MACROS AS A PROGRAMMING TOOL FOR SYNCHRONIZATION OF TWO NON‐SYNCHRONIZABLE INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS

Abstract

The main goal of this paper was to connect two controllers of the older generation into one robotic cell, then software implement their synchronized work on servicing and welding certain objects. For this purpose, two controllers manufactured by Yaskawa Motoman were used with the associated manipulators. The hardware solution involved connecting the controllers via General I/O circuit board, where the output of one controller is connected to the input of another and vice versa. The software solution involved parallel programming of two robots for synchronized operation on a common task. During programming, it was necessary to create macro jobs that implemented repetitive actions, such as calling and waiting for robots, grabbing and releasing objects, as well as the actions of starting and stopping the program. The conclusion of presented research is that the robotic cell, formed by two robots that are not intended for synchronization, meets the requirements that until now could only be solved with robots of the newer generation. Proposed solution was confirmed by experimental verification.

Keywords

• industrial robot
• welding robot
• handling robot
• macro jobs
• synchronization