What's new
By:
Advanced search…

Robotic CNC

J

JordanCClark

Alibre Super User
Anyone see one of these in action? I could see where there would be a cost savings over a standard CNC mill. I haven't seen much in the way of software or compatability thereof, but it does seem to open up some interesting avenues. Plus, it really pushed my "geek" button. :wink:

http://www.roboticmachining.com/
 
J

JordanCClark

Alibre Super User
Sorry, I was thinking more in terms of large format CNC machines. What really got my geekiness (sic) going was the this company actually developed a CAM package to use with Kuka robots. Milling and routing with a robot arm has been around a long time, but you had to develop each path manually. I think the software company ended up going with Delcam for the CAD end of it. Anyway, I used to do a lot of robotic applications, and this piqued my interest.
 
danbrinkman89

danbrinkman89

Senior Member
We use a robot to do some CNC Robotic Drilling. Our Motoman Software converts G-Code from Gibbscam (or any CAM for that matter) into robotic code. We then verify the code in Motosim and send it to the robot and walk it thru. The robot uses a 25,000 RPM electric spindle with an automatic toolchanger on it to switch tools and drill the different diameters.

The toughest challenge is to get the Offline Computer Robot to match the Real Robot. The major advantage is that the 6 axis robot is more flexible than many machining centers as you only need one OP to do machine the part. Another advantage is price at $200K for a robot CNC vs $750K for a mill/turn or 5th axis machine.

Here is an article written on our robot with the last paragraph explaing the drilling briefly.
http://www.roboticsonline.com/public/articles/details.cfm?id=3412

If there is any questions you have let me know as I have put in a lot of time programming and developing our robot to be able to do this.
 
danbrinkman89

danbrinkman89

Senior Member
We start out with any G-code, then convert it to .JBI or the file type that Motoman Robots Read. Instead of XYZ moves it has 7 axis moves - S L U R B T and External Axis to get to the position it needs to be at. The code is about the same length or longer than G-Code because you have to control outputs and inputs in the program as well, but the code can get to be very complex as more inputs/outputs are used.

I did look into the low end machines and HAAS has a 5 axis vertical for $200K with all options. The other downfall is that you still need a person to load/unload the machine after each cycle. With a robot it can load itself or you can put a queue in front of it for High or Low Volume type parts. So in the long run a robot should come out ahead if labor is taken out of it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top