First of all, it's important to emphasise that I'm new to industrial robotics so excuse my ignorance on this topic. That's why I'm here to get some expert advice and guidance.
I'm working on a project that should deliver a robotic cell that dispenses a liquid material onto a flat surface. The information where the material should be is in the DXF file and selected by the operator. There will be numerous different files so the robot control software needs to be flexible. This DXF file needs to be converted to robot movement instructions. Also the dispensing pump controller needs to be implemented that will control how much of the material is dispensed based on the nozzle absolute speed.
So here is my first batch of questions:
1. To which file format should DXF file be converted? G-code? Note that this conversion will be done automatically on a PC. Any examples?
2. How would you send instructions to the robot? Profinet? Fill the cyclic buffer?
3. What would the software on the robot controller look like? KRL code?
4. Where would you place dispensing pump control - in the robot controller or PC? Why?
Thanks in advance for your advice.