Palletware - ABB IRB 6400R Product On-Line Manual

4.8 PalletWare

General
The PalletWare package is a set of Rapid modules and user screens, which perform
basic operations related to a palletizing or depalletizing process. These operations
include a number of services which can be called from a main program to perform pick
and place operations for one or up to five palletizing tasks in parallel. For each such
task a number of separate dynamic variables are used to describe and keep track of each
on-going pallet operation. The PalletWare package is intended to work with Rapid
modules generated from PalletWizard, a PC tool for off-line programming of pallet
cycles.
Pallet cycles
Up to five different pallet cycles may be run in parallel, where a pallet cycle is the task
to run a complete palletizing job for a pallet, i.e. to pick and place all products,
including the pallet itself.
Each pallet cycle includes a number of layer cycles, where each layer cycle is the task
to complete one layer with all the parts to be picked and placed in this layer.
Each layer cycle may further be broken down into a number of pick-place cycles,
where each pick-place cycle is the task to pick one or several parts and place them on
the pallet. Within each pick-place cycle there may be several pick operations, if parts
must be picked in many separate operations. Similarly, there may be several place
operations in each pick-place cycle.
Each layer may be either an in-feeder layer, where the products, e.g. boxes, are picked
from an in-feeder, or a stack layer, where the product, e.g. an empty pallet, is searched
and picked from a stack.
If several pallet cycles are run in parallel, then one complete pick-place cycle is always
finished before a new one is started in another pallet cycle.
Pallet cell
The pallet cell may include any number of pallet stations, in-feeders and stacks for
pallets, tier sheets or slip sheets. All such stations and stacks are defined as regards
position, with an individual coordinate system (work object).
The palletizing robot is normally an IRB 6400 or IRB 640 but any robot type may be
used. The tool to use may be a mechanical gripper or a tool with suction cups, possibly
with separate grip zones for multiple picking and placing. Several different tooldata
may be defined and used depending on the product dimensions and number of
products.
Product Specification RobotWare for BaseWare OS 3.2
PalletWare
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