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Siemens PLC to Fanuc
Robot
Communication
v2023.12.13 DE
Instructions for starting a Fanuc
Robot program from a Siemens PLC
Author: Claude Loullingen, The Engineer
Contribution: Tom Coosemans, Fanuc Benelux
Version history:
v2023.12.13:
• Information for Phoenix Profinet card added
• Added an example of an FC function for communicating with the robot
• Force table replaced by PLC program
• Disclaimer added
Material used:
• Siemens S7-1500
• Fanuc training cell with ER-4iA robot, R-30iB Plus control and Phoenix
Profinet card
• Fanuc Educational Cell with ER-4iA robot, R-30iB Plus controller and Molex
Profinet card
Two solutions (there are others like RSR or Macro on DI):
1. One could connect a PLC output to a robot input (DI) and have the robot program wait
for a signal at the corresponding input. The PLC could even select a program to run
using additional inputs that would encode the program name as bits.
This solution should be simple and will not be discussed in detail here.
2. You can connect the PLC to the optional Profinet card in the robot controller via Profinet
and use the PNS (Program Number Select) and UOP (User Operator Panel) technology
on the robot.
In principle, this technology corresponds to point 1, except that no physical inputs or
outputs are used, but only virtual fieldbus IOs.
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Background information:
UOP (User Operator Panel):
Typically, you don't want the user of a robot system to use the teach pendant to start, stop, or
reset a robot. The alternative is to build a custom operator panel that connects to the robot
controller and allows the user to perform basic interactions with the robot, as well as provide
basic feedback, such as whether an error has occurred, a program is running, or is paused.
Fanuc calls this panel a UOP (User Operator Panel), as opposed to the SOP (Standard
Operator Panel) on the robot controller door.
Under Menu / I/O / UOP, you can monitor and configure the inputs and outputs intended for
connecting the external control panel. By default, the UOP IOs are assigned to Rack 48.
Racks:
Most inputs and outputs in the robot controller's I/O menu can be assigned to so-called racks.
Some of these racks are physical I/Os on the robot controller, but most relate to fieldbuses.
Press CONFIG when monitoring I/O on the handheld pendant to see which I/Os are assigned
to which rack. For more details, see chapter 13.2.2 "Configuring I/O" in the Fanuc HandlingTool
manual.
List of racks and their numbers:1
- 0 = Process I/O card, I/O link
Connection unit
- 1 to 15 = I/O unit MODEL A / B
- 32 = I/O Link slave interface
- 33 = PMC (internal I/O assignment)
- 34 = Flags, markings
- 35 = Always ON
- 36 = DCS Safe I/O (non-safety function)
- 48 = Mainboard R-30iB Mate (CRMA15&16)
- 66 = PROFIBUS-DP (Master)
- 67 = PROFIBUS-DP (Slave)
- 68 = FL-net (Type 1)
- 69 = FL network status (type 1)
- 75 = FIPIO (slave)
- 81 = DeviceNet (Karte 1)
- 82 = DeviceNet (Karte 2)
- 83 = DeviceNet (Karte 3)
- 84 = DeviceNet (Karte 4)
- 87 = RoboWeld
- 88 = Global Ethernet data
- 89 = EthernetIP
- 90 = Arclink
- 91 = WTC welder
- 92 = CC-Link
- 93 = InterBus (Master)
- 94 = InterBus (Slave)
- 95 = InterBus (CMD-Modus)
- 96 = Modbus TCP
- 98 = InterBus slave only
- 99 = PROFINET I/O-Controller
- 100 = PROFINET I/O device
- 101 = Dual-channel PROFINET I/O controller
- 102 = Dual-channel PROFINET I/O device
- 103 = FL-net (Type 2)
- 104 = FL network status (type 2)
- 105 = CC-Link IE-Feld
- 106 = EtherCAT
- 107 = Tool interface
For example, in the figure below you can see that the outputs DO[81] to DO[84]
1 Quelle: Kapitel 3.1 des Fanuc Basic Operator Manual B-83284DE_09
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Rack 48 is assigned to the IO connector on the robot controller's main board. Start = 21
means that DO[81] is on pin 21 of the connector.
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Configurations - Part 1 (Robot Side)
Configuring the UOP on the programming pendant:
• Menu / System / Config
If you change position 42 to "Remote", the green "Cycle Start" button on the control
door will be disabled.
• Menu / Settings / Prog Select
• By default, the UOP inputs and outputs are mapped to the physical IOs on the
motherboard IO connector, just like the digital IOs. As already
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As described above, this allows the connection of a custom control panel to perform basic manipulation of the
robot. However, by assigning the UOP IOs to a rack corresponding to the Profinet card, the same can also be
performed from a Siemens PLC.
