two further challenges were the wide variety of parts being processed, and their high throughput rates. Roth Technik’s development team found a simple, yet effective, answer that allowed the robots to learn the exact positions of the hooks on each rack. Compact profile sensors are mounted on the robot arms, and used to detect the exact position of each hook as the arm moves down the rack. This information is reported back to the robot controller. With the help of a camera, the robot picks up parts from a separating carousel and hangs them on a hook. It uses the position coordinates collected by the Baumer OXM200 profile sensors to finely adjust the position of each part. The sensors guide the robots precisely and quickly on the electroplating racks. When designing the installation, the Roth Technik team tested various camera- and laser-based systems. “In the end, we went with the profile sensor from Baumer because it was the best solution for our strict requirements regarding accuracy, compact design, and the ability to detect objects,” recalls the company’s CEO, Markus Roth. The sensor detects the thin hooks reliably and is able to scan several hook positions at the same time. The controller then decides whether or not to load each hook. The sensor outputs measured the values for the X and Z coordinates of the hooks in millimetres, significantly reducing the number of calculations that the controller needs to perform. The compact profile sensors have proven to be ideal for this application where space is at a premium, while eliminating the need for additional human resources. n Controls & Drives don@dfamedia.co.uk sara.gor 01732 370341 don Sara Gor damien.oxlee@dfamedia.co.uk 01732 370342 Damien Oxlee ols Contact us at Drives & Contr AVE COULD HA ADVERTISEMENT IMPACT YOUR IMAGINE THE 60,000+ ENGINEERS THIS, THEN SO ARE IF YOU’RE READING The profile sensor is mounted at the end of the robot arm
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