Tutorial

ROBOTMASTER TUTORIAL SERIES

Version 3.0.1200.1, August 2008
 Tutorial

Title: Robotmaster Tutorial Series

Date: August 06, 2008

Copyright ©2004-2008 by Jabez Technologies Inc. - All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-894487-85-6

Notice
Jabez Technologies Inc. reserves the right to make improvements or change
specifications to this manual at any time and without notice.

Disclaimer of All Warranties and Liability

Jabez Technologies Inc. makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, with
respect to this manual or with respect to the software described in this manual,
its quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose.

Copyrights
The information contained within this document is the proprietary property of
Jabez Technologies, Inc. and is protected under the copyright laws of Canada
and the United Sates. This document, in whole or in part, may not be copied,
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form or transmitted to other parties without the expressed written authorization of
Jabez Technologies, Inc.

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Robotmaster is a registered trademark licensed exclusively to Jabez
Technologies Inc. MASTERCAM products and trademarks are property of CNC
Software Inc. MICROSOFT FRAMEWORK V2.0 products and trademarks are
property of Microsoft Corporation.
 Tutorial

TUTORIAL 1 ……………………………………………………. 1.1

INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTMASTER USING
2D CONTOUR TOOLPATHS

TUTORIAL 2 ……………………………………………………. 2.1

TOOL PLANE POSITIONNING

TUTORIAL 3 ……………………………………………………. 3.1

MULTI-AXIS TOOLPATHS

TUTORIAL 4 ……………………………………………………. 4.1

PROFILE TRACKING

TUTORIAL 5 …………………………………………………… 5.1

PROFILE TRACKING WITH ORIENTATION CHANGE

TUTORIAL 6 …………………………………………………… 6.1

REPOSE POINTS

TUTORIAL 7 …………………………………………………… 7.1

RAIL

TUTORIAL 8 …………………………………………………… 8.1

EXTERNAL ROTARY AXES

TUTORIAL 9 …………………………………………………… 9.1

PART TO TOOL
 Tutorial 1

TUTORIAL 1
INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTMASTER USING 2D
CONTOUR TOOLPATHS

1-1
 Tutorial 1

Objectives:

1. The student will properly configure robot specific settings for a 2-

dimensional toolpath already created for a CNC machine by:
a. Selecting the proper machine type through Mastercam;
b. Understanding and mastering the main features of Robotmaster;
c. Configuring Frame Data page;
d. Configuring Approach/data page;
e. Configuring Tool and configuration page;
f. Configuring Axis Configuration;
g. Configuring Robot page.

2. The student will simulate the process using the Robotmaster embedded
simulator module

This tutorial assumes that the student has the appropriate design and
toolpath skills using Mastercam X3

1-2
 Tutorial 1

CUSTOMIZING THE TOOLBAR

Before starting to work with Robotmaster, we should activate the toolbars
required to use the robot simulation. See Robotmaster Quick Start Guide,
pages 4 and 5.

STEP 1:
OPEN THE .MCX FILE

The file Plate.mcx can be found in the Robotmaster\Samples directory.

File
 Open
 Select the Plate.mcx file

The file Plate.mcx contains one toolpath operation created for a standard 3 axis CNC
machine as seen in the operation manager.

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 Tutorial 1
STEP 2:
CHANGING THE ACTIVE MACHINE DEFINITION

Before starting a new session with Robotmaster we should select the proper machine
definition in Mastercam. In this tutorial we will use a Fanuc Robot machine.

See Robotmaster Quick Start Guide, pages 7 and 8 to add a robot to the machine list.

Operation Manager
 Click on Properties - Generic Mill to expand the Machine Group settings
 Click on Files

 Click on Replace

1-4
 Tutorial 1

 Select robotmaster_fanuc.mmd
 Click on Open

Notice the machine definition change from Generic Mill to Fanuc Robot.

 Select the OK button to save and exit Machine Group Properties window.

1-5
 Tutorial 1

STEP 3:
STARTING ROBOTMASTER CONFIGURATION INTERFACE

The Robotmaster configuration interface allows you to enter robot specific settings.

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the operation.

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 Tutorial 1
In the toolpath parameters window, click on the Robot Config button

How do I know that Robotmaster is active and ready to use?

If the active machine definition is a Robotmaster_[Robot_Type] and the Robot

Config button is visible inside the Toolpath Parameters page, this confirms that
the proper Robot definition is active and the Robotmaster features are enabled.

When does Robotmaster load up with default parameters?

When the Robotmaster parameter window is used for the first time in a
Mastercam file, Robotmaster will load up with default values which are
predefined internally. Default values can be re-defined by setting the parameter
settings as desired and using the Save as Defaults option in the Main
Menu\Defaults.

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 Tutorial 1
STEP 4:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE ROBOT PAGE

In this page we are selecting the robot and the tool that is attached to the flange of the
robot.

1-8
 Tutorial 1

 Click on the Robot pull down arrow and select ROBOTMASTER2

 Click on the Tool selector button in order to select GS_SPINDLE60.

 Select OK button to exit End Effector Tooling Selector.

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 Tutorial 1
STEP 5:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE FRAME DATA PAGE

In this page we need to determine where the part is located with respect to the origin of
the robot.

Some robots have the origin at the intersection of the axis 1 and 2, and some robots
have the origin at the bottom of the base.

Fig. 1 – Robot having the origin at the intersection of the axis 1 Fig. 2 – Robot having the origin at the bottom
and 2 of the base

Note: The typical industrial robot has the coordinate axis in such a way that axis X is
pointing straight out the front of the robot, axis Y is pointing to the left of the robot and
axis Z is pointing to the top of the robot.

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 Tutorial 1
 Select Frame Data page

The Base Data section represents the position and orientation of the part origin with
respect to the robot.

 In the User Frame field, click the pull down arrow and select User defined

 Enter 1750 in the X value box

 Enter -250 in the Y value box
 Enter 250 in the Z value box
 Leave at 0 all other values

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 Tutorial 1

The Tool Data section represents the position and orientation of the tool with respect to
the flange of the robot.

 In the User Tool field click the pull down arrow and select From operation

The From operation option means that the tool number will be read from the
Mastercam tool definition parameters

 In the Method field click the pull down arrow and select Use spindle definition

Use spindle definition option allows you to automatically calculate the

coordinates X, Y, Z and the angles W, P, R of the tool pose, from the center of
the robot flange to a reference point on the spindle. Robotmaster will read the
holder and tool length from the Mastercam tool definition and add these values
for total tool center point and orientation.

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 Tutorial 1
STEP 6:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE APPROACH/RETRACT PAGE

The approach/retract points are the 6 joint values of the robot before the start and after
the end of the program respectively.

 Select Approach/Retract page

 Enter 90 in the joint J1 value box

 Enter -45 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter -45 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter -90 in the joint J5 value box
 Leave at 0 J4 and J6
 Then copy to the Retract section by clicking on the button.

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 Tutorial 1
STEP 7:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE

This page sets the orientation of the tool of the robot with respect of the part we are
cutting.

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Select Tool plane in the section Rotary Axis Calculation Method

 Adjust [Axis Layout] settings:

o Enter 0 in the Tool Rotation numerical up down field.
o Enter 45 in the Rotation Increment numerical up down field.

The axis configuration page selects the method of calculating 6axis robot poses
from 5-axis CAD/CAM toolpath data. In this first tutorial, the axis configuration is
not addressed. In the two following tutorials, axis configuration will be addressed
in detail.

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 Tutorial 1

STEP 8:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

STEP 9:
SET UP OF SIMULATION PARAMETERS

 Make sure the operation is selected.

 Select the Robot Simulation Settings button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

 In the Robot Simulation Settings window, set all parameters as shown below:

 Select the OK button to save and exit Robot Simulation Settings window.

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 Tutorial 1

Robot displays the active robot selected in the Robotmaster parameter window.
The robot cannot be changed through the Robot Simulation Settings window.
The Part option allows you to select the part geometries that will be displayed
during the robot simulation.
The Settings button allows you to set up two tolerance values:
o STL Tolerance which is used to display the part during simulation
 A good STL tolerance value for metric configuration is 0.1
 A good STL tolerance value for inch configuration is 0.01
o Tolerance for collision checking during simulation

When to use the Robot Simulation Settings button?

The Robot Simulation Settings is primarily used to set the part geometry that will
be displayed during simulation. Once the initial simulation settings are done,
unless the robot or part geometry is changed or that the part position or
orientation is changed inside Mastercam, there is no need to use this feature.

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 Tutorial 1
STEP 10:
STARTING SIMULATION PROCESS

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

The simulation will then start and the canvas will look like the screenshot below

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 Tutorial 1
OVERVIEW OF THE SIMULATION WINDOW
 Robot control tab

Progress bar: The progress bar can be used to quickly position the simulator
to a specific location. Each operation will be represented by a segment of a
different color on the progress bar.

Robot joints: The list of robot joint values that corresponds to the toolpath
trajectory that is being simulated. The active line is selected.

Simulation control bar: to start the simulation select an operation and click on
the Run button or step to the next move or operation by clicking the Next
Move or Next Operation button in the simulation control bar.

Axis control: Enables robot joint motion using the slider bars for each axis.

Simulation speed control: the simulation speed control allows the user to run
the simulation faster/slower or to change the simulation step value for display
on the screen.

View control bar: Fit to screen, Isometric, Top, Front, Right side, Bottom, Left
side, Back.

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 Tutorial 1

STEP 11:
POSTING ROBOT CODES

The Post button runs the Robotmaster post processor to generate a robot ready
program file. The output type depends on the type of robot selected.

