1 Adept Cobra PLC Robots – Application Tips November 10, 2003

2 Optimization Techniques Things to consider that impact performance Mounting Cell Layout Part Handling Programming Considerations

3 Mounting Mounting Surface Mount on smooth, flat surface Mounting structure must be rigid Vibration and Flexing will affect performance Recommend minimum 25mm (1 inch) steel plate with rigid tube frame

4 When positioning a robot in the workcell, take advantage of moving multiple joints for faster motions The “Z” and “theta” axes are the slowest, so set up conveyor heights and pick/place positions to minimize Z axis motion Cell Layout

5 Moving multiple joints combines the joint speeds for faster motions Cell Layout In this example, same point-to- point distance will result in different cycle time Single joint motion limits robot speed to individual joint speed Note: animations above illustrate robot motions, but do not demonstrate robot speed.

6 oThe “Z” and “theta” axes are the slowest, so set up conveyor heights and pick/place positions to minimize Z axis motion. oIn general, the shorter the move, the faster the cycle. Cell Layout Minimizing Z height changes in a cycle will minimize cycle time

7 Part Handling In order to minimize settling delays, try to center the payload mass on Z-axis center line. Minimize mass of gripper and gripper tooling as much as possible. Consider aluminum versus steel if appropriate Remove material that is not needed on tooling Minimize payload Stay within rated payload – the lighter the payload, the better the performance Robot will run with max payload, but not at peak performance

8 Programming Considerations Joint/Straight May have little effect on speed depending on motion Typically Joint motion is more efficient and therefore faster In tight spaces, Joint motion takes more work envelop to execute. Straight line motion may be required due to obstructions Example: moving from A to B in straight line versus joint mode

9 Programming Considerations Finish/No Finish Depending on the motion (and assuming no nulling tolerance required), “No Finish” will cause motion to one point to blend with motion to the following point Multiple/Single “Single” limits rotation of the robot wrist (Joint 4) to ±180° “Multiple” allows full rotations of the wrist Minimizing Joint 4 rotation will shorten motion time

10 Programming Considerations Coarse/Fine Defines how accurately robot achieves commanded position “Coarse” is a looser tolerance (less accuracy) and results in faster cycles “Fine” is a tighter tolerance (increased accuracy) and takes more time to achieve Commanded position Fine nulling tolerance Coarse nulling tolerance

11 Programming Considerations Lefty/Righty Change in arm configuration from Lefty to Righty or Righty to Lefty requires more time than maintaining the current configuration during a move.

12 Adept Cobra PLC Robots – Application Tips November 10, 2003