DENSO announced that it has introduced the world’s most compact industrial robot controller in the 3-kW output class. The new DENSO RC8 controller is 60 percent smaller and 45 percent lighter than the company’s previous model. It has a footprint of only 12 x 18 inches and a height of only 3.75 inches, saving valuable factory floor space and facilitating integration. The powerful, high-speed RC8 controller can communicate with over 100 different types of devices using DENSO’s ORiN™ open-resource interface networking system. 

Its wide range of communications interfaces includes 100 Base-T Ethernet, mini/hand I/O, RS-232C and USB as standard, plus CC-Link, DeviceNet, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, parallel discrete I/O, Profibus and Profinet as optional. A Microsoft Windows-based graphical user interface reduces robot setup time. ISO and UL safety compliance allows global deployment. Optional accessories include a teaching pendant with a large, 7.5-inch color touchscreen, a mini pendant with a 128 x 64 pixel LCD display, up to two additional axes and conveyor tracking. DENSO’s Wincaps III™ 3-D simulation software allows offline programming and remote monitoring of robot operation. “The small size of our robot controller has always been one of its strong points,” said Peter Cavallo, robotics sales manager, DENSO Sales California. “Now our new RC8 controller gives our customers higher performance and greater flexibility in an even more compact package.”