You can adjust the tool center point from the TCP Mate Menu screen.
Before you can use TCPMate, you must select the TCPMate mode. Refer to Table 1, "TCPMate Mode Setup Items " for listings and descriptions of the TCPMate mode setup items.
If orientation recovery is used, it is important that the TCP location reflect the TCP that is along the shaft. If the TCP location is inaccurate, you might need to run TCPMate twice to recover the TCP accurately.
Table 1. TCPMate Mode Setup Items
ITEM | DESCRIPTION |
---|---|
Current Tool |
This item is the UTOOL number and the current tool value. |
TCP Offset Units: mm |
This item is the difference between the current tool and the mastered tool. |
Mode Values: TCP XY, TCP XYZ, TCP XYZWPR, TCP Z, QUICK XY, TCP ALIGN |
This item is the type of motion and offset that TCPMate will correct. |
Setup Values: COMPLETE or INCOMPLETE |
This item indicates whether TCPMate setup is complete. If Setup is INCOMPLETE, you can not run TCPMate. |
Reference Values: COMPLETE or INCOMPLETE |
This item indicates whether the tool reference setup is complete. If Reference is INCOMPLETE, you can not run TCPMate. |
Tool Log Values: ENABLED or DISABLED Default: ENABLED |
This item indicates whether the TCP log utility is enabled. When ENABLED, the tool log stores the x, y, z, w, p, and r values for the previous tool. |
Before you can use TCPMate, you must set up and calibrate the TCP. Refer to Table 2, "TCPMate TCP Calibration Items " for listings and descriptions of the TCPMate TCP calibration items.
Table 2. TCPMate TCP Calibration Items
ITEM | DESCRIPTION |
---|---|
Sensor Type Values: TOS Wrist, I/O, TOS & I/O, or TOS All Axes Default: TOS All Axes |
This item indicates the kind of sensor used for contact detection. The three modes are:
|
Digital Port Values: RDI, DI, WDI, or WSI Default: RDI |
This item indicates the desired input port type. The port types are:
|
Circuit Enable Values: RDO, DOUT, WDO, or WSO Default: RDO |
This item indicates the circuit enable digital output port type. The port types are:
|
DEVICE SETUP | |
Two Circles Values: TRUE or FALSE Default: FALSE |
This item enables the Two Circles method. If set to FALSE, Two Circles method is disabled. NoteSpotTool+ uses only the Single Circle method. Two Circles should be set to FALSE for SpotTool+.
For ArcTool, this item indicates whether you have one or two circles on the touch plate. Valid values are:
|
Circle Axis Values: WORLD X, Y, Z, -X, -Y, -Z Default: WORLD Z |
This item indicates the axis perpendicular to the touch plate. A normal installation is WORLD z, where -z motion from the home reference position will cause the tool to go through the touch plate circle. |
Points on Circle Range: 4, 6, 0r 8 Default: 4 |
This item determines how many contact points are made between the tooling and the circular opening in the touch plate. Normally, four points are used to fit the change of TCP and to provide sufficient redundancy and error detection. However, if cycle time is not a constraint, and if you want best accuracy and reliability, choose six or eight points. |
TCP Z Offset Units: mm Range: -500.000 - 500.000 Default: 0.000 |
This item is the distance from the point on the tooling that contacts the plate to the actual TCP. This is used when XYZWPR mode is chosen to adjust the XYZ correction at the TCP properly when there is an orientation change. For spot welding and other applications where the contact point is the actual TCP location, this value should be zero. For Waterjet, arc welding, and other applications where the contact point is above the TCP at the time of contact, this value should be set to the distance from the contact point to the actual TCP. |
Tool Log Enable Values: TRUE or FALSE Default: TRUE |
This item enables logging of previous TCP values whenever a TCP update occurs. If set to FALSE, logging is disabled. |
Tool Log Size Range: 5 - 100 Default: 10 |
This item is the maximum number of TCP values that are stored in the tool log. When the maximum number is reached, the oldest stored TCP value is removed and the new one takes its place. This data is stored in permanent memory, so larger table sizes take up more space. Each entry takes approximately 40 bytes of permanent memory. |
Auto Update Values: TRUE or FALSE Default: TRUE |
This item indicates whether the automatic operation will cause the UTOOL to be changed. Automatic operation is used to detect when a collision has caused the tool to bend. It allows the Error Tolerance and Report On fields to determine whether production is stopped so that the problem can be fixed. If Auto Update is used, the UTOOL is always updated (unless Error Tolerance is exceeded). |
Entering, Exiting prog Values: valid program name(s) |
These items indicate the programs that will be used before and after TCPMate motion is executed during automatic operation. These items provide entrance and exit paths, ensure a safe path to the TCPMate Approach position, and ensure the proper state of the tooling or gripper before TCPMate operation. These programs must be set for automatic operation, and they can be the same program. |
