Standardized library for industrial communication

Sammanfattning

Industrial automation systems have traditionally relied on Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) to coordinate communication between robots, sensors, and external equipment. Although this architecture is widely adopted in manufacturing, it often increases hardware costs, system complexity, and integration effort. In response to the growing demand for leaner and more flexible automation solutions, this thesis investigates the development of a standardised software library for industrial communication in a PLC-free robotic environment. The project was carried out in collaboration with Aurobay Sweden AB at the Skövde plant and focused on the design of a reusable shell project for ABB OmniCore robot controllers programmed in RAPID. The proposed architecture transfers the coordination logic normally handled by a PLC directly to the robot controller, enabling communication with external devices through TCP/IP-based protocols and modular background tasks. The work includes the implementation of a structured framework for job handling, error recovery, operator interaction, and visual signalling, together with an HMI developed for the FlexPendant interface. To evaluate the feasibility of the proposed approach, two industrial functionalities were implemented and tested: a laser scanner safety system and a light curtain supervision system. Both functionalities were integrated directly into the robot controller without intermediary PLC hardware. In addition, communication between RAPID and a Pythonbased gateway was developed to support higher-level data exchange and future MQTT integration. The results demonstrate that a PLC-free architecture can provide a reliable and scalable alternative for low-cost automation cells while maintaining safe operation and modularity. The standardised library reduced integration complexity, improved code reusability, and simplified deployment across different robotic applications. Furthermore, the separation between reusable framework components and application-specific logic proved beneficial for maintainability and future expansion. This work shows that decentralised robot-centred control architectures represent a practical solution for modern industrial automation environments where flexibility, reduced commissioning time, and lower system costs are increasingly important.