 Select the OK button to save the post processing parameters and launch the

post processor.

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 Tutorial 1
NOTES

1 - 20
 Tutorial 2

TUTORIAL 2
TOOL PLANE POSITIONNING

2-1
 Tutorial 2

Objectives:

1. The student will properly configure robot specific settings, operation by

operation, in order to cut a part following some predefined features.
2. The student will simulate the process using the Robotmaster simulator
module.

This tutorial assumes that the student has appropriate design and toolpath skills
using Mastercam X3.

2-2
 Tutorial 2

STEP 1:
OPEN THE .MCX FILE

The file Housing.mcx can be found in the Robotmaster\Samples directory.

File
 Open
 Select the Housing.mcx file

The file Housing.mcx contains six toolpath operations created for a Fanuc Robot as
seen in the operation manager.

2-3
 Tutorial 2

STEP 2:
CHANGING THE ACTIVE MACHINE DEFINITION

The Machine definition for the file Housing.mcx is a Fanuc Robot machine. Please
see Tutorial 1 for details on how to change the active robot if you would like to do this
tutorial with another robot.

STEP 3:
STARTING THE ROBOTMASTER PARAMETER INTERFACE

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the first operation.

 In the toolpath parameters window, click on the Robot Config button.

2-4
 Tutorial 2
Note:
 The Robotmaster interface will load up the default values and in this tutorial we
will set appropriate values and concentrate primarily on the Axis Configuration
parameters.
 The Motion parameters page will not be set in this tutorial. Motion parameters
specify the robot parameters to be used to move the robot through the
programmed trajectories. Each robot brand has different parameters for
configuring robot motion. These motion parameters have no “correct” value, and
are set depending on the job being done and the specific robot that is used .
These values will have to be set by someone knowledgeable with the
application.

STEP 4:
CONFIGURING THE ROBOT PAGE

In this page we are selecting the robot and the tool that is attached to the flange of the
robot.

 Select Robot page

 Click on the Robot pull down arrow and select ROBOTMASTER2 generic robot.
This is a generic robot designed for use in this tutorial series.

What are the differences between Global Settings and Local Settings?
Global Settings contains data that is universal and applied to all toolpath.
Local Settings contains data that is specific to the present operation.

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 Tutorial 2

 Click on the Tool selector button in order to select GS_SPINDLE60.

 Select OK button to exit the End Effector Tooling Selector.

STEP 5:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE FRAME DATA PAGE

 Select Frame Data page

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 Tutorial 2

What are the Base Data?

The User Frame is where our part is situated with respect to the robot.
The User Tool is where the tool is situated with respect to the flange of the robot.

What is the correlation between the Mastercam WCS and the User Frame?
The World Coordinate System in Mastercam corresponds to the User Frame
that will be set in the robot. The axes on the figure below show the origin and
orientation of the World Coordinate System in relation to the part.

This part will be positioned somewhere in the work envelope of the robot. It is
the User Frame data that will determine the position and orientation of our part
with respect to the origin of the robot.

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 Tutorial 2

Some robots have the origin at the intersection of axis 1 and 2 (which is the case
here) and some robots have the origin at the bottom of the base.

5.1 Fill in the Base Data section

 In the User Frame field, click the pull down arrow and select User defined

 Enter 1250 in the X value box

 Enter -300 in the Y value box
 Enter 150 in the Z value box
 Leave at 0 all other values

Because we want our part to be orientated the same way as the base axes of the
robot, we only need to enter the position shift values X, Y, Z. We do not need to
enter any rotation angle values because we do not want to change the
orientation of the part.

2-8
 Tutorial 2
5.2 Fill in User Tool section

 In the User Tool field click the pull down arrow and select From operation

 In the Method field click the pull down arrow and select Use spindle definition

 The following values will appear in the X, Y, Z, W, P and R box

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 Tutorial 2

When to use spindle definition?

Use spindle definition means Robotmaster will use the data contained in the
spindle definition to set the tool frame information. By using this method, the
data displayed is the position and orientation from the robot flange to a reference
(gauge) point on the spindle. During processing, Robotmaster will add the holder
and tool length of the tool, as defined in the tool definition, to calculate the total
tool frame definition for each tool as shown in the screenshot below. In this case,
25mm plus 75mm will be added to the tool frame along the tool Z axis orientation.

The advantage of this method is that many tools can be used (with differing
lengths) with one tool frame definition. However, if TCP calibration is used then
the better option will be to use Use tool definition and manually enter TCP
information for each tool.

2 - 10
 Tutorial 2
STEP 6:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE APPROACH/RETRACT PAGE

The approach/retract points are the 6 joint values of the robot before the start and
after the end of the program respectively.

 Select Approach/Retract page

 Enter 90 in the joint J1 value box

 Enter -45 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter -45 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter -90 in the joint J5 value box
 Leave at 0 J4 and J6
 Then copy to the Retract section by clicking on the button.

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 Tutorial 2

STEP 7:
SETTING UP THE TOOL AND CONFIGURATION PAGE

 Select Tool and Configuration page.

 In the Tool Call field, select No tool call radio button.
 In the Tool Activation field, select No tool activation.
 Set the Robot Configuration settings as indicated in the screenshot below.

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 Tutorial 2

STEP 8:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 1

This page sets the orientation of the tool of the robot with respect of the part we are
cutting.

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Tool plane in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method

The Tool plane method is available for all tool plane positioning toolpaths.

Note:
The figures below shows the standard set up of the tool axes for a robot.

Axis Z (blue) is pointing out along the same direction of the tool.
Axis X (red) is pointing up.
Axis Y (green) is perpendicular to both axes.
For proper use of Robotmaster Axis Configuration algorithms, the tool frame axes must
always be set-up as described above.

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 Tutorial 2

When to use Tool plane method?

The Tool plane method allows rotating the tool plane orientation with respect to
the specific tool plane. This method is available for all tool plane positioning
toolpaths.

Tool rotation represents the rotation of the robot tool axes with respect to the
Mastercam tool plane.

Rotation increment represents the value in which the tool rotation will be
incremented (when using the up/down buttons or the mouse scroll).

Tool frame of the robot

Mastercam tool plane

2 - 14
 Tutorial 2

To set the proper tool axes orientation of the first operation let’s consider the Mastercam
tool plane and the desired robot axis orientations.

The Mastercam tool plane used for the first operation is the top plane and the figure
below shows the orientation of the top tool plane.

The figure below shows the desired orientation of the robot tool axes for this first
operation. If we compare the tool plane and robot tool axes, we notice that the X axes
(red one) are parallel to each other.

By setting the Tool rotation to 0, we will attain the desired tool orientation for our first
operation as shown in the figure below.

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 Tutorial 2

STEP 9:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

Notes:
Before launching the simulator for the first time, make sure you set up the
simulator by clicking on Robot Simulation Settings button from the Mastercam
main toolbar.

In the Robot Simulation Settings window, set all parameters as shown below:

Select the OK button to save and exit Robot Simulation Settings window.

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 Tutorial 2

To verify that everything is properly set-up, launch the simulation after each
operation. When you run the simulation for some of the operations only:

The following message will appear.

Click No to simulate the current operation only.

STEP 10:
CONTINUE WITH OPERATION 2

The Mastercam tool plane used for the second operation is tool plane 8 and the figure
below shows the orientation of the tool plane.

The figure below shows the desired orientation of the robot tool axes for this operation.

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 Tutorial 2

For this operation:

The Mastercam tool plane is tool plane 8 ;
The goal is to have the X axis of the robot pointing towards the bottom.
The figure below shows the appropriate axis setting that we need in
Robotmaster

Tool frame of the robot

Mastercam tool plane

STEP 11:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 2

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters for the
2nd operation then click on Robot Config in order to launch the Robotmaster
parameter window.

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 Tutorial 2

 Select the Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Tool plane in the section Rotary Axis Calculation Method

 Enter -90 in the Tool Rotation value box.

STEP 12:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

Notes:
This will give us the result this orientation, where the X axis of the tool is pointing
towards the bottom of the part.

Launch the simulator and verify this second operation to ensure that the axis
configuration settings have been properly set.

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 Tutorial 2

STEP 13:
CONTINUE WITH OPERATION 3

The Mastercam tool plane used for operation 3 is tool plane 9 and the figure below
shows the orientation of the tool plane.

The figure below shows the desired orientation of the robot tool axes for this operation.

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 Tutorial 2

For this operation:

Because the tool plane is an inclined plane, the coordinate system that we are
using is slightly rotated; however the general goal is to have the tool X axis
pointing towards the bottom direction.

Tool frame of the robot

Mastercam tool plane

STEP 14:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 3

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the 3rd operation then click on Robot Config in order to launch the Robotmaster
parameter window.

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 Tutorial 2

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Enter -90 in the Tool Rotation value box.

STEP 15:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

Notes:
Launch the simulator and verify this third operation to ensure that the axis
configuration settings have been properly set.
The simulator results should be similar to the figure below.

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 Tutorial 2

STEP 16:
CONTINUE WITH OPERATION 4

The Mastercam tool plane used for operation 4 is the right side tool plane and the
figure below shows the orientation of the tool plane.

The figure below shows the desired orientation of the robot tool axes for this operation.

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 Tutorial 2

Notes:
For this operation we have the same settings as the last operation.
In Robotmaster parameter window we will set the axis as shown below:

Tool frame of the robot

Mastercam tool plane

The simulator will be similar to the figure below:

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 Tutorial 2

STEP 17:
CONTINUE WITH OPERATION 5

The Mastercam tool plane used for operation 5 is tool plane 10 and the figure below
shows the orientation of the tool plane.

