Getting Started with MachineCloud

Overview

Vention now offers MachineCloud, giving you the ability to deploy from the cloud to your factory floor in minutes. With this, you can make each machine deployment successful, with software-assisted, step-by-step deployment derived from your digital twin. This document explains the steps necessary to set up and get started with MachineCloud.

Requirements

In order to configure your hardware and wiring and deploy your MachineLogic program remotely with MachineCloud, you’ll need:

• MachineLogic Basic or higher subscription. Learn more here.
• MachineMotion v2.7

We do not currently support:

• Robots
• Multi-controllers

First-time setup

1. Hardware setup

1.1. Hardware Assembly

As a MachineCloud subscriber, the first step you’ll go through when receiving your Vention machine is the Hardware Assembly. It’s a simple checklist that will help you in assembling your Vention machine. The checklist contains the following elements, in this order:

• Get your tools: A list of all the tools you’ll need to assemble your hardware
• Unbox: Simple instructions to facilitate the unboxing of your hardware
• Serial number: Note down the serial number for a later step
• Bill of materials: A static PDF of your bill of materials that you should consult to ensure you’ve received all the right parts to your hardware
• Design assembly instructions: A guide to help you assemble your hardware
• Mechanical checklist: A checklist to ensure you’ve assembled your hardware correctly

1.2. Wiring checklist

The second step you’ll need to complete in MachineCloud is the wiring of your machine. Again, you’ll see a simple checklist in MachineCloud that will need to be completed. Here are the steps:

• Group your automation components together
• Wire and connect your components: A clickable document will give you information on how to wire and connect your components
• Light curtains: A setup guide gives you information on how to set up your light curtains
• Safety module: The last step of the wiring checklist presents you with a document that you’ll use to set up the safety module in your design

1.3. Pairing your MachineMotion to your MachineCloud

At the time of purchase, your MachineMotion controller is linked to your specific design through its serial number.

The third step is therefore to pair your MachineMotion to your MachineCloud. In order to do this, you’ll have to go to your MachineMotion Controller, find the serial number on the back side of it, and select it from the dropdown menu in MachineCloud.

1.4. Turn on your MachineMotion

Next up, you’ll be presented with instructions on how to power on your MachineMotion controller. Follow the 5 easy steps to complete this part of the setup.

1.5. Connect pendant Wi-Fi

When you get to step 5, you’ll be prompted to go to your pendant and connect to Wi-Fi. To learn more about the startup process of MachineMotion v2, please read the MachineMotion 2 User Manual - v2.7.0 or Newer. Once the sync to MachineCloud is successful, ensure you enable Remote Access.

1.6. Validate configuration

The final step in your hardware setup is the configuration validation step. This step allows you to verify the software and hardware configuration of certain actuators. On your MachineCloud dashboard, you’ll see each of the actuators whose configuration you’ll have to check. You can do so by clicking “Check this configuration”, and follow the instructions on your screen. Once these configurations are checked, you’ve completed the hardware setup.

2. Software setup

2.1. Choose application

The next thing you’ll need to do is to set up your application. In order to do this, you’ll first need to select the application you’ll want to deploy from the dropdown menu. Note that if you haven’t purchased an application, you’ll first need to do so in order to begin your software setup. Moreover, you can only deploy one application at a time – but if you’ve purchased more than one application, you’ll have the opportunity to deploy your other ones at a later stage.

2.2. Application checker

The second step of the software setup is the application checker. If you have any warnings or errors on your application, we’ll let you know here, with instructions on how to resolve this in MachineLogic. Once all your errors have been resolved (or if none were found), move on to the trial run.

2.3. Trial run

At this stage, you’ll be prompted to conduct a trial run to test your program remotely, on your physical machine. Once you select the speed to run your trial at, you’ll see your machine run your program. You’ll be able to follow, in a tree view, the step-by-step sequence as your program runs on your machine.

2.4. Deploy

You’ve completed the trial run and your program runs as expected on your machine – now’s the time to deploy your application remotely to your machine. Simply click “Deploy” and you’ll be ready to operate. For the following steps, you’ll have to go to your pendant and click “Application launcher” to run your application on your machine.

3. Ready to operate

3.1 On your Physical Machine

Now that your program is deployed to your machine, you’re ready to operate. Here are the steps you’ll need to take in order to run your new application on your physical machine.

1. Head over to your pendant and click “Application launcher”
2. Select the application you would like to operate from the menu
3. Click “Run” – and voilà! You’ve successfully deployed your application remotely, and your program is now running on your machine.