© copyright Faculty of Engineering – Hunedoara, University POLITEHNICA Timisoara ACTA TECHNICA CORVINIENSIS – Bulletin of Engineering Tome IX [2016] , Fascicule 1 [January – March] ISSN: 2067 – 3809 1. Cristian BÂRZ, 2. Tihomir LATINOVIC, 3. Sorin Ioan DEACONU, 4. Adina POP-VĂDEAN, 5. Adela BERDIE, 6. Paul Petrică POP REMOTE CONTROL OF A ROBOTIC ARM USING THE OPERATOR PANEL 1. Technical University of Cluj Napoca, North University Center of Baia Mare, Baia Mare, ROMANIA 2. University in Banja Luka, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Banja Luka, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA 3,5. Politehnica University of Timişoara, Faculty of Engineering of Hunedoara, Hunedoara, ROMANIA 4,6. Technical University - Cluj-Napoca, Department Mechatronics & Machine Dynamics, Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA Abstract: This paper presents the adopted solution for remote control via Ethernet of a robotic arm controlled by a Siemens PLC. PLC control interface is designed with a touch screen Weintek. This HMI control the local PLC, entering the coordinate on the axes X, Y and Z. The HMI command so the stepper motors which actions on the axis of the robotic arm. This presents the Ethernet interface to be controlled remotely. With authentication (user and password) you can interference on the displacement path of robotic arm. Subject allows the development in a virtual environment for e-learning and monitoring of actions (webcam). Keywords: PLC, robotic control, HMI, remote control INTRODUCTION Introducing the programmable automations on a larger and larger scale due to their quality and working precision, as well as due to a good price/quality report, imposes them for the substitution of the old command schemes of equipment. More and more equipment are modified on their command part, a numeric command or the display of the realized quantities or of those to be realized being required. The use of programmable automatons together with the frequency converters makes the equipment safer, with a higher precision and a shorter time for realizing the product. Through its conception, a programmable controller is adaptable for functioning in the industrial environment, it can operate in a large variety of temperature and humidity. It is easily adaptable to interfacing with any process and does not raise any special problems regarding the training of service personnel, due to the programming facilities it offers. The industrial robots appeared as a response to the human’s need to automate the manufacturing processes, especially the repetitive ones. The main activities that industrial robots can carry out are linked to the transporting and manipulating of objects and also to realizing some processes (painting, inspection, assembling, etc.). [4] The utilization of PLCs presents a series of advantages, among which the reducing of manufacturing time and the decrease of costs are the most important. Mainly, any application that requires electric control needs a PLC. [3, 6] The interface is necessary in the commanding and monitoring of the process realized by the PLCs, because they do not have a screen. EMT3070a is a touchscreen produced by Weintek Company, which facilitates the creation of a graphic interface for a high number of PLCs found on the market. [5] THE SYSTEM STRUCTURE Siemens PLC The Programmable Logic Controllers are command and adjustment programmable automates that are used for industrial machines and processes. Their programming is done using dedicated software, developed by each PLC manufacturer, but having as common point the use of the Ladder Diagram (command electric schemes). The Weintek interface HMI – operator panel HMI eMT3070A (Figure 1) is a touch screen produced by Weintek which facilitates the creation of a graphic interface for a large number of PLCs found on the market. EMT3070A series is the new generation of HMI from Weintek. This is more than a simple touch screen; it is capable of programming the PLC and of transferring data and programs among several similar devices from this producer. [8, 9]