ABB IRC5 OPC Server is a communications software package from ABB that exposes real-time data from ABB IRC5 robot controllers to OPC-compliant clients such as SCADA, HMI, MES, and historians. It provides a standardized way to monitor and control robot cells, enabling seamless integration of ABB robots into plant-wide automation and IT systems.

Key capabilities:

Real-time access to robot I/O signals, RAPID variables, system status, production counters, and diagnostics
Read/write support with browsable tag namespaces and configurable update rates
Monitoring of alarms and events for streamlined notification and tracking (availability may vary by version)
Concurrent connections to multiple IRC5 controllers
User access control leveraging Windows security and DCOM permissions
Built-in diagnostics and logging to simplify commissioning and troubleshooting

Typical uses:

Supervisory control and visualization of robot cells through SCADA/HMI
Data collection for OEE, traceability, and performance dashboards
Centralized alarm/event forwarding to plant alarm systems
Recipe, parameter, and setpoint management from higher-level systems

Compatibility and requirements:

Designed for ABB IRC5 robot controllers running RobotWare
Requires Ethernet connectivity and the appropriate RobotWare communication option (commonly the PC Interface option) on the controller
Runs on Microsoft Windows and supports OPC Classic (OPC DA; Alarms & Events support may be included depending on edition)
For exact operating system support, OPC specification versions, and licensing details, refer to the ABB release notes for your specific version

By using standard OPC interfaces, ABB IRC5 OPC Server reduces integration effort, shortens commissioning time, and provides a reliable, vendor-supported pathway to bring robot data into enterprise and plant applications.

ABB IRC5 OPC Server is developed by ABB. The most popular version of this product among our users is 5.1.