The First Program

Description

A program is a list of commands telling the robot what to do. For most tasks, programming is done entirely using the PolyScope software. PolyScope allows you to teach the robot arm how to move using a series of waypoints to set up a path for the robot arm to follow.


Use the Move tab to move the Robot Arm to a desired position, or teach the position by pulling the Robot Arm into place while holding down the Freedrive button at the top of the Teach Pendant.


You can create a program can to send I/O signals to other machines at certain points in the robot’s path, and perform commands like if…then and loop, based on variables and I/O signals.

 
To create a simple program

This is a simple example program, to show how easy it is to use a UR robot. It assumes a harmless environment and a very careful user. Do not increase the speed or acceleration above the default values. Always conduct a risk assessment before placing the robot into operation.

  1. On PolyScope, in the Header File Path, tap New... and select Program.

  2. Under Basic, tap Waypoint to add a waypoint to the program tree. A default MoveJ is also added to the program tree.

  3. Select the new waypoint and in the Command tab, tap Waypoint.

  4. On the Move Tool screen, move the robot arm by pressing the move arrows.
    You can also move the robot arm by holding down the Freedrive button and pulling the Robot Arm into desired positions.

  5. Once the robot arm is in position, press OK and the new waypoint displays as Waypoint_1.

  6. Follow steps 2 to 5 to create Waypoint_2.

  7. Select Waypoint_2 and press the Move Up arrow until it is above Waypoint_1 to change the order of the movements.

  8. Stand clear, hold on to the emergency stop button and in the PolyScope Footer, press Play button for the Robot Arm to move between Waypoint_1 and Waypoint_2.
    Congratulations! You have now produced your first robot program that moves the Robot Arm between the two given waypoints.

A singularity position can prevent the robot arm from moving into many poses/orientations and can block robot arm movement altogether.

  • Avoid placing the robot arm into a singularity position

You can find more detailed information in the section on Singularity.

Do not drive the robot into itself or anything else as this may cause damage to the robot.

Keep your head and torso outside the reach (workspace) of the robot. Do not place fingers where they can be caught.