To view a movie of this procedure, click Continuous Robotic Path Planning.
This procedure demonstrates the planning phase of robotic operations, including collision checking, configuring torch gun parameters, and setting external axis values.
Creating Collision Sets
1. Open a robotic cell containing:
• A robot and welding torch
• A positioner (or other kinematic device) with welded parts mounted on its plate
• A continuous operation with projected arc seam Mfg
2. Define a collision set to ensure a collision-free path at the planning phase:
a. Click View→Viewers→Collision Viewer. The Collision Viewer appears.
Designing and Managing Processes Continuous Robotic Path Planning and Simulation b. From the toolbar, click New Collision Set. The Collision Set Editor dialog appears. The Check
list is active.
c. Pick any of the following from the Graphic Viewer or Object tree: robots, robot pedestals, mounted torch guns and other objects attached to robots. The selected objects are added to the Check list and the With list becomes active. RobotExpert will check if any of the selected objects collide with objects in the With list.
Note: If you selected objects in the Graphic Viewer or Object tree prior to invoking the Collision Set Editor dialog, these are listed in the Check list when the dialog appears and the With list is active.
d. From the Graphic Viewer or Object tree, pick welded parts, devices that hold parts, and other objects attached to parts. The selected objects are added to the With list.
e. Click OK. A new collision set is added to the Collision Viewer.
3. If you wish to edit the name of the new collision set, double-click it and type the new name.
4. If you wish to view the collision set in the Graphic Viewer, click Emphasize Collision Set. The Check list objects are colored in yellow, the With list objects are colored in blue, and all other objects in the cell are dimmed.
Designing and Managing Processes Continuous Robotic Path Planning and Simulation
5. If you wish to modify the collision set, click Edit Collision Set and edit the collision set.
6. Configure simulation to stop on collision:
a. Click Tools→Options→Collision Viewer. The Options dialog appears with the Collision tab selected.
b. In Collision Options area, check the Stop Simulation when a Collision is Detected option.
Designing and Managing Processes Continuous Robotic Path Planning and Simulation 7. From the toolbar, click Collision Mode On/Off Collision Viewer. When a collision is detected,
the simulation halts and the colliding pair is colored in red.
Performing Torch Alignment
1. Add an operation to the Path Editor.
2. In the Graphic Viewer or Path Editor, select the first seam location in the operation.
3. Click Continuous→Torch Alignment. The Torch Alignment dialog appears for the selected location.
4. Click the Follow Mode button. The robot and torch gun jump to the selected location.
5. Change any of the parameters in the Arc Alignment area (these were defined during the projection phase).
6. Click Next location to move to the second seam location. The robot and the torch gun jump to the next location. Do this to move through all the seam locations. If a collision is detected, the colliding objects are colored in red.
Designing and Managing Processes Continuous Robotic Path Planning and Simulation
7. Modify one or more of the Arc Alignment parameters to fix the collision.
8. Return to the first seam location and verify that the entire path is free of collisions.
9. Run the simulation.
Configuring Robot External Axes
This procedure demonstrates how to set the external axis values for each location.
1. In the Path Editor, click Customize Columns. The Customize Columns dialog appears.
2. In the Available Columns list, expand the General folder, select the External Axes Values column, and click to add the column to the Show columns in following order list.
3. Expand the OLP - Dynamic Params folder, select the Ext1 and Ext2 columns, and click to add the columns to the Show columns in following order list.
4. Click OK.
Designing and Managing Processes Continuous Robotic Path Planning and Simulation
The External Axes Values column indicates the number of the defined external axis values from the total number of the robot external joints.
The Ext1 and Ext2 columns indicate the value of the external joint (if defined).
5. From the Operation tree or Path Editor, select the seam operation.
6. Click Kinematics→Set External Axes Values. The Set External Axes Values dialog appears.
7. Click Follow Mode. The robot and the gun jump to the selected location.
8. Check Approach Value and type the requested values.
Designing and Managing Processes Continuous Robotic Path Planning and Simulation
9. Click Next Location to move to the next location and enter the relevant values. Repeat this for all the other locations.
Note: The external joints information is visible in the related columns of the Path Editor.
10. Run the simulation to validate the changes.
Performing Robot Configuration
Typically, robots can reach given locations by several configurations. This procedure demonstrates how to set the optimal robot configuration and uses the Abb - Rapid controller as an example.
Option 1: Set configuration value for a single location
1. Click View→Viewers→Path Editor. The Path Editor appears.
2. Click Customize Columns. The Customize Columns dialog appears.
Designing and Managing Processes Continuous Robotic Path Planning and Simulation
3. Expand the Abb - Rapid folder, select the Config column, and click to add the column to the Show columns in following order list.
4. From the Path Editor or Operation tree, select the first seam location.
5. Click Robotics→Robot Configuration. The Robot Configuration dialog appears for the selected location.
6. From the Robot Solutions list, select the optimal solution and click Teach.
Note: The Config value in the Path Editor is also updated.
Option 2: Set a configuration value for the whole path
After creating a collision free path, it is possible to set all path configuration values during simulation.
1. From the Path Editor toolbar, click Auto Teach.
2. Run the simulation.
Designing and Managing Processes Continuous Robotic Path Planning and Simulation
Tracking the Robot TCP
The TCP Tracker enables you to select a robot and track its TCP frame during simulation. The command records the motion of the robot TCP as a curve and stores it as a TCP track object.
1. Click Tools→Customize. The Customize dialog appears.
2. In the Commands list, select TCP Tracker, drag it on to your toolbar, and close the Customize dialog.
3. From the Graphics Viewer or the Object tree, select a robot.
4. Click TCP Tracker. The TCP Tracker toolbar appears.
Designing and Managing Processes Continuous Robotic Path Planning and Simulation 5. Click Select Color and select a color from the list for the TCP track object.
6. Run the simulation. Any robot TCP movement will be tracked – regardless of what causes the movement, for example, Joint Jog, Robot Jog, or any other command.
Note: You can pause the TCP Tracker at any time by clicking the Pause button.
Using the Robot Viewer
The Robot Viewer includes: Joint Monitor, Joint Status, TCP Speed, and more.
1. From the Graphics Viewer or the Object tree, select a robot.
2. Click Robotics→Robot Viewer. The Robot Viewer appears for the selected robot.
3. Run the simulation.
Note: The Robot Viewer is dynamically updated during simulation.
Designing and Managing Processes Continuous Robotic Path Planning and Simulation
4. Use the Panels command in the Robot Viewer top right corner to add or remove panels.
5. Use the Robot command in the Robot Viewer top left corner to select a different robot.
References
For additional information on the features described in this procedure, refer to the following topics in the RobotExpert Reference Manual:
• View Menu→Viewers→Collision Viewer
• Continuous Menu→Viewers→Torch Alignment
• Kinematics Menu→Viewers→Set External Axes Values
• Robotics Menu→Robot Configuration
• View Menu→Viewers→Path Editor→Auto Teach
• Robotics Menu→TCP Tracker
• Robotics Menu→Robot Viewer
Designing and Managing Processes Arc Torch Alignment