The figure below shows the desired orientation of the robot tool axes for this operation.

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 Tutorial 2

For this operation the goal is to have the orientation of the tool as shown below.

Tool frame of the robot

Mastercam tool plane

STEP 18:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 5

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the 5th operation then click on Robot Config in order to launch the Robotmaster
parameter window.

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 Tutorial 2

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Enter 90 in the Tool Rotation value box.

STEP 19:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

Notes:
Launch the simulator and verify this operation to ensure that the axis
configuration settings have been properly set.
The simulator results should be similar to the figure below.

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 Tutorial 2
STEP 20:
CONTINUE WITH OPERATION 6

The Mastercam tool plane used for operation 6 is tool plane 11 and the figure below
shows the orientation of the tool plane.

The figure below shows the desired orientation of the robot tool axes for this operation.

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 Tutorial 2

Notes:
For this operation we have the same settings as the last operation.
In Robotmaster parameter window we will set the axis as shown below:

Tool frame of the robot

Mastercam tool plane

Once the axis configurations are properly set, launch the simulator and verify this
operation to ensure that the axis configuration settings have been properly set.
The simulator results should be similar to the figure below.

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 Tutorial 2

When to set Axis Configurations?

As we had previously outlined, the axis configuration settings are saved to the
specific operation through which the Robotmaster parameter interface was
accessed. In contrast, all other Robotmaster settings are saved globally for all
operations inside the MCX file.

During simulation or posting, it is important that at least the first operation

contains axis configuration settings. If subsequent operations do not contain any
axis configuration settings, the first operations settings will be used until an
operation is encountered with axis settings. Therefore, it is only necessary to set
axis configurations inside operations, when there is a change of axis
configuration settings.

However, there is an advantage in setting axis configurations for all operations

regardless if the settings are the same or different. The advantage is the
possibility of simulating and/or posting only a specific operation. If axis
configurations are set at the first operation only, then if we simulate or post only a
subsequent operation, an error will be displayed since Robotmaster was not able
to read a valid axis configuration setting since the first operation was not selected.
Another advantage to setting axis configurations in each operation is the ability to
change the order of operations without considering the implications of axis
configuration mix-ups.

Therefore, if we want to post or simulate operations one by one, on an individual

basis, we need to set axis configuration in each operation.

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 Tutorial 2

STEP 21:
SIMULATE ALL OPERATIONS

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Toolpath Group 2
under Machine Group 2 to select all operations.

 Launch the simulator

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 Tutorial 2

The simulation will then start and the canvas will look like the screenshot below

Simulating individual operations versus the entire toolpath group?

Even though, the simulator was used all along the process to verify individual
operations, it is important to simulate the entire process to make sure there are
no errors. When all operations are simulated, the robot joint values are checked
throughout all the trajectories and at times a joint limit violation (over-travel) may
be detected because a joint kept winding until reaching its limit. This may not
have been detected by simulating the trajectories individually.

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 Tutorial 2
STEP 22:
POSTING ROBOT CODES

The Post button runs the Robotmaster post processor to generate a robot ready
program file based on the type of robot selected in the Machine Definition.

The Post button runs the Robotmaster post processor to generate a robot ready
program file. The output type depends on the type of robot selected.

 Select the OK button to save post processing parameters and launch

postprocessor.

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 Tutorial 2
NOTES

2 - 34
 Tutorial 3

TUTORIAL 3
MULTI-AXIS TOOLPATHS

3-1
 Tutorial 3

Objectives:

The student will understand how to set the robot tool orientations for multi-axis
toolpaths by using the spherical interpolation method.

In this tutorial, the student will frequently be invited to go back and forth setting
different tool orientations in order to further explore and understand the
principles.

This tutorial assumes that the student has the appropriate design and toolpath
skills using Mastercam X3

3-2
 Tutorial 3

CUSTOMIZING THE TOOLBAR

Before starting to work with Robotmaster, we should activate the toolbars
required to use the simulation mechanism. See Robotmaster Quick Start
Guide, pages 4 and 5.

STEP 1:
OPEN THE .MCX FILE

The file Dome.mcx can be found in the Robotmaster\Samples directory.

File
 Open
 Select the Dome.mcx file

The file Dome.mcx has five toolpath operations created for a Fanuc Robot as seen in
the operation manager.

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 Tutorial 3

STEP 2:
CHANGING THE ACTIVE MACHINE DEFINITION

The Machine definition for the file Dome.mcx is a Fanuc Robot machine. Please see
Tutorial 1 for details on how to change the active robot if you would like to do this
tutorial with another robot.

STEP 3:
STARTING THE ROBOTMASTER PARAMETER INTERFACE

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the first operation.

 In the toolpath parameters window, click on the Robot Config button.

Note:
 The Motion parameters page will not be set in this tutorial. Motion parameters
specify the robot parameters to be used to move the robot through the
programmed trajectories. Each robot brand has different parameters for
configuring robot motion. These motion parameters have no “correct” value, and
are set depending on the job being done and the specific robot that is used .
These values will have to be set by someone knowledgeable with the
application.

3-4
 Tutorial 3
STEP 4:
CONFIGURING THE ROBOT PAGE

In this page we are selecting the robot and the tool that is attached to the flange of the
robot.

 Select Robot page

 Click on the Robot pull down arrow and select ROBOTMASTER2 generic robot.
This is a generic robot designed for use in this tutorial series.

 Click on the Tool selector button in order to select GS_SPINDLE60.

 Select OK button to exit the End Effector Tooling Selector.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 5:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE FRAME DATA PAGE

 Select Frame Data page and set the Base Data and Tool Data settings as
indicated in the screenshot below

 In the User Frame field, click the pull down arrow and select User defined

 Enter 1500 in the X value box

 Enter 0 in the Y value box
 Enter 500 in the Z value box
 Leave at 0 all other values

 In the User Tool field click the pull down arrow and select From operation

 In the Method field click the pull down arrow and select Use spindle definition

3-6
 Tutorial 3

STEP 6:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE APPROACH/RETRACT PAGE

The approach/retract points are the 6 joint values of the robot before the start and after
the end of the program respectively.

 Select Approach/Retract page

 Enter 90 in the joint J1 value box

 Enter -45 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter -45 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter -90 in the joint J5 value box
 Leave at 0 J4 and J6
 Then copy to the Retract section by clicking on the button.

3-7
 Tutorial 3
STEP 7:
SETTING UP THE TOOL AND CONFIGURATION PAGE

 Select Tool and Configuration page.

 In the Tool Call field, select No tool call radio button.
 In the Tool Activation field, select No tool activation.
 Set the Robot Configuration settings as indicated in the screenshot below.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 8:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 1

In this step we will define the robot tool orientation scheme to be used for multi-axis
toolpaths.

How are command points defined for robots?

A command point for CNC machines is comprised of a tool center position for a 3
axis machine. For 5 axis machines, the tool orientation is additionally defined by
Mastercam as a tool vector which is resolved typically as two rotations in the post
processor.

Fig. 1 - Typical positioning information required by 5axis CNC machines

Industrial robots typically have six axes therefore there is one degree of
redundancy that needs to be set in order to convert Mastercam toolpath data to
robot tool positions and orientations. Because the robot has the ability to rotate
around the tool, each point is defined as a tool center position as well as an
orientation matrix or three Euler angles which define a coordinate system.

Fig. 2 - Typical positioning information required by robots

3-9
 Tutorial 3

The Axis Configuration page sets the orientation of the tool of the robot with respect to
the part we are cutting. The settings on this page manage the rotation around the tool
vector.

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Spherical interpolation in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method

Once Spherical interpolation selected, there are three methods available in the
Type field:
Default with Z rotation
Default no Z rotation
Custom

In this tutorial we will look primarily into Default with Z rotation and Default no
Z rotation and highlight the difference between both methods.

 Choose Default with Z rotation in the Type field.

 Choose TOP in the Orientation field.

 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.

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 Tutorial 3

What is Orientation in Spherical Interpolation?

The orientation determines the plane on which the spherical dials are oriented
with respect to the user frame as defined in the robot (which is also the
Mastercam current WCS). The three figures below will show how each plane is
oriented.

Top Front Right

The three planes are oriented in such a way as to accommodate the three typical
faces of the user frame most commonly accessed in a programming job.
However, each method wraps around to the other side of the plane if required.

The figure below shows a part as well as the user frame orientation. For this
part, since all tool orientations can be thought of as in the top hemisphere then
the top orientation is suitable for programming all cuts on this part.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 9:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

STEP 10:
SET UP OF THE SIMULATION PARAMETERS
 Make sure the operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation Settings button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

 In the Robot Simulation Settings window, set all parameters as shown below:

 Select the OK button to save and exit the Robot Simulation Settings window.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 11:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 1

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

The simulation will then start and the canvas will look like the screenshot below

Run several times through the simulation and study the way in which the robot tool is
oriented along the cut. In this first operation we used the Default with Z rotation
method which is further explained below.

During the simulation process of this first operation, you will notice that the X axis of the
tool (red one) is always pointing relatively in the same direction.

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 Tutorial 3

What is Spherical Interpolation, Default with Z rotation?

As the tool changes orientations, this method rotates around the tool Z axis to
keep the X axis consistent with the way in which it is defined in the dials. The
figure below shows an example where the tool is moving from one dial to the
next and in this case it rotates around the tool 90 degrees to proceed from one
orientation (the blue one) to the next (yellow one).

