Programming Epson Robots - Part1
Programming Epson Robots - Part1
Overview
For Robots to be operated safely the operator must clear the workspace Each defined location must be moved to at slow speeds before inserting into programs Programs must be proofed step by step at reduced speed
Motion is Either:
Point to Point where the robot travels from a pose to a pose and then stops before executing its next move CP (continuous path) where the robot travels thru an intermediate as it doesnt execute a complete deceleration to a stop before heading to a new point
Operator sets both Speed and Acceleration levels In interpolated movements they follow SPEEDS and ACCELS rates
PTP:
CP:
Motion along a Spline Path (previously defined in a CURVE statement) can be executed using the CVMove motion command
It is always best to approach objects without slewing and at controlled rates To accomplish this, Epson has included Jump (SCARA)
Jump3 (6 Axis Art Arm)
These commands are combinational motions that can be executed either PTP or CP They use ARCH table from how high to Jump during the motion
Using A connection, and the Robot Manager tools we can access and set the values of the ARCH setting for use with the Jump and Jump3 Jump3CD commands
movement away from the current position to a clear plane depart is set in ARCH table movement toward the target position drop to the target position from the clear plane approach motion also in ARCH table
ARC and ARC3 are circular interpolated motion from the current position They require a midpoint and end point to be specified They can operate PTP or CP
Motion Commonalities
All require some form of geometry as a target In common use, these are defined as stored point targets either as P#s or point labels.
Defining Points:
If known apriori (though IKSing Robot Maps) They can be directly entered into the robot point tables
Defining Points
Points can also be defined using the Teach and Jog Mode in the Teach Pendent
As seen earlier when connected we can use the Robot Manager tool to jog the robot about and define point geometry as well. If points are already defined, the jog & teach tab of manager also allow the user to drive the robot among and around points using the various motion types
Epson RC 5.0+ uses projects to bundle the various parts of a robot executable program together. It couples Points with Programs and simulations or Vision Tools It includes all of the various main and sub-routines needed to complete tasks
Simply click Project Tab select new and then give project a name and file location. After saving the project a build window (as seen here) is generated
Once it is initialized it contains all of the standard files and a main function for our use
From here it is mandatory that we do some planning (flow charting) of the desired activity; develop a map of the expected solution identifying relevant points; and finally an I/O map for use with the solution. And only then do we start to build the program and sub-routines, tills and traps