Painting instructions tell the robot when and how to paint. There are five kinds of painting instructions:
Gun instruction
Gun select instruction
Preset instruction
Function instruction
ElectroStatic instruction
The Gun instruction tells the robot to turn the gun ON, or OFF. This instruction can only be used as an option on a motion instruction. The output to turn on the gun or applicator is turned on when the robot obtains the taught point position.
Some adjustment can be made to turn on or off the gun some time before or after the taught point. This amount of time is set using a positive or negative value for the “Delay from gun On,” or “Delay from gun Off” parameter found on the SETUP:Paint Screen. Refer to the “Paint Setup” section for more information.
If more than one gun is set up to be used with the robot, the Gun=ON instruction controls both guns. To adjust which gun(s) is turned on, use the GunSelect instruction ( Section 11.3, " GunSelect Instruction " ). Both guns are always turned off when a Gun=OFF instruction is executed. See Figure 112, " Gun = [x] " .
These operations can be modified for more than one gun on certain paint systems.
The function of a Gun=ON instruction is to turn on the applicator trigger when the robot is at the specified position. Gun=ON instructions use paint parameters set with the PRESET instruction. If the PaintTool parameter control option is loaded it is important to have a PRESET instruction used somewhere in a PaintTool JOB before the first GUN=ON instruction. Failure to follow this guideline may cause system problems requiring power to be cycled.
Gun=ON instructions can be programmed in succession such that there is no Gun=OFF instruction between them. When this type of programming is used, the nodes between one Gun=ON instruction and the next comprise a single stroke. This means that when the robot reaches the node before the first Gun=ON, all of the nodes between the two Gun=ON instructions must be within the tracking boundary before the robot will paint the stroke. If all of the nodes are not within the tracking boundary, then the robot will stop at the node before the first Gun=ON, the applicator trigger will turn off, and the robot will wait in this state until all nodes in the stroke are within the boundary. After all nodes are within the boundary, the robot will begin moving again and the applicator trigger will be turned back on when the robot reaches the Gun=ON node.
Figure 113. Example of Multiple Gun=ON instructions
1:L P[1] 600 mm/sec CNT100 2:L P[2] 600 mm/sec CNT100 Gun=ON 3:L P[3] 600 mm/sec CNT100 4:L P[4] 600 mm/sec CNT100 5:L P[5] 600 mm/sec CNT100 6:L P[6] 600 mm/sec CNT100 7:L P[7] 600 mm/sec CNT100 Gun=ON 8:L P[8] 600 mm/sec CNT100
In the example above, when the robot reaches P[1], it will check whether points P[2], P[3], P[4], P[5] and P[6] are within the tracking boundary. If any of these points P[2] through P[6] are not within the boundary, then the robot will stop and wait at node P[1], and the applicator trigger will be turned off. Once ALL the nodes P[2] through P[6] are within the boundary, the robot will begin moving again and the applicator trigger will turn on when the robot reaches P[2].
The function of a Gun=OFF instruction is to turn off the applicator trigger when the robot is at the specified position. Within a program, always have a Gun=ON instruction in the program before a Gun=OFF.
You must not allow the teach pendant program to have consecutive Gun=OFF instructions without inserting a Gun=ON between the Gun=OFF instructions. By not having a Gun=ON between the Gun=OFF instructions, it may leave the applicator trigger on when the conveyor stops.
For proper execution of consecutive gun instructions, a minimum distance must be maintained between instructions. A minimum distance must be between the instructions to allow for the action to take place. Specifically, this includes the Electrostat[ ], Func[ ], Gun=ON/OFF, GunSel[ ], Preset[ ] and WaitConv[ ] transitions. Refer to Table 19, " Minimum Distance " .
Table 19. Minimum Distance
Robot Speed (mm/sec) | Minimum Spacing Between Paint Instructions (mm) |
1200 | 60 |
1000 | 50 |
800 | 40 |
600 | 30 |
400 | 20 |
200 | 10 |
In the following example, note that P[3] and P[4] should be at least 30 mm apart.
2:L P[2] 600mm/sec CNT100 3:L P[3] 600mm/sec CNT100 Gun=ON 4:L P[4] 600mm/sec CNT100 Gun=OFF 5:L P[5] 600mm/sec CNT100 6:L P[6] 600mm/sec CNT100 7:L P[7] 600mm/sec CNT100
If the minimum distance guidelines above are not observed, then the actions associated with the Paint instructions may not take place at the taught point, but rather could take place beyond the taught point. In the previous example, if the distance between P[3] and P[4] was 15 mm for example, then the Gun=OFF instruction would not execute until the robot TCP had passed P[4], instead of at P[4] as programmed.