STEP 12:
TRYING DIFFERENT PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 1

We invite the student to come back to the Robotmaster parameter window and

 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 13:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR THE OPERATION 1

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

During simulation of this second parameter setting for operation 1 compare the way in
which the robot tool is oriented along the toolpath versus the first approach.

During the simulation process, you will notice that there are no rotations anymore
around the tool Z axis and therefore, the X (red) axis is always pointing in the same
direction with respect to the cut.

What is Spherical Interpolation, Default no Z rotation?

As the tool changes orientations, this method does not rotate around the tool Z
axis to keep the X axis consistent with the way in which it is defined in the dials.
The figure below shows an example where the tool is moving from one dial to the
next and in this case there is no rotation around the tool Z axis to proceed from
one orientation (the blue one) to the next (yellow one) as seen by the identical
orientations of the X (red) axes along the trajectory.

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 Tutorial 3

When to use Default no Z rotation versus Default with Z rotation?

Each method has specific advantages and disadvantages depending on the

range of motion in the specific toolpath.

The method without rotation causes the tool X axis to point in relatively the same
direction and this method is desirable where the tool orientation is far from
vertical (away from the Z axis of the user frame or Mastercam WCS). However
this method causes excessive rotation around the wrist of the robot when the tool
orientation gets close to the vertical.

The method with rotation is constantly rotating around the tool Z as the tool
orientation changes and this method is desirable where the tool orientation is
close to the vertical (close to the Z axis of the user frame or Mastercam WCS).
However this method causes excessive rotation around the wrist of the robot as
the tool orientation gets farther from the vertical.

Note:
For operation 1, the best method is Default with Z rotation and we invite the
student to return to the Robotmaster parameter window and set that option back
to Default with Z rotation. By simulating again this first operation, you will
notice that there is minimal wrist rotation.

It’s recommended to go back and forth between both methods in order to better
understand the difference between with Z rotation and no Z rotation.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 14:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 2

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default with Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.

STEP 15:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 16:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 2

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the robot rotates a lot around the tool.
The elbow is going up and down around the tool as shown in the figures below:

This second operation contains toolpaths that are almost perpendicular to the vertical.
Therefore Default no Z rotation will yield better results.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 17:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 2

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.

STEP 18:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 19:
STARTING SIMULATION PROCESS FOR THE OPERATION 2

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the tool is always in the same orientation,
it does not rotate anymore around the tool Z axis and the result is better.

We invite the student to go back and try both methods and observe the
difference between these two methods to help evaluate both methods.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 20:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 3

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.

Note:
For the operation 3, the best method is Default no Z rotation because we will
not have excessive turning around the tool Z axis.

As we had previously mentioned, anytime the toolpaths are oriented far from the
vertical, or the tool is more or less cutting horizontally, it is always better to use
the no Z rotation option.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 21:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

STEP 22:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 3

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

We invite the student to go back and try both methods and observe the difference
between these two methods for this third operation.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 23:
STARTING SIMULATION PROCESS FOR ALL FIVE OPERATIONS

 Make sure all five operations are selected. Robot simulation will not be
launched properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
Between the first and second operation, you will notice that the spindle is
crashing into the part. To avoid this from happening we will have to use the safe
Z retract height feature.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 24:
ACTIVATING THE SAFE Z RETRACT HEIGHT FEATURE FOR OPERATION 2

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the second operation.

 In the toolpath parameters window, click on the Home position button

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 Tutorial 3
 Enter 250 in the Z value box

This Z value represent the amount of safe Z retract height at the beginning and the
end of the second operation. This value will ensure that the robot will re-orient the wrist
above the cutting zone and minimize the risk of robot to part collisions.

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Home position parameter

window.

Note:
X and Y value boxes are not taken into account.

How and when to use the Safe Z Retract Height settings?

The Safe Z Retract Height option is a feature that can be used to move the robot
head to a safe retract plane before and after an operation. This feature is useful
when the robot head will perform a significant re-orientation between operations.
At times, this re-orientation may cause a collision between the spindle and the
part. This feature will move the robot head to a higher fixed Z plane to ensure
that the robot has adequate space to re-orient the head without collisions.

This feature can be activated in the toolpath parameters window by the Home
position button. Positive values in the Z box will be used to activate Z retract
moves before and after the current operation. This feature can only be used to
specify retract moves along the Z axis of the user frame. The X and Y value
boxes are not taken into account.

For the safe Z retract height feature to work properly, the “safezheight” switch
has to be set properly in the post processor. Please contact your Robotmaster
dealer for more information regarding settings in the post processor.

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 Tutorial 3
STEP 25:
STARTING SIMULATION PROCESS FOR ALL FIVE OPERATIONS

 Make sure all five operations are selected. Robot simulation will not be
launched properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
There are no more collision between the first and the second operation because
the robot re-orients the wrist by moving first to 250mm in Z from the user frame
origin before engaging the second cut.

3 - 26
 Tutorial 4

TUTORIAL 4
PROFILE TRACKING

4-1
 Tutorial 4

Objectives:

The student will understand how to set the robot tool orientations for multi-axis
toolpaths by using the profile tracking method.

In this tutorial, the student will frequently be invited to go back and forth setting
different tool orientations in order to further explore and understand the
principles.

This tutorial assumes that the student has the appropriate design and toolpath
skills using Mastercam X3

4-2
 Tutorial 4

CUSTOMIZING THE TOOLBAR

Before starting to work with Robotmaster, we should activate the toolbars
required to use the simulation. See Robotmaster Quick Start Guide, pages 4
and 5.

STEP 1:
OPEN THE .MCX FILE

The file Chair_Trimming.mcx can be found in the Robotmaster\Samples directory.

File
 Open
 Select the Chair_Trimming.mcx file

The file Chair_Trimming.mcx has two toolpath operations created for a Fanuc Robot
as seen in the operation manager.

4-3
 Tutorial 4

STEP 2:
CHANGING THE ACTIVE MACHINE DEFINITION

The Machine definition for the file Chair_Trimming.mcx is a Fanuc Robot machine.
Please see Tutorial 1 for details on how to change the active robot if you would like to
do this tutorial with another robot.

STEP 3:
STARTING THE ROBOTMASTER PARAMETER INTERFACE

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the first operation.

 In the toolpath parameters window, click on the Robot Config button.

Note:
 The Motion parameters page will not be set in this tutorial. Motion parameters
specify the robot parameters to be used to move the robot through the
programmed trajectories. Each robot brand has different parameters for
configuring robot motion. These motion parameters have no “correct” value, and
are set depending on the job being done and the specific robot that is used .
These values will have to be set by someone knowledgeable with the
application.

4-4
 Tutorial 4
STEP 4:
CONFIGURING THE ROBOT PAGE

In this page we are selecting the robot and the tool that is attached to the flange of the
robot.

 Select Robot page

 Click on the Robot pull down arrow and select ROBOTMASTER2 generic robot.
This is a generic robot designed for use in this tutorial series.

 Click on the Tool selector button in order to select DEFAULT_KNIFE.

 Select OK button to exit the End Effector Tooling Selector.

4-5
 Tutorial 4
STEP 5:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE FRAME DATA PAGE

 Select Frame Data page and set the Base Data and Tool Data settings as
indicated in the screenshot below

 In the User Frame field, click the pull down arrow and select User defined

 Enter 2000 in the X value box

 Enter 550 in the Y value box
 Enter 500 in the Z value box
 Leave at 0 all other values

 In the User Tool field click the pull down arrow and select From operation

 In the Method field click the pull down arrow and select Use tool definition

 Enter 150 in the Z value box

 Leave at 0 all other values

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 Tutorial 4
STEP 6:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE APPROACH/RETRACT PAGE

The approach/retract points are the 6 joint values of the robot before the start and after
the end of the program respectively.

 Select Approach/Retract page

 Enter 90 in the joint J1 value box

 Enter -45 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter -45 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter -90 in the joint J5 value box
 Leave at 0 J4 and J6
 Then copy to the Retract section by clicking on the button.

4-7
 Tutorial 4
STEP 7:
SETTING UP THE TOOL AND CONFIGURATION PAGE

 Select Tool and Configuration page.

 In the Tool Call field, select No tool call radio button.
 In the Tool Activation field, select No tool activation.
 Set the Robot Configuration settings as indicated in the screenshot below.

4-8
 Tutorial 4
STEP 8:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 1

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Profile Tracking in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.
 Choose Constant in the Angles field.

 Enter 0 in the Tool Rotation value box

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 Tutorial 4

What is Profile tracking?

Profile tracking is a method of setting the tool frame orientation relative to the
direction of the trajectory. The tool frame orientation is varied based on the
orientation of the next point on the trajectory to maintain a fixed relationship
between the tool axis and the tangent to the trajectory.

When Constant angle should be used?

Constant angle should be used whenever the tool frame has a fixed orientation
relative to the tangent of the trajectory. This method might come handy when de-
flashing a part where a knife has to stay tangent to the contour.

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 Tutorial 4
STEP 9:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

STEP 10:
SET UP OF THE SIMULATION PARAMETERS
 Make sure the operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation Settings button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

 In the Robot Simulation Settings window, set all parameters as shown below:

 Select the OK button to save and exit the Robot Simulation Settings window.

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 Tutorial 4
STEP 11:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 1

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

The simulation will then start and the canvas will look like the screenshot below

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 Tutorial 4
Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the flat part of the knife stays tangent to
the trajectory allowing the trimming the curved part contour with the edge of the
blade.

STEP 12:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 2

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Profile Tracking in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.
 Choose Constant in the Angles field.