To test whether the robot's UOP configuration was successful without a PLC, we will first assign the UOP inputs
to the Flags register (rack 34) on the robot controller. This is a workaround to manually enable or disable the
UOP inputs, as this is not possible directly via Menu / I/O / UOP.
However, in the same menu, you can assign the discussed rack by pressing CONFIG. Clear all assignments
and set the following.
Make sure you have switched to the UOP inputs and have not yet deleted the UOP output assignments.
Restart the controller (turn it off and on again) to activate the upcoming changes. In the Roboguide, you can
press the "Restart Controller" button and turn on the power.
• Now you can set the flags as shown in the screenshot below. Due to the mapping above, you should see that the
flag status is copied 1:1 to the UOP inputs. The usage of most UOP inputs can be deduced from their names.
Just note that IMSTP stands for "Immediate Stop" and SFSPD stands for "Safety Speed." The latter is usually
connected to the safety fence.
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A detailed description of the 18 UOP inputs and 20 UOP outputs can be found in Chapter
13.9 "CONTROL PANEL" in the HandlingTool manual.
Configuring PNS (Program Number Select) on the programming pendant:
• The 8 bits UI[9] to UI[16] allow the preselection of one of the programs PNS0001
to PNS0255, where UI[9] is the LSB (least significant bit).
For example, 0000 0101(2) = 5(10) . So if UI[16] to UI[9] are set to 0000 0101(2)
are set, the program "PNS0005" is preselected. Fanuc calls this technology PNS.
• The settings in the screenshot above preselect the program PNS0001, so you should now
create a program named PNS0001. Your program could, for example, include a call to
HAND_TOG.
• To select the selected program, a pulse must be applied to the PNS strobe input UI[17].
Before manually applying a pulse to UI[17], select a program other than PNS0001, for
example, AA-HOME. Now apply the pulse and check that PNS0001 appears at the top
of the screen, just as if you had manually selected it.
• After the program has been successfully selected, pulse UI[5] to reset any errors. Now
pulse the UI[6] input, and the program should run.
• If UOP control is working as expected, you can already assign the UOP inputs to Rack
100 (Phoenix) or 102 (Molex) to control the UOP via Profinet. Therefore, you should
assign UI[1-18] to Rack 100/102, Slot 1, Start 1.
Additional configuration in Roboguide in case you want to simulate the UOP:
• Pull down the play button in the Roboguide and go to the
Execution configuration
• After each start, the system variable $RMT_MASTER must be reset to 0
see Menu / System / Variables.
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Configuration of the Phoenix Profinet interface:2
A Profinet network must have a master device that controls all other devices, the slaves. The robot controller can
act as either a master or a slave. Here, we will choose the most common situation, where the robot controller is the
slave of the PLC master.
The following configurations apply only to the Phoenix Profinet card and assume that the Profinet hardware and
software have been installed on the controller.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Fanuc Helpdesk in your region for assistance.
• Create a file named device1.xml with the following content. Slot 0 remains untouched. Slot 1 is adjusted to what
you want. ID="19" means we need 128 input bytes and 128 output bytes. For other data lengths, see Chapter
10 in the R-30iB Plus Profinet User Manual [B-82864EN_07].
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Device>
<Modul Slot="0" ID="0x00000300">
<Submodul API="0" Subslot="1" ID="0x00000001" Inputlen="0" Outputlen="0" IMCarrier="1" />
<Submodul API="0" Subslot="0x8000" ID="0x00008000" Inputlen="0" Outputlen="0" />
<Submodul API="0" Subslot="0x8001" ID="0x00008001" Inputlen="0" Outputlen="0" />
<Submodul API="0" Subslot="0x8002" ID="0x00008002" Inputlen="0" Outputlen="0" />
<Submodul API="0" Subslot="0x8003" ID="0x00008003" Inputlen="0" Outputlen="0" />
<Submodul API="0" Subslot="0x8004" ID="0x00008004" Inputlen="0" Outputlen="0" />
</Module>
<Modul Slot="1" ID="19">
<Submodul API="0" Subslot="01" ID="0x00000001" Inputlen="128" Outputlen="128" />
</Module>
</device>
• ZIP the file device1.xml to device1.zip
• Copy device1.zip to FR:\pnfb on the controller. The easiest way is via FTP,
but also possible with USB stick.
• Configure the Profinet card under MENU / SETUP / PROFINET. If you don't see this menu item, you don't have
the Profinet software installed.
2 For the Molex Profinet card, see the next chapter.
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• Disable the I/O controller as it corresponds to the master channel.
• Enable the I/O device as it corresponds to the slave channel.
• Go to the [Other] / Ethernet Address tab and set the IP
Configuration and the Profinet device name of your robot.
• [Other] / General
• Set the startup mode to RUN.
• Connect your PLC to one of the 4 ports on the Phoenix Profinet card.
