Introduction to RobotStudio

An Offline Robot Programming Tool

Dr. Richard A. Wysk
rwysk@psu.edu
http://www.engr.psu.edu/cim
October 15, 2005

Outline of Activities
Sequence of activities required to create
an offline program
Designing robot worlds in RobotStudio
Defining robot motions
RobotStudio features
Advantages of offline robot programming

References
RobotStudio tutorial >>
http://130.203.243.91/Lab%20Manuals%20Test%20Site/
Frameset.htm

www.robotstudio.com
> Product
> Downloads > Movies >
- Station layout demo
- Path definition demo
- Program Generation demo

RobotStudio documentation files

Objectives
Become familiar with RobotStudio
Learn the sequence of Operations in the
use of RobotStudio
Understand the design methodology used
in designing robot worlds in RobotStudio
Understand how robot actions are
described in RobotStudio
Appreciate advantages of offline robot
programming

RobotStudio
What is RobotStudio ?
An offline robot programming software
package by ABB for programming all robots
that run on S4 and S4C controllers.
Where is it loaded at?
Computer Integrated Manufacturing and
Robotic Lab
Room 244 Leonhard Building

RobotStudio
Write lengthy robot programs without using
the teach pendant
In robot studio we define a Robot World
and the paths the robot takes in these
worlds to complete its tasks. This is done
though a graphical interface. The software
then generate the RAPID code in a file

Steps in using Robot Studio

Design
Define Path
Generate Program
Simulate Graphically & Verify
Optimize

What do we Design?
The model may have any or all of the following entities:

Robot
Robot Workspace Envelope & Table
Fixtures
Robot Tools
Parts
Other Interacting Entities

Design all of those?

No, Fortunately we dont have to design all

of those.
There are libraries of each of these objects
and most times we just go to the
appropriate library and select the robot,
workspace, tools etc that we might need.

Design Libraries
Some of the objects that are available are
complete assemblies of smaller links,
joints and end effectors
An obvious example is the robot
For the program to be practical a robot has
be modeled as an assembly and not as a
rigid body
.illustration>>

All 3 pictures are the same robot in different

stages of a pick operation

Design Libraries
Similarly we have to assemble the tool onto the
robot during the design phase

Tool

Robot with
Tool

Robot

Design (contd..)
For the objects that are not in the library we
have the following options:
Design them using a standard CAD
application and import the drawing in
RobotStudio.
RobotStudio has a built in CAD utility which
can be used to design different things.
Tip: Before going in to design standard parts check
with www.robotstudio.com & goto 3D-models link

Menus
Toolbars

Browser

Property Browser

Status bar

Output window

Graphics window

How do I create designs in

RobotStudio?
Designs in RobotStudio are created by:
1. Drawing simple shapes (select from toolbar)
2. Possibly applying simple edit operations like
rotate, translate etc.
3. Assembling together these simple shapes.

What Next?
Make sure you have all the designs of all
the items needed to describe the robot
world that you want to program.
Assemble all components together exactly
the way they are in the real world (to exact
dimensions and orientation).
RobotStudio lets you translate and rotate
objects easily using a mouse as well as by
specifying the absolute or the incremental
coordinates of the new position or orientation.

Gosh that might be a

lot of Work!
Yes it might be, but once it is ready then you
can use and reuse it again and again with
or without minor changes.
Eventually it save a lot of work and
increases productivity!

Path Definition
Ok, so weve designed and
assembled everything, now what?
We define the actions of the robot. The
movements that are required of it along
with all the spatial constraints
This is called Path Definition

How?
To define paths we specify the points in the
robot world and define them as targets
The flexibility of the program will depend on its
modularity.
E.g., - Pick action can be broken down into
move-to, grab and an other move-to
actions
Verify that the targets are defined in the correct
sequence (check in Object Browser)

So our program is ready!

Not just yet, we need generate the
program based on our robot world
definition and path definitions
We need to switch the power on!

Hold it!
Switch on the power?
Werent we in the programming phase.
Yes we still are, but RobotStudio is an offline
programming tool and it is designed to
look and feel as similar to online robot
programming

So what?
So, we need to switch on the robot controller
before we can proceed.
This is the VIRTUAL Robot Controller
One of the things that this affords is that it
allows the user to Verify the robot
program quite a lot like MasterCam
displays an animation of the NC program
that it generates

Voila!
We are now ready to go. The
program is saved onto a floppy
and is transferred from the PC to
the physical robot controller,
ready to run!
Note: Keep saving your work, along the way, as you create or make changes to
the program

Still More
RobotStudio has a host of features
which can be applied to program
special situations and also to
enhance the existing program.

RobotStudio
Do collision detection by checking spatial
interference
Add conditional checks and other code to
expand RobotStudio functionality using Visual
Basic Scripting
Use a virtual teach pendant to add to the
program
Optimize locations of various objects and thus
reduce cycle times
.more >>

RobotStudio
Visualize and Simulate movements and
actions of objects other than the robot
itself
Collect simulation data in an Excel
Spreadsheet

Advantages of Offline Programming

Reduces risk by visualization and confirming
solutions
Introduce new parts and methods without
interrupting production
Optimize robot programs to increase productivity
Generate higher part quality through creation of
more accurate paths
Check for and avoid singularities