 Enter 0 in the Tool Rotation value box

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 Tutorial 4
STEP 13:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 2

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
In this configuration, again you will notice that the flat part of the knife stays
tangent to the trajectory allowing the trimming the curved part contour with the
edge of the blade.

4 - 14
 Tutorial 4
STEP 14:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR BOTH OPERATIONS

 Make sure both operations are selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

4 - 15
 Tutorial 4
NOTES

4 - 16
 Tutorial 5

TUTORIAL 5
PROFILE TRACKING WITH ORIENTATION
CHANGE

5-1
 Tutorial 5

Objectives:

The student will understand how to set the robot tool orientations for toolpaths
by using the profile tracking method.

In this tutorial, the student will frequently be invited to go back and forth setting
different tool orientations in order to further explore and understand the
principles.

This tutorial assumes that the student has the appropriate design and toolpath
skills using Mastercam X3

5-2
 Tutorial 5

CUSTOMIZING THE TOOLBAR

Before starting to work with Robotmaster, we should activate the toolbars
required to use the simulation. See Robotmaster Quick Start Guide, pages 4
and 5.

STEP 1:
OPEN THE .MCX FILE

The file Jig_Plate.mcx can be found in the Robotmaster\Samples directory.

File
 Open
 Select the Jig_Plate.mcx file

The file Jig_Plate.mcx has five toolpath operations created for a Fanuc Robot as seen
in the operation manager. The last operation has been deactivated in order to
demonstrate two robot configuration methods. The Start/Middle/End method will be
explained at the end of this tutorial.

5-3
 Tutorial 5

STEP 2:
CHANGING THE ACTIVE MACHINE DEFINITION

The Machine definition for the file Jig_Plate.mcx is a Fanuc Robot machine. Please
see Tutorial 1 for details on how to change the active robot if you would like to do this
tutorial with another robot.

STEP 3:
STARTING THE ROBOTMASTER PARAMETER INTERFACE

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the first operation.

 In the toolpath parameters window, click on the Robot Config button.

Note:
 The Motion parameters page will not be set in this tutorial. Motion parameters
specify the robot parameters to be used to move the robot through the
programmed trajectories. Each robot brand has different parameters for
configuring robot motion. These motion parameters have no “correct” value, and
are set depending on the job being done and the specific robot that is used .
These values will have to be set by someone knowledgeable with the
application.

5-4
 Tutorial 5
STEP 4:
CONFIGURING THE ROBOT PAGE

In this page we are selecting the robot and the tool that is attached to the flange of the
robot.

 Select Robot page

 Click on the Robot pull down arrow and select ROBOTMASTER2 generic robot.
This is a generic robot designed for use in this tutorial series.

 Click on the Tool selector button in order to select GS_SPINDLE60.

 Select OK button to exit the End Effector Tooling Selector.

5-5
 Tutorial 5
STEP 5:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE FRAME DATA PAGE

 Select Frame Data page and set the Base Data and Tool Data settings as
indicated in the screenshot below

 In the User Frame field, click the pull down arrow and select User defined

 Enter 1450 in the X value box

 Enter -800 in the Z value box
 Leave at 0 all other values

 In the User Tool field click the pull down arrow and select From operation

 In the Method field click the pull down arrow and select Use spindle definition

5-6
 Tutorial 5
STEP 6:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE APPROACH/RETRACT PAGE

The approach/retract points are the 6 joint values of the robot before the start and after
the end of the program respectively.

 Select Approach/Retract page

 Enter 90 in the joint J1 value box

 Enter -45 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter -45 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter -90 in the joint J5 value box
 Leave at 0 J4 and J6
 Then copy to the Retract section by clicking on the button.

5-7
 Tutorial 5
STEP 7:
SETTING UP THE TOOL AND CONFIGURATION PAGE

 Select Tool and Configuration page.

 In the Tool Call field, select No tool call radio button.
 In the Tool Activation field, select No tool activation.
 Set the Robot Configuration settings as indicated in the screenshot below.

5-8
 Tutorial 5
STEP 8:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 1

In this step we will use the robot tool orientation scheme that we typically select for
multi-axis toolpaths.

 Choose Spherical interpolation in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.

 Choose Default with Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose TOP in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Enter 0 in the Tool Rotation value box

5-9
 Tutorial 5
STEP 9:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

STEP 10:
SET UP OF THE SIMULATION PARAMETERS
 Make sure the operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation Settings button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

 In the Robot Simulation Settings window, set all parameters as shown below:

 Select the OK button to save and exit the Robot Simulation Settings window.

5 - 10
 Tutorial 5
STEP 11:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 1

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

The simulation will then start and the canvas will look like the screenshot below

During the simulation process of this first operation, you will notice that the X axis of the
tool (red one) is always pointing in the same direction. As the robot continues along the
path the robot elbow will eventually collide with the base. The remaining part of this
tutorial will explain how to change the orientation of the tool to avoid wrist to base
collision.

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 Tutorial 5
STEP 12:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 2

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Profile tracking in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.
 Choose Start/End in the Angles field.
 Choose Shortest in the Transition Direction field.
 Select the No radio button for Transition for non tangent moves.

 Enter 180 in the Start value box

 Enter 0 in the End value box

STEP 13:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

5 - 12
 Tutorial 5

What is Transition direction?

Transition direction allows the user to specify the rotation direction from the
start angle to the end angle. Three methods can be selected based on the
desired motion.

Shortest transition direction calculates the rotation direction that provides the
minimum rotation to transition from the start angle to the end angle.

CW transition direction uses clockwise transition rotation.

CCW transition direction uses a counterclockwise transition rotation.

For a 90 degrees orientation change from start to end, we would obtain the
following motion for each setting:

Shortest CW CCW

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 Tutorial 5
STEP 14:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 2

 Make sure the operation is selected.

 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the robot rotates gradually 180 degrees
around the tool from the start towards the end of the path. This gives more
clearance between link 2 and link 4 during the cut.

Start of the cut End of the cut

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 Tutorial 5
STEP 15:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 3

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Profile tracking in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.
 Choose Start/End in the Angles field.
 Choose Shortest in the Transition Direction field.
 Select the No radio button for Transition for non tangent moves.

 Enter 0 in the Start value box

 Enter 0 in the End value box

STEP 16:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

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 Tutorial 5
STEP 17:
STARTING SIMULATION PROCESS FOR THE OPERATION 3

 Make sure the operation is selected.

 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the tool is always in the same orientation,
it does not rotate anymore around the tool Z axis. This is desirable since this
fixed orientation id ideal near the base of the robot to avoid collisions.

Start of the cut End of the cut

5 - 16
 Tutorial 5
STEP 18:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 4

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Profile tracking in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.
 Choose Start/End in the Angles field.
 Choose Shortest in the Transition Direction field.
 Select the No radio button for Transition for non tangent moves.

 Enter 0 in the Start value box

 Enter -90 in the End value box

STEP 19:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

5 - 17
 Tutorial 5
STEP 20:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 4

 Make sure the operation is selected.

 Select Robot Simulation button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the robot rotates 90 degrees around the
tool towards the initial position of operation 1. This approach was used because
once the tool has cleared the collision zone, we can start to gradually re-orient
the tool towards the initial orientation.

Start of the cut End of the cut

5 - 18
 Tutorial 5
STEP 21:
STARTING SIMULATION PROCESS FOR ALL FOUR OPERATIONS

 Make sure all four operations are selected.

 Select Robot Simulation button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
This tutorial highlighted the ability of Robotmaster to manage tool orientation
changes along a trajectory. This technique can be used for the following:
o Re-orienting the wrist of the robot to avoid collisions;
o Using the optimal tool orientation for maximum robot reach;
o Changing tool orientation to avoid a singularity zone;
o Managing the robot wrist to avoid excessive joint speeds.

5 - 19
 Tutorial 5
STEP 22:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 5 USING START/MIDDLE/END

In this step we will use Profile tracking with Start/Middle/end angles, in order to
achieve the same path using only one operation instead of three.

 Choose Profile tracking in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.

 Choose Start/Middle/End in the Angles field.
 Choose Shortest in the Transition Direction field.
 Choose No radio button for Transition for non tangent moves.

 Enter 180 in the Start value box

 Enter 0 in the Middle value box
 Enter -90 in the End value box

5 - 20
 Tutorial 5
STEP 23:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

STEP 24:
POST ACTIVATE OPERATION 5
 Make sure only operation 5 is selected.
 Click on to toggle posting on this operation.

Before After

STEP 25:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 1 AND OPERATION 5

 Make sure only operation 1 and operation 5 are selected.

 Select Robot Simulation button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
You will notice the same motion for operation 5 using Profile tracking with
Start/Middle/End angles than operation 2 trough operation 4 combined using
Start/End.

5 - 21
 Tutorial 5
NOTES

5 - 22
 Tutorial 6

TUTORIAL 6
REPOSE POINTS

6-1
 Tutorial 6

Objectives:

The student will understand how to change the robot posture between toolpath
operations by using repose points.

In this tutorial, the student will frequently be invited to go back and forth setting
different repose points in order to further explore and understand the principles.

This tutorial assumes that the student has the appropriate design and toolpath
skills using Mastercam X3

6-2
 Tutorial 6

CUSTOMIZING THE TOOLBAR

Before starting to work with Robotmaster, we should activate the toolbars required
to use the simulation. See Robotmaster Quick Start Guide, pages 4 and 5.

STEP 1:
OPEN THE .MCX FILE

The file Configuration_Change.mcx can be found in the Robotmaster\Samples

directory.

