Basic Robotics Lab 1

Robot Operation

Lab Objective: Practice robot operation

skills on ABB robots

Prerequisite: Introduction to Robotics ITL

 Lab Activities

• Discuss safety principles

• Discuss robot coordinate systems
• Discuss robot controller and teach pendant
features
• Discuss robot operation using teach pendant
• Exercise
 Safety Principles for Robot
Operation
• A few simple principles should be followed in order to operate the robot
system safely:
– Always operate the robot system in manual mode if personnel are inside
safeguarded space.
– Always bring the FlexPendant along when you enter safeguarded space so
that robot control is in your hands.
– Watch out for rotating or moving tools such as milling cutters and saws.
Make sure those are stopped before you approach the robot.
– Watch out for hot surfaces both on work pieces as well as on the robot
system. The robot's motors can become fairly hot if run for a long time.
– Watch out for grippers and objects gripped. If the gripper is opened the work
piece could fall and cause injuries or damage equipment. The gripper can be
very powerful and can also cause injuries if not operated in a safe manner.
– Watch out for hydraulic and pneumatic systems and live electric parts. Even
with power off residual energy in such circuits can be very dangerous.
 Lab Activities

• Discuss safety principles

• Discuss robot coordinate systems
• Discuss robot controller and teach pendant
features
• Discuss robot operation using teach pendant
• Exercise
 Robot Coordinate Systems
• The base coordinate system is located at the
base of the robot.
• The tool coordinate system defines the tool
center point and the tool orientation. When
no tool is attached to the robot, the end of
the robot arm is considered to be the default
tool.
• The user coordinate system defines the
position of a fixture or work-piece
manipulator.
Robot Coordinate Systems

Reference: ABB Robotstudio Manual

 Lab Activities

• Discuss safety principles

• Discuss robot coordinate systems
• Discuss robot controller and teach pendant
features
• Discuss robot operation using teach pendant
• Exercise
Robot Controller
A Main power switch
B Emergency stop button
C Motors on button (used for energizing
motors)
D Auto/Teach mode switch
E Safety chain LEDs (option)
F USB port
G Service port for PC (option)
H Duty time counter (option)
J Service outlet 115/230 V, 200 W
(option)
K Hot plug button (option)
L FlexPendant connector
Teach Pendant - ABB FlexPendant

A Connector
B Touch screen
C Emergency stop button
D Joystick
E USB port
F Enabling device (Enabling switch)
G Stylus pen
H Reset button
Teach Pendant - ABB FlexPendant
A-D Programmable keys, 1 - 4. How to define their
respective function is detailed in section
Programmable keys,.
E Select mechanical unit.
F Toggle motion mode, reorient or linear.
G Toggle motion mode, axis 1-3 or axis 4-6.
H Toggle increments.
J Step BACKWARD button. Executes one instruction
backward as button is pressed.
K START button. Starts program execution.
L Step FORWARD button. Executes one instruction
forward as button is pressed.
M STOP button. Stops program execution
Teach Pendant – ABB FlexPendant

A ABB menu
B Operator window
C Status bar
D Close button
E Task bar
F Quickset menu
Teach Pendant – Quick Set Menu

A Mechanical unit
B Increment
C Run Mode
D Step Mode
E Speed
F Tasks
Teach Pendant – Quick Set Menu
A Mechanical unit menu button
B Mechanical unit, a selected
unit is highlighted.
C Motion mode settings (axes 1-
3 motion mode currently
selected)
D Tool settings (tool 0 currently
selected)
E Work object settings (work
object 0 currently selected)

F Coordinate system settings

(world coordinate currently
selected
G Turn coordination off
H Show details
Teach Pendant – Quick Set Menu

Single Cycle Runs one cycle then stops execution.

Continuous Runs continuously
 Lab Activities

• Discuss safety principles

• Discuss robot coordinate systems
• Discuss robot controller and teach pendant
features
• Discuss robot operation using teach pendant
• Exercise
 What is Jogging?

• Jogging is to manually position or move robots or

external axes using the teach pendant
• Enabling switch (“Dead man” switch) on the
teach pendant must be pressed to jog the robot
• Jogging is allowed in the teach/manual mode
only. Jogging is possible regardless of what view
is displayed on the pendant
• However, you cannot jog during program
execution
How To Hold FlexPendant
 Motion Modes
• The selected motion mode and/or coordinate
system determines the way the robot moves
– Axis-by-axis mode (joint / axes jog mode) moves one
robot axis (joint) at a time. It is then hard to predict
how the tool center point moves. This mode is used
for achieving a desired joint configuration
– In linear jog mode the tool center point moves along
or around the XYZ axes in space. The tool center point
moves in the direction of the selected coordinate
system’s axes. This mode is used for teaching process
target points.
– Tool jog mode – See next slide…
 Motion Modes - Tool Jog Mode
• Tool Jog Mode
– Positioning a pin in a hole with a gripper tool can be
performed very easily in the tool jog mode, if one of
the coordinates in that system is parallel to the hole.
Performing the same task in the base coordinate
system may require jogging in both x, y, and z
coordinates, making precision much more difficult.
– Use the tool coordinate system when you need to
program or adjust operations for threading, drilling,
milling or sawing.
– Used for verifying the validity of a new tool frame.
 Robot Jogging - Joystick Directions

Motion mode Illustration joystick

Linear

Axis 1, 2, and 3
(default for robots)

Axis 4, 5, and 6

Reorient Rotation around the tool axes - Tool X, Tool Y

and Tool Z
Robot Jogging – Jogging Menu
 Lab Activities

• Discuss safety principles

• Discuss robot coordinate systems
• Discuss robot controller and teach pendant
features
• Discuss robot operation using teach pendant
• Exercise
 Exercise

• Turn on the robot power

• Activate the teach mode
• Jog the robot in the following motion modes
– Joint jog mode
– Linear jog mode
• After practicing, bring the robot to an
appropriate pose
• Turn off the robot power