The first choice for automation YASKAWA

THE FIRST CHOICE FOR AUTOMATION

YASKAWA Electric is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the fields of drive technology, industrial automation and robotics. Julia Snow reports on the group’s innovative products and dynamic developments.

Founded in 1915, YASKAWA is a pioneer in its chosen field, always striving to optimise productivity and efficiency of the products and systems offered. For almost 100 years now, YASKAWA technology has supported industrial automation processes in the mining, mechanical engineering and toolmaking sectors, as well as the automotive, packaging, wood processing, lift, textile and semiconductor industries. With a total of 14,600 employees and over 60 subsidiaries worldwide the group realises an annual sales volume of more than 3.1 billion Yen.

The wide range of YASKAWA’s business activities covers drives, motion control, robotics, systems engineering and information technology – with this wide range the company is one of the few global players able to supply components and solutions for almost all industries from a single source.

YASKAWA Europe GmbH

Based in Eschborn, Germany, YASKAWA Europe GmbH is within close reach of the surrounding markets’ requirements for mechatronics and robotics solutions. With 7 production sites, 30 subsidiaries and over 1250 employees, the company services the markets of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the region of the former Soviet Union.

Late in 2012, VIPA became part of the YASKAWA family, when it joined Drives & Motion and Robotics as a third division. The company is based in Herzogenaurach, Germany, and develops and produces PLCs, I/O systems and advanced industrial HMIs. While the broad range of MOTOMAN industrial robots from YASKAWA is ideal for many applications, industries and ready-to-use solutions, VIPA has been driving innovation in the fields of PLCs and HMIs. This means that VIPA rounds out the YASKAWA portfolio of central controller products and allows customers to purchase powerful integrated systems from a single source.

A stream of innovations

Extensive investments in research and development have yielded numerous inventions, patents and innovations, always improving the technical compatibility and ease of use.

In order to integrate robots even better YASKAWA developed the MOTOMANSync interface, a ‘Total System Solutions’ concept that was launched in Autumn 2013. A range of modular products and software in the areas of Drives&Motion, Robotics and VIPA work together as a holistic solution, – resulting in an offering that is unique in its width: from visualisation through to controlling, drive technology and robotics.

In April 2014, YASKAWA followed this with an impressive innovation for the life sciences sector at Analytica: in a live demonstration cell, the CSDA10F dual arm robot with a human-like stature and two hands performed the complex preparation of samples and operated analytical instruments

in pharmaceutical research. Robots have made their way into the field of life sciences, where they automatically carry out synthesis and analytical tasks in research and development – in areas where conventional automation was previously too inflexible and too expensive. The robot itself is almost maintenance free and easy to operate. Many typical motions (pipetting, opening/ closing Eppendorf tubes, handling a microtiter plate, opening/closing an incubator, opening/closing screw caps of bottles) have been standardised and stored as modules in a motion library.

The DX200 controller for Motoman robots from Yaskawa celebrated its European premiere at the Automatica in June 2014. This new high-end controller is an extension of the highly successful DX100 model with a range of additional options, such as safety features, and offers more than 120 application-specific functions. This particularly benefits system integrators and industrial end customers who use Motoman robots for welding and handling tasks. Yaskawa has drawn on the many years of experience of its engineers for the new DX200, building on the service-proven quality of the DX100. Numerous new functions and function packages have been added, further simplifying the application-specific solution and programming of robotic tasks. Other new features include the standard and safety-oriented bus systems and the integrated safety controller. The DX200 is designed for the simplified integration of peripheral devices by means of corresponding bus interfaces. Windows CE programming is carried out using a compact colour touch panel weighing just 990 grams.

Strenthening the energy capacity

In July 2014, YASKAWA announced the purchase of The Switch Engineering Oy, a Finnish manufacturer of wind turbine components. The takeover is in line with the long term company strategy ‘Vision 2015’, which sets out the strengthening of the business field of energy and environment.

In 2013 both companies had already formed a partnership working approach, with synergies that included the crossselling of generators and inverters through both distribution networks. After the acquisition, The Switch was integrated into the business unit Environment and Energy, and a close cooperation with the YASKAWA European Research and Development Centre is planned.

The combined technological strengths in the field of drive and performance electronics provide a promising platform for both companies to develop more leading products and solutions for customers in the wind- and tidal energy segment as well as other maritime and industrial applications. n