File
 Open
 Select the Configuration_Change.mcx file

The file Configuration_Change.mcx has four toolpath operations created for a Fanuc
Robot as seen in the operation manager.

6-3
 Tutorial 6

STEP 2:
CHANGING THE ACTIVE MACHINE DEFINITION

The Machine definition for the file Configuration_Change.mcx is a Fanuc Robot

machine. Please see Tutorial 1 for details on how to change the active robot if you
would like to do this tutorial with another robot.

STEP 3:
STARTING THE ROBOTMASTER PARAMETER INTERFACE

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the first operation.

 In the toolpath parameters window, click on the Robot Config button.

Note:
 The Motion parameters page will not be set in this tutorial. Motion parameters
specify the robot parameters to be used to move the robot through the
programmed trajectories. Each robot brand has different parameters for
configuring robot motion. These motion parameters have no “correct” value, and
are set depending on the job being done and the specific robot that is used .
These values will have to be set by someone knowledgeable with the application.

6-4
 Tutorial 6
STEP 4:
CONFIGURING THE ROBOT PAGE

In this page we are selecting the robot and the tool that is attached to the flange of the
robot.

 Select Robot page

 Click on the Robot pull down arrow and select ROBOTMASTER2 generic robot.
This is a generic robot designed for use in this tutorial series.

 Click on the Tool selector button in order to select GS_SPINDLE60.

 Select OK button to exit the End Effector Tooling Selector.

6-5
 Tutorial 6
STEP 5:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE FRAME DATA PAGE

 Select Frame Data page and set the Base Data and Tool Data settings as
indicated in the screenshot below

 In the User Frame field, click the pull down arrow and select User defined

 Enter 2000 in the X value box

 Enter -580 in the Z value box
 Enter 600 in the Z value box
 Leave at 0 all other values

 In the User Tool field click the pull down arrow and select From operation

 In the Method field click the pull down arrow and select Use spindle definition

6-6
 Tutorial 6
STEP 6:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE APPROACH/RETRACT PAGE

The approach/retract points are the 6 joint values of the robot before the start and after
the end of the program respectively.

 Select Approach/Retract page

 Enter 90 in the joint J1 value box

 Enter -45 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter -45 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter -90 in the joint J5 value box
 Leave at 0 J4 and J6
 Then copy to the Retract section by clicking on the button.

6-7
 Tutorial 6
STEP 7:
SETTING UP THE TOOL AND CONFIGURATION PAGE

 Select Tool and Configuration page.

 In the Tool Call field, select No tool call radio button.
 In the Tool Activation field, select No tool activation.
 Set the Robot Configuration settings as indicated in the screenshot below.

What is ‘Same’ Robot Configuration?

When a robot configuration is set to any value other than Same, this configuration
is maintained throughout the entire program. If orientation changes are required
then the Same option needs to be used.

When the configuration is set to Same, the initial configuration is calculated

automatically from the joint values set in the Approach point. Subsequently, if
robot positions are programmed between operations by using the Repose option,
then the robot configuration will be evaluated after each Repose point and this
updated configuration will be used.

By using the Same configuration option and Repose points it is possible to

program configuration changes.

6-8
 Tutorial 6
STEP 8:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 1

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Spherical interpolation in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.
 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientationfield.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Set Tool Rotation to 0.

STEP 9:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

6-9
 Tutorial 6
STEP 10:
SET UP OF THE SIMULATION PARAMETERS
 Make sure the operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation Settings button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

 In the Robot Simulation Settings window, set all parameters as shown below:

 Select the OK button to save and exit the Robot Simulation Settings window.

6 - 10
 Tutorial 6
STEP 11:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 1

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

The simulation will then start and the canvas will look like the screenshot below

6 - 11
 Tutorial 6
STEP 12:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 2

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Spherical interpolation in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.
 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientationfield.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Set Tool Rotation to 0.

STEP 13:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

6 - 12
 Tutorial 6
STEP 14:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 3

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Spherical interpolation in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.
 Choose Default with Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientationfield.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Set Tool Rotation to 10.

STEP 15:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

6 - 13
 Tutorial 6
STEP 16:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 4

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Spherical interpolation in the Rotary Axis Calculation Method field.
 Choose Default with Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientationfield.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Set Tool Rotation to 180.

STEP 17:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

6 - 14
 Tutorial 6
STEP 18:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR ALL FOUR OPERATIONS

 Make sure all four operations are selected.

 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
You will notice that the robot reorients itself inside the part. This might be
dangerous, because a collision can occur especially if fast joint motion settings
are being used.
To avoid a possible collision, we will send the robot to a position that will allow the
tool to clear the part in a safe manner.

6 - 15
 Tutorial 6
STEP 19:
DETERMINING THE POSITION FOR THE FIRST REPOSE POINT

 While you are still in the Simulator, right mouse click over the slider bar for joint 1
to manually enter a joint value to jog the robot
 Enter 10 in the joint J1 value box
 By using the same method, enter the following values:
 Enter -30 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter -20 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter -60 in the joint J4 value box
 Enter -10 in the joint J5 value box
 Enter -295 in the joint J6 value box

Note:
The joint values that are entered will move the robot to a safe position that we will
use to clear the part during a change of robot orientation
This is our first repose point ClearPosition1 and it will be place at the beginning
of the third operation.

6 - 16
 Tutorial 6
STEP 20:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN REPOSE PAGE FOR OPERATION 3

 Select Repose page.

 Double click in the Repose joint values field to add a repose position.
 Type ClearPosition1 as the name of the first repose position

 Enter 10 in the joint J1 value box

 Enter -30 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter -20 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter -60 in the joint J4 value box
 Enter -10 in the joint J5 value box
 Enter -295 in the joint J6 value box
 Insert this Repose before the operation by clicking the Add button as shown in
the screen shot above

STEP 21:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

6 - 17
 Tutorial 6
STEP 22:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR ALL FOUR OPERATIONS

 Make sure all four operations are selected.

 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
You will notice that the robot reorients itself outside the part at the first repose
position.

You will notice that the robot crashes into the part at the beginning of the fourth
operation.
You will also notice that the robot is not in a desired configuration to work from
underneath the part and that the 5th and 6th axes are close to their minimum limit.

To avoid the collision, we will send the robot to a safe position, change the
configuration from Elbow-Up to Elbow-Down and unwind joints 5 and 6.

6 - 18
 Tutorial 6
STEP 23:
DERTERMINING THE POSITION FOR THE SECOND REPOSE POINT

 While you are still in the Simulator, right mouse click over the slider bar for joint 1
to manually enter a joint value to jog the robot
 Enter 25 in the joint J1 value box
 By using the same method, enter the following values:
 Enter -20 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter 0 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter -75 in the joint J4 value box
 Enter 0 in the joint J5 value box
 Enter 0 in the joint J6 value box

Note:
The joint values that are entered will move the robot to a safe position that we will
use to clear the part during a change of robot orientation
This is our second repose point SafePosition and it will be place at the beginning
of the fourth operation. It will be used to position the robot to a safe position to
change its configuration.

6 - 19
 Tutorial 6
STEP 24:
DERTERMINING THE POSITION FOR THE THIRD REPOSE POINT

 In the simulator, using the previous method, enter 25 in the joint J1 value box
 Enter 135 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter 165 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter 175 in the joint J4 value box
 Enter -10 in the joint J5 value box
 Enter 0 in the joint J6 value box

Note:
This is our third repose point ChangeConfigurationPosition and should be place
before the fourth operation after the SafePosition repose. It will be used to
change the robot to an elbow down configuration.

6 - 20
 Tutorial 6
STEP 25:
DERTERMINING THE POSITION FOR THE FOURTH REPOSE POINT

 In the simulator, using the previous method, enter 0 in the joint J1 value box
 Enter 135 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter 165 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter 175 in the joint J4 value box
 Enter -10 in the joint J5 value box
 Enter 0 in the joint J6 value box

Note:
This is our fourth and last repose point ClearPosition2 and should be place
before the fourth operation after the ChangeConfigurationPosition repose. It is
used to approach the part in a safe manner.

In the previous steps, four robot postures (robot positions in joint values) where
found by using the simulator and these positions will be required for successful
programming of the part.

6 - 21
 Tutorial 6

The repose option allows the user to define robot postures in joint coordinates and
to sequentially place them before and/or after the current operation.

Some common reasons for use of repose points are:

Winding/unwinding one or more axis between operations to avoid reaching
maximum joint limits
Changing the robot posture between operations
Managing configuration changes

STEP 26:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN REPOSE PAGE FOR OPERATION 4

 Select Repose page.

 Double click in the Repose joint values field to add a repose position.
 Type SafePosition as the name of the second repose position.

 Enter 25 in the joint J1 value box

 Enter -20 in the joint J2 value box
 Enter 0 in the joint J3 value box
 Enter -75 in the joint J4 value box
 Enter 0 in the joint J5 value box
 Enter 0 in the joint J6 value box
 Insert repose ClearPosition1 and repose SafePosition by clicking the Add
button in the right order.

6 - 22
 Tutorial 6
Note:
Repeat the same steps for defining and adding the reposes
ChangeConfigurationPosition and ClearPosition2 before operation 4.
We use the same repose points in the reverse order after operation 4 to avoid
collisions with the part.

 Set the Repose page as indicated in the screenshot below.

STEP 27:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

STEP 28:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR ALL FOUR OPERATIONS

 Make sure all four operations are selected.

