New Member - Best Practices

    Hello All.....I am new to the forum and relatively new to the robotics field.


    Current project : I have Rj3ib Controller, M16iB Robot.......Keeping this short....Took over on a project that was basically "sabotaged" ....I have corrected many issues (with the help of reading this forum), Mastered, Tooling point, Mapped I/O, Controller is talking to the PLC etc. I have made programs, tested and ran the programs etc. Being new I am sure I am missing a great many things I should be adding in to the programming for "Robot" safety...... All e-stops work, all the UI function correctly.


    I would like to hear from some of you on what are your "Best Practices" in Programming, Robot Safety (Protecting the Robot from damage), Using Style and Other etc., Really anything that a newer programmer/Integrator should be aware of and looking for.


    The cell is very small and I still need to make a Maintenance program and a Purge Glue program ( Cell has Plasma and Gluing ) I will need to take Robot close to cages to do this as the customer wants the glue tip to be able to be cleaned or replaced without having to go into the cell and the design of the cell has a very small working envelope. Advice on setting the safety envelope ?


    I have many questions but, for now......Hello to all, Thanks to any who reply and thanks to all who have shared their knowledge.


    i_Robot. :thinking_face:

    For safety, what do you have in place to prevent it from hitting the fence?


    For best practices, I like to keep programs easy to read and understand. Jump labels are usually the biggest cause of headaches, overusing them makes it difficult to follow what a program is doing.

    Thank you for your Reply,


    As of right now I don't have anything set up to keep it from contacting the fence which is why I will not create any programs for Maint. or Purge yet. as I think it is unsafe. I have every intention of setting it up quickly and was looking for advice as to how to do this properly.


    Thanks !

    There are several different methods.


    1. DCS zone - not sure if this option is available on your robot. It creates a safety rated software limit as a zone the robot must stay inside.

    2. External safety device to limit robot reach

    3. Move fence beyond max robot reach

    4. Engineer a barrier to be able to withstand robot collision at max speed and payload without causing harm to a person on the outside of the barrier.


    I highly recommend DCS.

    DCS is really what I was looking for.....it is not an option on my controller. not on the TP.


    I was afraid of this....In the fully forward position the Robot would break the operator Light screen.


    Since this Robot cell does all of it's work in the forward area with some side to side.... it is the farther side to side I am concerned with as the robot could only really go 60 degrees right or left before smashing into something, I increased the collision detection but, it caused many unnecessary faults, so I lowered it back to around 110%


    I will have to come up with something to make this safe !

    Pdl is correct. DCS wasn't availble until about v7.5. It sounds like the OP is running V6.4.


    As Hawkme states, you will have to rely on hardstops, fences that are strong enough to take a robot hit (6x6 box tube filled with concrete) or zones defined by an external system that monitors the robot axes. Balluff makes one, and this pdf goes into pretty good detail on how they work, along with some alternative safety setups. I've used them in the past, and they are pretty good. They are not cheap however.

    Check out the Fanuc position converter I wrote here! Now open source!

    Check out my example Fanuc Ethernet/IP Explicit Messaging program here!

    The operator should NEVER be able to reach or touch the robot while it is operating, even at a standstill. I am referring to your customer's request that they can clean the tip without entering. Should they be grabbing, touching or in the way when someone hits a button to go, then they can and probably will be severely injured. Maybe if you can ensure that they are standing on a safety mat which is wired to the robot's safety circuit.

    Quote from Lemster68

    The operator should NEVER be able to reach or touch the robot while it is operating, even at a standstill. I am referring to your customer's request that they can clean the tip without entering. Should they be grabbing, touching or in the way when someone hits a button to go, then they can and probably will be severely injured. Maybe if you can ensure that they are standing on a safety mat which is wired to the robot's safety circuit.

    Correct. I have seen this done safely with a light curtain, safety mat, or gate switch.

    Thank you Nation I will read up on what you provided.


    Agree with what Lemster68 and Hawkme stated........I am incorporating a safety mat where the operator stands plus, I have the Light curtain there also, Plus.... I have through the PLC, that when the robot reaches the tip cleaning position all uop signals drop.... IMSTP etc. after cleaning the tip or replacing, the operator will have to re-engage those signals through a button on the HMI and hit the start button to allow the robot to move back home......I have already created this within the PLC program....This was needed due to the fact there is a Platen that comes down after Plasma and Glueing are done to install a cover on the part......There was worry that the robot would start and crash the Platen/Press assy....so after the robot runs it's cycle and returns home all UOP signals that allow the Robot to run are dropped Until the next cycle after a cycle complete and the Platen is up and returned.

    One thing I noticed on my own robot controller (R30iA) is that it won't read anything greater than 2 GB flash drive, I can only use 2 GBs or less on all my robots. I think it's supposed to be like this, but someone else can confirm. And Welcome to the forum

    Quote from alive15

    One thing I noticed on my own robot controller (R30iA) is that it won't read anything greater than 2 GB flash drive, I can only use 2 GBs or less on all my robots. I think it's supposed to be like this, but someone else can confirm. And Welcome to the forum

    Yes, a lot of people have reported issues with trying to use anything larger than a 2-4gb flash drive.


    We have sealant dispensing robots as well that require tip cleaning as well and use the light curtains to drop the safety circuit as mentioned above.

    As for adjusting the collision detect you can actually do this within the job itself. So if you're reaching an area that gets close to an operator or fence you can turn it up to say 170 or whatever using a slower move and then on its retreat you can turn it back to 110 where you have it now.

    "I could tell that my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio."

    Thanks everyone.... I am incorporating the suggestions into my program...... Alive 15 ..... My controller nor teach pendant have any usb slots, I have a adapter on order that will connect from the way old style to usb so I can do exactly as you said.......Thanks for your help and tips !

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