Dear Death Adder
Is it possible to get a copy of the G code converter? We have a Fanuc S420iF with RJ-2 controller and would like to try it out.
Dear Death Adder
Is it possible to get a copy of the G code converter? We have a Fanuc S420iF with RJ-2 controller and would like to try it out.
I got it with the exe files and all the source code. Thanks alot. I guess we won't be able to try it until we get some CNC programming software. Any suggestions? We are looking for something that is capable of creating the tool paths automatically from a CAD file or Solidworks model. The project objective is to create usable robot positional data from a CAD file with no operator intervention. We are dealing with sheat metal products that need to be MIG welded and ground smooth. Thanks again.
Well... I use SurfCAM. That might just be a tad pricey though for sheetmetal cutting. BobCAD is cheap as dirt and it shows. But you can probably talk their bloodsucking leech sales people into practically giving you the software.
Still... Both SurfCAM and BobCAD are going to require someone to load up the CAD data and specify cutter dimension (everything that cuts with a beam has some width after all)
If you know how to program it should be somewhat possible to load up the CAD data and just use a predefined beam width for your machine and have it automatically generate paths for the robot. Since you have the source code for my program you should (if you can program) be able to figure out how to generate LS files for a FANUC robot. A really large gotcha though is that programatically assuring you are cutting the outside properly could be difficult. Especially since there will probably be times where you'd like to cut the outside profile of a shape plus cut inside the profile of cutouts. This could be hard to assure within an automatic program. You really would probably be best to get a program which generates GCODE but requires some user interaction. There's just nothing like being able to see the path before you tell 10's of thousands of dollars worth of equipment to cut into hundreds of dollars worth of steel.
Keep in mind (and everyone must keep this in mind): MY PROGRAM GENERATES LS FILES NOT TP FILES. This means, you still must use the fanuc compiler (maketp) to compile the LS file to TP for upload to the robot. I have not reverse engineered maketp so you still have to have it to do offline programming of a fanuc robot.
Thanks for the info on the CAM packages. I would like to elaborate a little further on our project. We are a manufacturer of electrical enclosures. The enclosures are fabricated from sheet metal. They are punched on a CNC turret press, folded on a CNC press brake, stud welded, MIG welded and ground smooth, plus spot welded. Our intention is to automate all these processes with robotics. There would be a robot that would remove the parts from the punch press and deburr them. Another robot would operate the press brake. There would also be robots that would stud weld and spot weld plus a robot that would MIG weld and grind those welds smooth. In addition to the processing robots mentioned above, other robots would be used to handle the parts for the processing robots. The long term objective of this system is to use it to produce any custom precision sheet metal part within the limits of the system's capability. To program the robots we are thinking of using a CAM type software package that will automatically produce tool paths that would represent MIG welds, grinds, spot welds, and stud welds. Is there a CAM package out there that has good tool path automation capabilities? For example, is it possible to write scripts in SurfCam that will recognize a feature (like a MIG weld on the surface of a part) and create a tool path for that feature automatically? We have been talking to a salesman at DelCam. What do you think of it?
Aah... I see... I was thinking that you were trying to do 2d cutting of shapes but I understand what you want to do now.
I've used DelCam Powermill and it's a fairly decent package. Of course, I used a version from something like 2000 so I don't know what they've done since then. If I remember correctly it does work better with scripting and custom work than SurfCAM.
What you want to do is no easy task by any means. The software I wrote so far only works in 2D whereas your project would require full 6 axis support. Granted, writing to the file is already done by my project but the hard part (and it is hard) is to get good paths for a robot that position it's 6 axes correctly. I'm not sure how well anything from Delcam will be able to do that.
I suppose you could use the robot mode where you move the end effector in 3D plus have a 3d orientation of that effector. At that point you'd need to be sure of two things: (On fanuc robots this is called Tool positioning)
1. You aren't hitting anything with the robot arm. This isn't that easy to figure out. However, you can mostly get away from this so long as your robot never reaches over the part. If it's always just pointing at a part in front of it then it shouldn't be able to hit anything.
2. What orientation the end effector should be in. This is easier. For welding and grinding and such the end orientation is just an offset from the surface normal of the part at the point you are working at. For instance, for welding you might hold the gun at a bit of an angle from being perpendicular to the surface.
Good software for doing what you want is about 15,000. There is an addon to Solid Works that allows one to program robots off of SolidWorks models. Creatively enough, it's called RobotWorks. It seems pretty nice if you've got the money to drop on it.
Thanks for the feedback on DelCam. I am going to take a closer look at it. I looked into Robotworks and its requires a CAD operator to manually select the surfaces that are related to the robot paths. As I mentioned before we are looking for software that can automate these tasks. My search continues but you have given some things to check out. Thanks again.
hi
i have the fanuc wintpe this software allows insert positions from cnc software using formats .apt,cl. o .txt using format x,y,z,w,p,r sample 100.02, 50.01, 34.45, 34.45,34.25,45.67 and no arcs. just point to point.
does your program help me to converts gcode to any this formats.
thanks
no one attention in this topic .
I just received a Fanuc Robot S-5 with the Controller Big Box and the hand held Pendent.
and some other stuff... What is the "MakeTP" I might have that? But I need instructions on what it is. If you have already described it I havent gotten that far in the post. I would be very much interested in being able to use my Bot for CNC stuff. I was making a CNC MIll and was going to take apart my S-5 and use the parts to make a 5 axis cnc but if this works My CNC mill/Router/ Killer Robot is already done!
Is the MakeTP software or is it something else? VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN THIS!
Dude you ROCK!
Hey,
Interesting post...very cool. I am about to start a 5axis(I currently have a three axis using NSK spindle controllers) build and wanted to use it as a robot....can I use standard hardware(mechanical....ball screws steppes/servos and encoders) as if I was making a normal CNC?
Or what should I look out for versus making a CNC and hooking it up to a board?
Thanks
Roger
maketp is software. It's a console mode windows program (I'm pretty sure i've tried to run it in just dos and it will not.) that compiles .LS files into the binary .TP format for FANUC robots.
I'm not sure where you might get it other than from Fanuc. However, they are near the lowest form of scum as far as I'm concerned. They are not going to be willing to give you the time of day or urinate on you to put you out if you were on fire. Unless, of course, you give them an exorbitant amount of money for software that the robot undoubtedly needs and originally had. I hate unscrupulous companies that do that. They are a hardware company but they try to dry up sales of used machinery by bullying people that buy used. It's not right.
So... umm... beats me how you'd get maketp...
Robots tend to have servos which drive gear reducers and such. There really aren't ballscrews. Things are hooked up through driveshafts and gearboxes then directly to the joint. You essentially could just hook motors right up to joints. But, they are pretty much just normal servos and servo amps and all that good stuff. The real problem comes when you need to calculate inverse kinematics to figure out how to move the joints in such a way as to get the kind of movement you would like.
One word for CAM programming robots....Robotmaster
http://www.robotmaster.com
Hi Newbie here.
What are the best options to take,
Robot cutter or cnc table cutter.
I am keen to get a machine together.
Death Adder, you kinda rock!
Exactly what I needed!
old but very good thread!
any chance to have you for Kuka files - KRL?
keep it going man, the cnc robots are popular today - and they need software like that