 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

6 - 23
 Tutorial 6

In summary, by adding the four repose points, the following have been accomplished:

Before operation 3:
Collisions have been avoided during robot wrist re-orientations;

Before operation 4:
Joint 6 was wound back to zero to avoid running out of joint limits;
The configuration of the robot has been changed from Elbow-Up to Elbow-
Down to successfully complete the path of the operation without collisions;

After operation 4:
The configuration of the robot was reset after the last operation.

6 - 24
 Tutorial 7

TUTORIAL 7
RAIL

7-1
 Tutorial 7

Objectives:

The student will understand how to program a robot mounted on a rail.

This tutorial assumes that the student has the appropriate design and toolpath
skills using Mastercam X3

7-2
 Tutorial 7

CUSTOMIZING THE TOOLBAR

Before starting to work with Robotmaster, we should activate the toolbars
required to use the simulation. See Robotmaster Quick Start Guide, pages 4
and 5.

STEP 1:
OPEN THE .MCX FILE

The file Canoe_Trimming_Rail.mcx can be found in the Robotmaster\Samples

directory.

File
 Open
 Select the Canoe_Trimming_Rail.mcx file

The file Canoe_Trimming_Rail.mcx has three toolpath operations created for a Fanuc
Robot as seen in the operation manager.

7-3
 Tutorial 7

STEP 2:
CHANGING THE ACTIVE MACHINE DEFINITION

The Machine definition for the file Canoe_Trimming_Rail_Finished.mcx is a Fanuc

Robot machine. Please see Tutorial 1 for details on how to change the active robot if
you would like to do this tutorial with another robot.

STEP 3:
STARTING THE ROBOTMASTER PARAMETER INTERFACE

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the first operation.

 In the toolpath parameters window, click on the Robot Config button.

Note:
 The Motion parameters page will not be set in this tutorial. Motion parameters
specify the robot parameters to be used to move the robot through the
programmed trajectories. Each robot brand has different parameters for
configuring robot motion. These motion parameters have no “correct” value, and
are set depending on the job being done and the specific robot that is used .
These values will have to be set by someone knowledgeable with the
application.

7-4
 Tutorial 7
STEP 4:
CONFIGURING THE ROBOT PAGE

In this page we are selecting the robot and the tool that is attached to the flange of the
robot.

 Select Robot page

 Click on the Robot pull down arrow and select
ROBOTMASTER2_LINEAR_RAIL generic robot. This is a generic robot
designed for use in this tutorial series.

 Click on the Tool selector button in order to select GS_SPINDLE60.

 Select OK button to exit the End Effector Tooling Selector.

7-5
 Tutorial 7
STEP 5:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE FRAME DATA PAGE

 Select Frame Data page and set the Base Data and Tool Data settings as
indicated in the screenshot below

 In the User Frame field, click the pull down arrow and select User defined

 Enter 1960 in the X value box

 Enter -1650 in the Y value box
 Enter -950 in the Z value box
 Leave at 0 all other values

 In the User Tool field click the pull down arrow and select From operation

 In the Method field click the pull down arrow and select Use tool definition

7-6
 Tutorial 7
STEP 6:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE APPROACH/RETRACT PAGE

The approach/retract points are the 6 joint values of the robot before the start and after
the end of the program respectively.

 Select Approach/Retract page

 Set all values as shown above.

What is the Rail value box used for?

The Rail value box in the Approach/Retract page is enabled if a robot with a rail
is selected. The rail value boxes can be used to specify the position of the rail
before the start and after the end of the program.

7-7
 Tutorial 7
STEP 7:
SETTING UP THE TOOL AND CONFIGURATION PAGE

 Select Tool and Configuration page.

 In the Tool Call field, select No tool call radio button.
 In the Tool Activation field, select No tool activation.
 Set the Robot Configuration settings as indicated in the screenshot below.

7-8
 Tutorial 7
STEP 8:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 1

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Enter 15 in the Tool Rotation value box

7-9
 Tutorial 7
STEP 9:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE EXTERNAL AXIS PAGE FOR OPERATION 1

 Select External Axis page.

 Choose Fixed in the Rail value field.
 Enter 0 in the Offset distance value box

STEP 10:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

7 - 10
 Tutorial 7

What is Fixed Rail value?

Fixed Rail value allows the user to index the robot to a specified position along
the rail. This position is maintained throughout the whole operation resulting in a
six axis motion for the robot. This method is useful to process small features
which would not require the contribution of the rail to maintain reach throughout
the feature.

What is Variable Rail value?

Variable Rail allows the user to specify an offset distance, along the rail, from
the tip of the tool to the base of the robot. This offset distance is maintained
throughout the whole operation resulting in a full simultaneous seven axis motion.
This method is useful to process large features, such as contour cuts, which
would normally be out of reach of the robot without the contribution of the rail.

7 - 11
 Tutorial 7
STEP 11:
SET UP OF THE SIMULATION PARAMETERS
 Make sure the operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation Settings button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

 In the Robot Simulation Settings window, set all parameters as shown below:

 Select the OK button to save and exit the Robot Simulation Settings window.

7 - 12
 Tutorial 7
STEP 11:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 1

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

The simulation will then start and the canvas will look like the screenshot below

Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the robot doesn’t move along the rail for
this operation using a fixed position at the origin of the rail.

7 - 13
 Tutorial 7
STEP 12:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 2

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Enter 15 in the Tool Rotation value box

7 - 14
 Tutorial 7
STEP 13:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE EXTERNAL AXIS PAGE FOR OPERATION 2

 Select External Axis page.

 Choose Fixed in the Rail value field.
 Enter 3340 in the Offset distance value box

STEP 14:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

7 - 15
 Tutorial 7

STEP 15:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 2

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the robot is positioned using a fixed
distance of 3.34 meters from the origin of the rail.

7 - 16
 Tutorial 7
STEP 16
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 3

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Enter 25 in the Tool Rotation value box

7 - 17
 Tutorial 7
STEP 17:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE EXTERNAL AXIS PAGE FOR OPERATION 3

 Select External Axis page.

 Choose Variable in the Rail value field.
 Enter 0 in the Offset distance value box

STEP 18:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

7 - 18
 Tutorial 7
STEP 19:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 3

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
With Rail Value set to Variable, you will notice that the robot moves along the
rail in a coordinated motion always keeping a fixed distance between the base of
the robot and the tool center point.

7 - 19
 Tutorial 7
STEP 20:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR ALL OPERATIONS

 Make sure all operations are selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

7 - 20
 Tutorial 8

TUTORIAL 8
EXTERNAL ROTARY AXIS

8-1
 Tutorial 8

Objectives:

The student will understand how to program a robot with an external rotary axis.

This tutorial assumes that the student has the appropriate design and toolpath
skills using Mastercam X3

8-2
 Tutorial 8

CUSTOMIZING THE TOOLBAR

Before starting to work with Robotmaster, we should activate the toolbars
required to use the simulation. See Robotmaster Quick Start Guide, pages 4
and 5.

STEP 1:
OPEN THE .MCX FILE

The file Thermoformed _Trimming_Rotary.mcx can be found in the

Robotmaster\Samples directory.

File
 Open
 Select the Thermoformed _Trimming_Rotary.mcx file

The file Thermoformed _Trimming_Rotary.mcx has three toolpath operations created

for a Fanuc Robot as seen in the operation manager.

8-3
 Tutorial 8

STEP 2:
CHANGING THE ACTIVE MACHINE DEFINITION

The Machine definition for the file Thermoformed _Trimming_Rotary.mcx is a Fanuc

Robot machine. Please see Tutorial 1 for details on how to change the active robot if
you would like to do this tutorial with another robot.

STEP 3:
STARTING THE ROBOTMASTER PARAMETER INTERFACE

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the first operation.

 In the toolpath parameters window, click on the Robot Config button.

Note:
 The Motion parameters page will not be set in this tutorial. Motion parameters
specify the robot parameters to be used to move the robot through the
programmed trajectories. Each robot brand has different parameters for
configuring robot motion. These motion parameters have no “correct” value, and
are set depending on the job being done and the specific robot that is used .
These values will have to be set by someone knowledgeable with the
application.

8-4
 Tutorial 8
STEP 4:
CONFIGURING THE ROBOT PAGE

In this page we are selecting the robot and the tool that is attached to the flange of the
robot.

 Select Robot page

 Click on the Robot pull down arrow and select ROBOTMASTER2_ROTARY
generic robot. This is a generic robot designed for use in this tutorial series.

 Click on the Tool selector button in order to select GS_SPINDLE60.

 Select OK button to exit the End Effector Tooling Selector.

8-5
 Tutorial 8
STEP 5:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE FRAME DATA PAGE

 Select Frame Data page and set the Base Data and Tool Data settings as
indicated in the screenshot below

 In the User Frame field, click the pull down arrow and select User defined

 Enter 3250 in the X value box

 Enter 300 in the Z value box
 Leave at 0 all other values

 In the User Tool field click the pull down arrow and select From operation

 In the Method field click the pull down arrow and select Use tool definition

8-6
 Tutorial 8
STEP 6:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE APPROACH/RETRACT PAGE

The approach/retract points are the 6 joint values of the robot before the start and after
the end of the program respectively.

 Select Approach/Retract page

 Enter -45 in J1 value box

 Leave at 0 all value boxes
 Then copy to the Retract section by clicking on the button.

What is the Rotary value box used for?

The Rotary value box in the Approach/Retract page is enabled if a robot with a
rotary axis is selected. The rotary value boxes can be used to specify the position
of the rotary table before the start and after the end of the program.

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 7:
SETTING UP THE TOOL AND CONFIGURATION PAGE

 Select Tool and Configuration page.

