Object: A liquid material application apparatus and a liquid material application method are provided with which a liquid material can be discharged in a predetermined discharge amount per unit time regardless of a relative moving speed in a series of application works. Solution: The liquid material application apparatus includes a discharge head, a robot moving the discharge head relative to a workpiece, a movement control unit controlling relative movement of the discharge head and the workpiece, and a discharge control unit controlling an operation of discharging a liquid material from a discharge head, wherein the discharge control unit executes, in a switchable manner in accordance with an application program, first mode discharge control of changing a discharge amount of the liquid material, which is discharged from the discharge head per unit time, depending on a relative moving speed between the discharge head and the workpiece, and second mode discharge control of operating the discharge head to discharge the liquid material in a predetermined discharge amount per unit time regardless of the relative moving speed. The liquid material application method is implemented using the liquid material application apparatus.

A robot programming device 1 is provided with a model layout unit 112 that lays out a workpiece model of a workpiece, a robot model of a robot, and a tool model of a tool in the virtual space, a machining site designation unit 113 that designates a machining site on the workpiece model, a stereoscopic shape layout unit 115 that lays out a predetermined stereoscopic shape such that a surface of the stereoscopic shape is filled in with a predetermined operation pattern and that the operation pattern is projected to at least one surface of the workpiece model, a machining path creation unit 116 that projects the operation pattern to at least one surface of the workpiece model to create a machining path for the tool, and a change unit 117 that changes the machining path and/or an operation program on the basis of the machining site.

A method for the safety control, through direct teaching, of a robotised system comprises a learning step, wherein a processing unit determines a relative distance (RD) between at least one link (L) of the robot manipulator and an operator (O) and controls whether the relative distance (RD) of the at least one link (L) exceeds a predefined distance threshold value (TV); wherein the predefined distance threshold value (TV) is equal to or greater than the distance covered by the robot manipulator in the amount of time needed to stop starting from a respective maximum linear speed (VMAX); in case the relative distance (RD) is smaller than the predefined distance threshold value (TV), the method entails stopping the robot.

Workflow charts for processing (e.g., treating, machining) a workpiece with a tool of an industrial robot are automatically generated. An initial chart has a plurality of tool paths for a workpiece in a defined target position and for defined process parameters. The tool path determines the desired movement of the tool along the workpiece. A state space describing variable parameter values that impact the workpiece processing are defined. Each point in the space represents a concrete combination of possible parameter values. The space is discretized into individual states. The processing of the workpiece is simulated using the initial chart for one or several discrete states and the simulated process results are evaluated according to a pre-definable criterion. The initial chart is iteratively modified, subsequently workpiece processing is simulated using the modified chart for at least one discrete state, and the simulated processing results are evaluated with a pre-definable cost function.

A robot automation system facilitates automated robotic manufacturing processes by employing a teaching subsystem including a tracking assembly that tracks movement of the mapping tool in a teaching workspace. A computing device in communication with the tracking assembly and the mapping tool receives tracking data from the tracking assembly and the mapping tool indicating movement of the mapping tool along a working path. Based on the tracking data, the computing device automatically generates robot instructions. A robot controller receives the robot instructions from the computing device and executes the robot instructions whereby the robot controller controls a robot and an end effector to conduct the automated robotic manufacturing process.

A fabrication system is disclosed for use in joining two components of a work piece. The fabrication system may have a mount configured to hold the work piece with a void to be filled with material. The fabrication system may also have a scanner configured to capture at least one image of the void, a robotic fabrication device movable relative to the mount, and a controller in communication with the scanner and the robotic fabrication device. The controller may be configured to generate a model of the void based on the at least one image, and to slice the model into at least one layer. The controller may also be configured to develop a tool path for each of the at least one layer, and to cause the robotic fabrication device to deposit material within the void based on the tool path.

A coating system for coating components, e.g., for paining motor vehicle body components, is provided. The system includes a coating booth, a conveying system, an application system, a process technology system, a safety system, and a robot system. The robot system includes at least one multi-axis coating robot for guiding the application device and a control unit. The control unit also controls the conveying system, the application system, the safety system and/or the process technology system.

A control method for a robot system includes setting a robot arm in a first attitude, performing work in a first region of an object while moving a tool relative to the object by a moving stage with the first attitude maintained, setting the robot arm in a second attitude, imaging the object using a camera and correcting a position of the tool by driving of the moving stage based on an imaging result with the second attitude maintained, and performing the work in a second region of the object while moving the tool relative to the object by the moving stage with the second attitude maintained.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a robot controller that does not require manual correction when an applying process operation is interrupted due to occurrence of an error, and that enables automatic avoidance of occurrence of an interrupted part (gap) of the applying process and occurrence of excessive processing upon resuming the applying process operation. When an applying operation is interrupted, if the operation has stopped after further advancement of the operation site from the position of interruption, the operation site is moved back by a predetermined distance along the curved trajectory at the time of an advancing movement prior to the stopping, and the advancing movement is resumed from the moved-back position along the curved trajectory. Thus, it is possible to resume the continuous process while the operation site, at the position where the continuous process operation has been interrupted, proceeds at the same speed as when the applying operation was interrupted.

A system and method for teaching a painting robot using wireless signals. The system includes a robot teaching assembly having a teaching tablet and a cradle to which the tablet is mounted, where the tablet includes a screen and a tablet Wi-Fi radio. The system also includes a robot controller assembly having a robot controller and a controller Wi-Fi radio, where the tablet radio and the controller radio are in wireless communication with each other to transmit signals to teach the robot. The cradle includes an emergency stop button for stopping the robot and an enable switch that must be closed to allow the robot to operate. The emergency stop button and enable switch are electrically coupled to the robot controller assembly by a safety signal cable. The cradle and the teaching tablet are not electrically coupled.