Note also that minimum distance could be larger than the values indicated in the above table if anticipation times are used. Examples of “Anticipation time” include to the values of “Delay from Gun On” and “Delay from Gun Off” in the Paint Setup screen, or the Pump Start and Pump Stop Anticipation times in the IPC Setup menu for the Integral Pump Control option. When such anticipation times are specified, they will be maintained in all cases, even if the triggering of the action relative to the taught point is sacrificed.
When the “Find Last Gun Off” feature is enabled in the color change setup menu, the length of the last stroke should be examined. (In this context the length of the last stroke refers to the distance between the last Gun=OFF and the previous Gun=ON). If this stroke is too short, then the execution of the gun instructions from this stroke could interfere with operation of the Last Gun Off feature. Therefore a minimum length for this stroke should be observed. Table 20, " Minimum Spacing Between the Last Gun=OFF and Previous Gun=ON " represents the minimum spacing between the last Gun=OFF and the previous Gun=ON.
Table 20. Minimum Spacing Between the Last Gun=OFF and Previous Gun=ON
Robot Speed (mm/sec) |
Minimum Spacing for P-200 Series |
Minimum Spacing for P-500 and P-50 |
Minimum Spacing for P-250iA |
---|---|---|---|
1200 |
200 mm |
180 mm |
360 mm |
1000 |
167 mm |
150 mm |
300 mm |
800 |
133 mm |
120 mm |
240 mm |
600 |
100 mm |
90 mm |
180 mm |
400 |
67 mm |
60 mm |
120 mm |
200 |
33 mm |
30 mm |
60 mm |
The GunSelect instruction tells the robot which gun to use. This instruction only functions on robots where more than one gun is attached and set up on the robot.
The value in the GunSelect instruction selects which of the guns should be turned on with the next gun on instruction. This functions according to Table 21, " GunSelect Values " .
Table 21. GunSelect Values
GunSelect Value |
Guns Selected |
1 |
Gun No. 1 |
2 |
Gun No. 2 |
3 |
Both Gun No. 1 and Gun No. 2 |
These operations can be modified for more than one gun on certain paint systems.
The GunSelect=[x] instruction selects the current gun. See Figure 116, " GunSelect=[x] " .
Preset instructions tell the robot which preset to use.
Preset[x]
The Preset[x] instruction determines which entry from the preset data table to use when controlling fluid flow, atomizing air, and fan air. See Figure 117, " Preset[x] " .
When a preset is not attached to a motion line it is called Standalone Preset[x]. In the following example line 33 is a Standalone Preset.
31: L P[19] 1000mm/sec CNT100
32: L P[20] 1000mm/sec CNT100
33: Preset[x]
34: L P[21] 1000mm/sec CNT100
Standalone Presets are typically used at the beginning of a PaintTool JOB before any motion begins to establish the paint parameter setpoints and to start airflow. However, it can use up cycle time (approximately .08 seconds).
Fluid Flow rate changes (waterborne or 1/2K) requested by the Standalone Presets do not take affect until the next Gun=ON instruction
Standalone Presets are subject to the look ahead planning features of the software. Typically 3 lines of TPE are planned ahead. Therefore in the above example, when the robot is at line #31 the Preset on line 33 will be acted on.
When a Preset is attached to a motion line it is called an attached Preset. for example, line 33 is an attached Preset.
31: L P[19] 1000mm/sec CNT100
32: L P[20] 1000mm/sec CNT100
33: L P[21] 1000mm/sec CNT100 Preset[x]
34: L P[22] 1000mm/sec CNT100
Attached Presets are recommended to be used over Standalone Presets. Primarily because Attached Presets provide greater control to the process engineer to select where/when changes in the painting parameters should take place. Attached Presets can also utilize anticipators (time before or after) to affect the execution with the associated position. This allows execution of the preset to be parallel to the execution of the motion.
Unlike Standalone Presets, with Attached Presets as long as the applicator is ON the fluid flow rate changes specified by the Preset will take affect immediately.
If, for example, you have the following instructions in your program,
P[1] 1000mm/sec CNT100 PRESET[2]
P[2] 1000mm/sec CNT100 GUN=ON
and the points are taught a sufficient distance apart, the timing will work out well. However, if P[1] and P[2] are taught too close together, or the PRESET[x] instruction was not finished before the robot reached P[2], the execution of the GUN=ON instruction will be delayed until the PRESET[x] execution is complete.
Function instructions provide control of eight discrete outputs.
In the Func[xxxxxxxxx] instruction, each of the fields represents a discrete output (0=OFF and 1=ON).
See Figure 118, " Func[xxxxxxxx] " .
ElectroStatic instructions tell the robot the electrostatic value to use.
There is one electrostatic instruction:
ElectroStat[ x]
The ElectroStat[x] instruction determines which entry in the electrostatic preset data table to use to control the electrostatic power supply. See Figure 119, " ElectroStat[x] " .