 In the Tool Call field, select No tool call radio button.
 In the Tool Activation field, select No tool activation.
 Set the Robot Configuration settings as indicated in the screenshot below.

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 8:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 1

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default with Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Enter 180 in the Tool Rotation value box

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 9:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE EXTERNAL AXIS PAGE FOR OPERATION 1

 Select External Axis page.

 Choose Index only in the Rotary type field.
 Enter 180 in the Index value box.

STEP 10:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

What is Rotary type: Index only?

Index only allows the user to index the rotary

table to a specified position from the origin of
the rotary table. This position is maintained
throughout the whole operation resulting in a
six axis motion for the robot. This method is
useful to process small features which would
not require the contribution of the rotary table
to maintain reach throughout the trajectory.

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 11:
SET UP OF THE SIMULATION PARAMETERS

 Make sure the operation is selected.

 Select the Robot Simulation Settings button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

 In the Robot Simulation Settings window, set all parameters as shown below:

 Select the OK button to save and exit the Robot Simulation Settings window.

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 11:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 1

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

The simulation will then start and the canvas will look like the screenshot below

Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the table indexes 180 degrees before the
robot starts the operation. The table orientation is maintained throughout the cut.

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 12:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 2

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Enter 0 in the Tool Rotation value box

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 13:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE EXTERNAL AXIS PAGE FOR OPERATION 2

 Select External Axis page.

 Choose Full rotary in the Rotary type field.
 Choose Orientation in the Angle calculation field.
 Enter -180 in the Tool orientation value box.

STEP 14:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

What is Rotary type: Full rotary?

Full rotary is a useful method to process large features, such as contour cuts,
which would normally be out of reach of the robot without the contribution of
simultaneous rotary table motion. There are two types of Angle calculation that
can be used with this method.

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 Tutorial 8

Orientation allows the user to calculate a rotary table position by maintaining a

fixed angle between the orientation of the tool vector projection on the rotary
table and the rotation origin of the table. This constraint is maintained throughout
the operation resulting in full simultaneous seven axis motion. This method
works well when the tool vector is far from the orientation of the rotary axis (far
from vertical). When the tool vector is near the orientation of the axis of rotation
(of the rotary table) motion may be jerky and jumps can occur in the rotary table.

Position allows the user to calculate a rotary table position by maintaining a

fixed angle between a line defined from the origin of the rotary to the position of
the tool tip projection on the rotary table (red dashed line in figure below) and the
rotation origin of the table. This constraint is maintained throughout the operation
resulting in full simultaneous seven axis motion. This method is desirable when
the orientation of the tool vector is near the axis of rotation of the rotary axis
(vertical).

Full rotary Orientation Full rotary Position

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 15:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 2

 Make sure the operation is selected.

 Select the Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the rotary table and the robot move in
simultaneous motion in order to keep the tool vector projection on the rotary table
constant. Viewing the simulation of this operation from the top view may help to
get a better understanding of this approach.

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 16
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 3

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default with Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Enter 0 in the Tool Rotation value box

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 17:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE EXTERNAL AXIS PAGE FOR OPERATION 3

 Select External Axis page.

 Choose Full rotary in the Rotary type field.
 Choose Position in the Angle calculation field.
 Enter -180 in the Tool orientation value box.

STEP 18:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS

 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 19:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 3

 Make sure the operation is selected.

 Select the Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

Note:
In this configuration, you will notice that the rotary table and the robot move in
simultaneous motion in order to keep a fixed angle between the line defined from
the origin of the rotary to the position of the tool tip projection on the rotary table
and the rotation origin of the table. Viewing the simulation of this operation from
the top view may help to get a better understanding of this approach.

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 Tutorial 8
STEP 20:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR ALL OPERATIONS

 Make sure all operations are selected.

 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

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 Tutorial 9

TUTORIAL 9
PART TO TOOL

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 Tutorial 9

Objectives:

The student will understand how to program part to tool applications.

This tutorial assumes that the student has the appropriate design and toolpath
skills using Mastercam X3

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 Tutorial 9

CUSTOMIZING THE TOOLBAR

Before starting to work with Robotmaster, we should activate the toolbars
required to use the simulation. See Robotmaster Quick Start Guide, pages 4
and 5.

STEP 1:
OPEN THE .MCX FILE

The file Skateboard_Part_to_Tool.mcx can be found in the Robotmaster\Samples

directory.

File
 Open
 Select the Skateboard_Part_to_Tool.mcx file

The file Skateboard_Part_to_Tool.mcx has two toolpath operations created for a

Fanuc Robot as seen in the operation manager.

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 Tutorial 9

STEP 2:
CHANGING THE ACTIVE MACHINE DEFINITION

The Machine definition for the file Skateboard_Part_to_Tool.mcx is a Fanuc Robot

machine. Please see Tutorial 1 for details on how to change the active robot if you
would like to do this tutorial with another robot.

STEP 3:
STARTING THE ROBOTMASTER PARAMETER INTERFACE

 In the Operation Manager to the left of the screen, click on Parameters under
the first operation.

 In the toolpath parameters window, click on the Robot Config button.

Note:
 The Motion parameters page will not be set in this tutorial. Motion parameters
specify the robot parameters to be used to move the robot through the
programmed trajectories. Each robot brand has different parameters for
configuring robot motion. These motion parameters have no “correct” value, and
are set depending on the job being done and the specific robot that is used .
These values will have to be set by someone knowledgeable with the
application.

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 Tutorial 9
STEP 4:
CONFIGURING THE ROBOT PAGE

In this page we are selecting the robot and the tool that is attached to the flange of the
robot.

 Select Robot page

 Click on the Robot pull down arrow and select

ROBOTMASTER2_PART_TO_TOOL generic robot. This is a generic robot
designed for use in this tutorial series.

 Click on the Tool selector button in order to select

DEFAULT_PART_TO_TOOL.

 Select OK button to exit the End Effector Tooling Selector.

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 Tutorial 9
STEP 5:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE FRAME DATA PAGE FOR OPERATION 1

 Select Frame Data page and set the Base Data and Tool Data settings as
indicated in the screenshot below. You will notice in the screenshot below that
Frame Data graphics are changed when a Part to Tool robot is selected.

 In the User Frame field, click the pull down arrow and select User defined

 Set to 0 all values boxes in the Base Data section

 In the User Tool field click the pull down arrow and select From operation

 Enter 1520 in the X value box

 Enter 230 in the Y value box
 Enter 350 in the Z value box
 Enter -90 in the W value box
 Enter 0 in the P value box
 Enter 180 in the R value box

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 Tutorial 9
STEP 6:
SETTING UP THE PARAMETERS IN THE APPROACH/RETRACT PAGE

The approach/retract points are the 6 joint values of the robot before the start and after
the end of the program respectively.

 Select Approach/Retract page

 Enter -45 in the joint J1 value box

 Set to 0 all other value boxes
 Then copy to the Retract section by clicking on the button.

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 Tutorial 9
STEP 7:
SETTING UP THE TOOL AND CONFIGURATION PAGE

 Select Tool and Configuration page.

 In the Tool Call field, select No tool call radio button.
 In the Tool Activation field, select No tool activation.
 Set the Robot Configuration settings as indicated in the screenshot below.

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 Tutorial 9
STEP 8:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 1

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Enter 0 in the Tool Rotation value box

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 Tutorial 9

How Part to Tool works?

Part to tool is a technique of mounting the part to the flange of the robot. The
part is then moved to a stationary tool for processing. In a part to tool application,
the user frame represents the origin of the part with respect to the flange of the
robot. The tool frame represents the contact point of the part on the tool with
respect to the base coordinate system of the robot.

The two figures below show the correlation of the axis configurations (top figure)
and the actual part and tool setup (bottom figure).

Tool frame User frame

Tool frame

User frame

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 Tutorial 9

Can multiple tool frames be defined?

Only one user frame can be specified, however multiple tool frames can be
define to accommodate several stationary tools fixed around the robot.

Tool frame # 1 Tool frame #2

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 Tutorial 9
STEP 9:
SAVE THE PARAMETERS
 Select OK to save the parameters and exit the Robotmaster parameter window.

STEP 10:
SET UP OF THE SIMULATION PARAMETERS
 Make sure the operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation Settings button from the Mastercam main toolbar.

 In the Robot Simulation Settings window, set all parameters as shown below:

 Select the OK button to save and exit the Robot Simulation Settings window.

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 Tutorial 9
STEP 11:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION 1

 Make sure the operation is selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select the Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

The simulation will then start and the canvas will look like the screenshot below

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 Tutorial 9
STEP 12:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE FRAME DATA PAGE FOR OPERATION 2

 Select Frame Data page and set the Tool Data settings as indicated in the
screenshot below

 Enter 2030 in the X value box

 Enter 230 in the Y value box
 Enter 350 in the Z value box
 Enter -90 in the W value box
 Enter 0 in the P value box
 Enter 180 in the R value box

STEP 13:
SETTING UP PARAMETERS IN THE AXIS CONFIGURATION PAGE FOR
OPERATION 2

 Select Axis Configuration page.

 Choose Default no Z rotation in the Type field.
 Choose Top in the Orientation field.
 Choose Fixed in the Angles field.
 Enter 0 in the Tool Rotation value box

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 Tutorial 9
STEP 14:
STARTING THE SIMULATION PROCESS FOR BOTH OPERATIONS

 Make sure both operations are selected. Robot simulation will not be launched
properly unless at least one operation is selected.
 Select Robot Simulation button from Mastercam main toolbar.

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 Tutorial 9
NOTES

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