Hi, this is Dillan from Kurtin Robotics. Let me walk you through how to get your PLC communicating with a robot and sending out those crucial KPI email alerts. The first and most important thing is making sure your PLC is capable of sending emails—without that, nothing else matters.
Step 1: Set Up Communication
Start by establishing a connection between your PLC and the robot using your chosen communication protocol, whether it's Ethernet/IP, PROFINET, or Modbus TCP/IP. Ensure both devices are properly configured for data exchange.
Step 2: Program the PLC
Next, program the PLC to gather the KPI data that matters most—information that can be acted upon and critical alerts that need immediate attention. Focus on tracking things like cycle times, downtime, or production counts, and set up your PLC’s logic to monitor these metrics in real-time.
Step 3: Trigger Email Notifications
Now, configure the PLC to send emails when certain thresholds are met. Set up the email settings, including the SMTP server, sender address, and recipients. But here’s something important—consider the intervals at which these emails will be sent. If you’re sending out 10 emails every minute, that can get annoying fast and might defeat the purpose of the alerts. Keep it balanced.
Step 4: Test Everything
Finally, test the entire setup by sending emails to a dummy account first. This ensures you’re not sending bad data to real people. Once you’ve confirmed everything works as expected—communication is stable, data is accurate, and emails are sent at appropriate intervals—you can safely go live.
This is Dillan from Kurtin Robotics—keeping your automation sharp and your inbox in check.