• Go to the [Other] / I/O Device tab and check that the number of digital inputs and outputs matches your settings in
the XML file.
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Configuration of the Molex Profinet interface:3
A Profinet network must have a master device that controls all other devices, the slaves. The robot controller can
act as either a master or a slave. Here, we will choose the most common situation, where the robot controller is the
slave of the PLC master.
The following configurations apply only to the Molex Profinet card and require that the Profinet hardware and
software have been installed on the controller. Please contact the Fanuc Helpdesk in your region for assistance.
• Menu / I/O / Profinet
A plug-in will be launched where you can configure the Profinet Molex interface. If you don't see this menu item,
the Profinet software isn't installed.
• Select channel 1 and deactivate it as it corresponds to the master channel.
• Select Channel 2. Set the IP address and subnet mask according to your network plan by tapping the IP address
on the screen.
Make a note of the device name as you will need it in the TIA Portal
• Expand channel 2 and, under IO Device, set the amount and type of data to be exchanged with the master. The
same must be done later on the PLC side. To delete a row, tap it and change the slot type to "None."
Click SAVE and restart the robot.
With "DI/DO 8 Bytes," you can address two times 8 bytes x 8 bits/byte = 64 individual bits. This means you can
address 64 inputs and 64 outputs.
• Connect your PLC to port 1 or 2 of the Profinet using an Ethernet cable.
Card in your robot controller. Ports 1 and 2 correspond to channel 2.
3 For the Phoenix Profinet card, see the previous chapter.
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4
4 Source: R-30iB_Plus_ProfiNet_User Manual_Two-Channel_[MAROBDCPN01141E_Rev.F]
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Configurations - Part 2 (PLC side)
• Contact the Fanuc helpdesk in your region to obtain the appropriate GSDML (Generic Station Description Markup
Language) file for your Profinet card.
• Import the GSDML description file in the TIA Portal via the menu
Options/Management of general station description files.
• Drag and drop the robot controller from the hardware catalog into the
Devices & Networks window of your existing TIA project.
Phoenix
Molex
• Click the "Unassigned" link and select the correct port on the PLC. After a few seconds, a
connection should appear between the two devices.
• In the device configuration of the robot controller in the TIA Portal, add the same
Add input and/or output modules that you added to the robot controller in Part 1
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defined. Adjust the I address and Q address if necessary. These are the addresses to be used
in your PLC program.
Phoenix:
Molex:
• In the same device overview window, click the "FANUC Robot Controller" line and set the IP
address, subnet mask, and Profinet device name as you specified them on the robot
controller. The latter is very important because Profinet relies not only on the IP address but
also on the device name.
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• If you have not yet connected your PLC to the robot controller with an Ethernet cable
connected, you should do so now.
• Check on the robot that the UOP inputs are correctly assigned to rack 100 (Phoenix) or 102
(Molex), otherwise see the end of the chapter "PNS configuration".
• Now it's time to test whether the PLC's Profinet IOs are communicating correctly with the robot
controller's Profinet IOs. One way to do this is to write a small PLC program that assigns any
digital input to the first bit in Profinet. For example:
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If your setup was successful, the IMSTP bit should turn ON when the selected digital input
on the PLC is set high.
So far we have mainly focused on the UOP inputs, but setting up the UOP outputs follows
the same logic.
Test program with a PLC function to control the UOP via Profinet:
Of course, IMSTP and other inputs in a production program should not be "AlwaysTrue".
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Test program with a PLC function for reading the UOP via Profinet:
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Disclaimer:
The information contained in these instructions, notes, or advice is intended for general
informational purposes only. Users are advised to exercise caution and good judgment
when implementing any recommendations, procedures, or suggested actions. The following
disclaimer is intended to clarify that the author or provider of these instructions cannot be
held responsible for any damage, loss, injury, or adverse consequences that may result
from following these instructions.
Assumption of Risk: Users assume all risks associated with the implementation of these instructions. These risks
may include, but are not limited to, property damage, loss of data, personal injury, or other unforeseen consequences.
No Warranty or Guarantee: The manual is provided "as is" without any express or implied
warranty or guarantee.
The author makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness,
or suitability of the instructions for a particular purpose.
Individual Responsibility: Users are responsible for evaluating the appropriateness of the instructions for their
specific circumstances and for determining the safety and legality of implementing the instructions within their
jurisdiction.
Limitation of Liability: In no event shall the author or provider of the manual be liable for
any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or in any
way related to the use or misuse of the manual.
Changes to the instructions: The author reserves the right to change, update or remove
the instructions at any time and without prior notice.
Users are encouraged to check for the latest version of the instructions.
By following the instructions, you acknowledge and agree to the terms of this disclaimer. If
you do not agree to these terms, do not follow the instructions.
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