Calling Prog Values: valid program name |
This item indicates the teach pendant program has the CALL TCPMATE instruction. TCPMATE will automatically increase the calling program's stack size if the program name is selected. |
MOTION SETUP | |
Failure Retry Values: 1 - 9 Default: 2 |
This item is the number of retries that will automatically perform if a failure occurs during TCPMate operation. For example, if excessive vibration causes a failure, TCPMate will continue to retry until either this number is exceeded, or until successful TCP correction is achieved. |
Motion Speed Units: mm/sec Range: 25 - 500 Default: 50 |
This item is the positioning speed for TCPMate. This value can be increased if cycle time is of great concern, or it can be decreased if vibration or other disturbances cause problems with the TOS. |
Fine Speed Units: mm/sec Range: 0.5 - 20 Default: 10 |
This item is the search speed for TCPMate. This speed is used for both TOS and I/O searches. The value can be increased if cycle time is of great concern (although increasing the speed will also affect the resultant accuracy and repeatability) , or reduced if vibration or other disturbances cause TCPMate to retry excessively. |
Search Distance Units: mm Range: 50 - 500 Default: 50 |
This item is the maximum distance that TCPMate will move while looking for the signal. |
Learn Distance Units: mm Range: 0.5 – 10.0 Default: 5.0 |
For“TOS All Axes” method only, there is a short motion before each search to identify dynamic torque values. Learn Distance is the distance in millimeters of this short motion, the direction is determined at the time of the motion. |
Learn Speed Units: mm/sec Range: 1.0 – 75.0 Default: 10.0 |
For“TOS All Axes” method only, this is the speed of the learning motion before each search. |
Fit Tolerance Units: mm Range: 0.1 - 5.0 Default: 0.25 |
This item is the circular fit tolerance for a successful TCP correction. If some error causes this tolerance to be exceeded, then the TCPMate operation will fail and will be done again up to the specified number of failure retries. This tolerance is the average point deviation from a perfect circle. |
Radius Tolerance Units: mm Range: 0.1 - 5.0 Default: 0.5 |
This item is a fit tolerance to the radius that was determined during TCPMate mastering. This item works similarly to Fit Tolerance . If you are using the same TOOL number for different diameters of tools (or significantly different weld wire diameters), you might want to increase this value. |
Align Threshold Units: mm Range: 0.0 -5.0 Default: 2.0 |
This item is the maximum alignment change allowed in millimeters from the previous TCP to the new TCP. If the alignment change is greater than the slign threshold, then a prompt box will be displayed. |
Error Tolerance Units: mm Range: 0.1 - 100 Default: 5.0 |
This item is the distance in millimeters from the previous TCP to the new TCP for a single correction. If a single correction is larger than Error Tolerance, then a prompt box will be displayed. |
Report On Default: DOUT |
This item is the digital output port that will be set to ON if the Error Tolerance value is exceeded during automatic operation. This allows the PLC to refrain from executing program motion until the problem is resolved. |
DISTURBANCE TORQUE SETUP | |
Sensitivity Tolerance Units: max. motor torque/sec. Range: 1 - 999 Default: 10 |
This item is the primary sensitivity tolerance of TOS. It is the rate of change of the disturbance torque. The actual units vary with motor model, gear ratio, and amplifier current, and are affected by tooling length. However, the effect for TCPMate is largely independent of these factors and a value of 10 is considered normal operation for typical installations. You should not use a value of less than 10 or misdetections might occur. This value can be increased if false detections occur frequently. WarningBe careful when you change this number. Changing the sensitivity tolerance might cause a false detection. This could injure personnel or damage equipment.
|
Torque Threshold Units: max. motor torque Range: 1 to 999 Default: 100 |
This item is the level of disturbance torque that is used as another means of TCPMate detection. The default value of 100 is considered normal operation for typical installations. If increasing the value of Sensitivity Tolerance does not make false detections disappear, then this value should be increased until the false detections disappear; then, reset the value of Sensitivity Tolerance . |
Accumulate Check Values: TRUE or FALSE Default: FALSE |
This item enables the Accumulate Check function, which causes TCPMate to post an error if the total accumulated TCP offset since mastering exceeds a specified amount. |
Accumulate Threshold Units: mm Range: 1.0 – 100.0 Default: 5.0 |
This item sets the threshold for the total accumulated TCP offset in millimeters since TCPMate mastering before an error is posted. This function works if Accumulate Check is set to TRUE. |