I am the project manager for a new piece of automation and I need to know if an Arduino in an industrial shield, from Robotshop.com, can handle the following.
The project is fairly simple, in theory. We need to take a value off of a .CSV file, which is displayed on an HMI, and move two motors to an accurate position for alignment purposes in a screen factory. I've been successful in incorporating an industrial Arduino previously but this has a different level of complexity to it. How do I connect the encoder to the arduino in this case? Can I use two at the same time? What is the best industrial HMI to use for this platform?
Yes, but a PC will offer more versatility and can be easier to program. Especially if you use their drylin controller. If you don't, then my suggestion would be to use an arduino for the motor control and sensor readings and have it communicate with a PC (can be something small like a NUC or a Raspberry Pi) for your HMI.
For a UI, yes. Those PCs are nice; I haven't used them personally but I have a colleague who has.
You will still probably need either the motor controller or an arduino to do the real-time stuff.
What drew you to those motors? They also have their own controller, is there a reason you want to use the motor, but not the controller?
I was brought in late after these motors were selected and purchased. Honestly, until you mentioned it I didn't realize that Igus sold the controllers. I've got a conference call setup with them to go over the communication protocols. Thanks for the help.