All FANUC robots come with a Standard Operator Panel (SOP) controller, but in order to use the robots to palletize, you need to purchase options to actually have the robot palletize loads. The first decision to be made is whether to utilize FANUC's PalletTool software or Kaufman's proprietary KBundle software to program the patterns the robot will use in building out loads.

If FANUC's PalletTool software is used in a Kaufman system, we will also purchase a FANUC Dual Check Safety system consisting of two processors made by two different vendors to compare and check against one another to determine whether the robot is functioning correctly. If there are any discrepancies between the two, the system will automatically shut down until the problem is fixed. This built-in redundancy prevents costly mistakes and injuries and also greatly reduces the footprint of the system, saving valuable space within the facility. In addition to the DCS, we will purchase FANUC's Ethernet Option, which allows communication between the controllers and the robot. Programming and inputting pallet patterns must be done by an engineer with this setup.

If Kaufman's KBundle software is used, we bypass the FANUC PalletTool software but still purchase the DCS and the Ethernet Option that allows communication between all components. In addition, we bring in either an Allen-Bradley CompactLogix PLC or a ControlLogix PLC to house our proprietary pallet pattern-building software and include an Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus 7 touchscreen interface, also known as a Human Machine Interface (HMI). The advantage of utilizing KBundle is that you do not need an engineer to program the patterns into the system. The user interface and the software make it simple and straightforward so that an operator on the floor can input and update patterns as needed.