SOFTWARE UPDATE NEWS ABOUT DIGITAL MANUFACTURING TOOLS AND SOFTWARE
Programming Robots Gets Faster, Easier Manufacturing Engineering: How diffi cult is it to pro-
s
gram robots for machining parts? Chahe Bakmazjian: Current technology typically re-
quires hours, or even several days of programming before a robot is ready to perform its task. The problem lies primarily in the ability to integrate the right technology into a robotic application. More specifi cally, the fl exibility of these robots remains a hurdle for companies that are looking to capital- ize on opportunities within the robotics industry. Since 2001, Robotmaster has taken a special interest in the challenge of using CAD/CAM software for programming industrial robots. Having identifi ed that robots are going to play a large part in manufacturing, a new breed of software, such as Robot-
master, will enable manufacturing shops to remove several hurdles—the implementation cost and knowledge required for interactive simulation and error-free robot programming. With the continued move towards high-mix, low-batch type manufacturing, where the emphasis is more towards mass customization than mass automation, industries are expect- ed to support and enhance the use of robots in their opera- tions. Towards this, Robotmaster continues to build intuitive and easy-to-use robot programming software that is suitable for customers who have little or no expertise in robotics. ME: Describe how a manufacturer can program robots for machining purposes. Bakmazjian: While robot manufacturers have developed
stiffer and more precise robots optimized for machine tooling applications, industry adoption is still slowed down due to the lack of adequate programming tools. Many of the current
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AdvancedManufacturing.org | November 2015
solutions use CAD/CAM software to convert paths to robot programs, which is a multisoftware approach and ensuring error-free programming becomes a challenge. In most cases, manufacturers end up using only a very small portion of the available workspace of the robot as without adequate error- free programming tools that is the only method to ensure limited success. Existing methods are too complex, time consuming and labor intensive to be practical in today’s high- mix, low-volume production environment. By using Robotmaster, manufacturers can better program
robots more quickly and effi ciently, using industry-proven CAD/CAM software technology. Robotmaster integrates into the CAD/CAM-based CNC programming environment,
“Robotmaster integrates into the CAD/CAM-based CNC programming environment, and programming the robot trajectory is done graphically to produce error-free, six-plus-axis robot toolpaths.”
and programming the robot trajectory is done graphically to produce error-free, six-plus-axis robot toolpaths. As a result, Robotmaster eliminates this barrier by delivering cost effi ciency and fl exibility of robots coupled with the ease of programming. Furthermore, users can effortlessly address and overcome programming challenges such as singularities, joint limits, collisions, and reach limits, thus helping clients save time and money. ME: What new capabilities were added with the latest Robotmaster version? Bakmazjian: Recently, Robotmaster released Version 6.2 of its off-line programming software, offering enhanced design and usability along with several new feature sets. The work fl ow has been redesigned and will be at a minimum three times and up to 10 times faster than previous versions. In addition to core technology enhancement, V6.2 has been
Chahe Bakmazjian
Business Team Leader Hypertherm Robotic Software Laurent, Quebec, Canada
www.robotmaster.com
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