Posts by TylerRobertson

Has your robot been master calibrated? Also, what model

* just updating this thread for anyone trying to this. You need to restart the controller after

it's not code, it's a compensation tuning built into the controller that you have to set up in the kuka interface. Actually in that case there's probably a .dat file somewhere in the system that has the code at least for the parameters.

kuka CNC does allow the robot to run g-code, although like every controller that takes G-code, it isn't always exactly like your standard FANUC-cnc code, so you will need to post-processes the code in a particular way.

I have done test cuts with it and the results are impressive if not just from a usability (memory limitation is not an issue).
The new Kuka controller is a great platform

that is actually pretty impressive then - as this is not all that easy to manage, especially for multiple brands of robots - but nice to hear!

Quote from happytriger2000

Hello Tyler,
Wow metal!!, then you can build a house with kuka adding metal as reinforced bar in concrete/cement.
Since you are a RM user, do you know how to read SRC in Robotmaster?, I'm trying to figure out how...

reinforced bar is too easy to extrude - I don't think you'll see it printed anytime soon. Also, I'm no longer working for a Robotmaster distributor, I'm working with another software company..

does SprutCAM manage joint limits, configurations, singularities, workspace and collisions? if not you are severely limiting your options with programming. That is the drawback of just using a simple post-processor for a CAM system.

I've done it with metal and it was a lot fun - we had the laser set to Kw instead of W and vaporized some aluminum plate

Definitely sounds like a mastering issue.

that said, no robot is excellent at cutting circles like Skyefire said, but 12" circles you should be able to do quite well. I have mastered Kuka robots quite well using standard dial gauges using the 'feel' method. It IS possible but you may have to refine it and do it multiple times, where an EMT is much, much easier.

There might be a shop near you with an EMT maybe put the feelers out

no problem - I have to ask ahead of time though, is the CAM software Robotmaster?

You're on the right track - don't modify tool0. What you want to do is create a new tooldata entry. You said you were using a " dedicated cam software that references the machine calibration"
Can this use anything other than tool0? If it can't, that's a problem - You could open the Rapid files that it generates and change the tool0 values to say, tool1 and edit that data.

When you say the CAM software references machine calibration, what does this mean specifically? At this point I'm unaware of any cam software that actually takes into acount the calibrated encoder values of the robot so this is really interesting to me. Other than some 'filters' that you can apply.

The frustrating part about ABB robots though is they use quaternions for rotations, instead of 'normal' "Euler" angles. That makes you'll have to do a quaternion to euler calculation (there are some okay calculators online, but some follow different conventions)

or I can just calculate it for you, here we go:

q1. 0.99999
q2. 0
q3. 0
q4. 0.00524

put those in the q values of a new tool and you should be good to go.

put a LIN move before the CIRC

!! that's most likely it - I've had that same thing happen on another robot and forgot that's what I did. Thank you so much! trying this now

glad to hear you got it sorted out. I have to check this forum more often.

another couple things you can do is change the approximation value.

The Vel.CP maxes out at 3 and usually is the result of entering in in/min into Mastercam when the Kuka is in m/s (but then there's the config switch to convert the values)

I've actually been able to get some pretty amazing finishes in aluminum with robots! The 'high speed' toolpaths in mastercam are incredible for this because they drastically reduce the spindle-load. they make very fast low-load 'peel' cuts. The downside is they produce tons of code but its worth it

where are you located Pete?

you want to watch what you're deleting out of there! some of those settings control corning rounding and joint motion speed. So if you changed it in robotmaster they won't affect the program if you delete the lines.

you shouldn't have to delete anything from the robotmsater SRC programs, but glad to see you got it working. what you want to do is take your home position from the Mode6 program (that's the PTP values)

and put them in the Approach / Retract values in Robotmaster.

Just seeing this now - I work as an AE for Robotmaster, and the original skull file came from me. It was originally a point cloud with a surface wrapped on it - not sure which scanning software did it, most likely polyworks or geomagic, I just got the file as an IGES with mesh surface.

robotmaster doesn't optimize the running speed - but what it does do is optimizes the robot orientation, changes in orientation - and changes the robot posture/orientation to avoid collisions, joint limits, etc. it does this while correctly maintaining configurations (wrist/elbow/base).
going straight from a point cloud to code might work if you keep the robot posture the same (3-axis router style) and stay in the middle of the work envelope.

the speed of the robot, then depends on how you make the program. I guess where robotmaster comes in is I wouldn't just use the point cloud as my program points.. I used the surface generated to create a cutting path. Then I have control over the space between points, the tolerance to the shape, the zone/approximation settings etc.. and THAT does have an effect on the speed.
the difference is it uses cutting paths generated in Mastercam.

if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

That's a very good suggestion thank you. This machine shouldn't have a second group, but that doesn't mean no-one set one up... usually with a group it would say MISMATCH though. Also, on the Offset/Frames menu there should be a group option no?

Morning everyone,

Strange deal - I'm trying to change active UTOOL just for a couple lines and then change back, because I'm calling a program that was made with one tool (I can't add the lines to that program, it is proprietary)

my code is:

40: UTOOL_NUM=5 ;
41: UFRAME_NUM=1 ;
42: CALL _________ ;
43: ;
44: ;
45: UTOOL_NUM=1 ;
46: UFRAME_NUM=7 ;

When I run this in Roboguide, it works fine - however on the robot, I'm getting error:

MOTN-087 STOP Utool change not allowed(G:%d"2)
Cause: $utool is changed before move
Remedy: Do not change $utool for this move

But I've done this before, just not on this robot. Is there maybe a system variable I need to enable for tool change in program?

This should be a lobber,

So I have a robot that at one point could jog its external axis quite normally. It was disconnected, moved locations .. everything was reconnected. All of the data for the external axis is still in the controller (I checked axisconfigurator) and E1 shows up under Axis Specific in Monitor > Rob. Position...

... however, when I switch jogging mode from spacemouse to robot+axis, I can't change from just jogging the robot. IE: I have no external axis jog options under any user group??

did you use a CNT option at the end of any point? It's probably because of the distances between the points and the speed you programmed - for some points the robot has time to accelerate up to full speed. you can try changing the ACC to %125 (just to test) or changing the CNT

ohhhh god really? I don't like the sound of this, its going to make my job awful