But programming welding robots can be a challenge, especially when you don’t have experience deploying and using robots.

Enter the new Welding Add-in for RoboDK!

Our new Add-in makes programming your welding task easier than ever before. With a few simple steps, you can set up powerful welding programs by setting a few simple parameters.

Here’s what you can expect from the Welding Add-in and how you can get the most from it…

The Need for Simpler Robotic Welding Programming

According to a US figures, there was a need for around 375,000 welding professionals to fill job openings in 2023. But, finding these professionals is becoming an increasingly tough job for manufacturing companies.

There is a severe shortage of welding talent in many countries right now. We can attribute this to factors such as the aging workforce, deindustrialization, and a preference for knowledge-based work among young adults.

The impact of this shortage is putting a strain on many companies. It leads to longer lead times for work, production problems, and higher manufacturing costs for businesses.

Adding robots to your welding process can help to bridge the gap left by the lower number of human welders. However, the problem is that most welding professionals have little to no experience with robots.

Human expertise is vital for creating an automated welding process. But welders might struggle to work with robots even when they are keen to learn.

This is why easy programming options are so necessary.

7 Key Features of Welding with RoboDK

When combined with RoboDK, the new Add-in offers some valuable features to help you quickly set up a powerful welding task.

Here are 7 key features you can use:

• Welding Simulation — Welding is an extremely common task, particularly in the automotive industry. RoboDK’s capabilities allow you to create precise, technologically adequate and collision-free welding trajectories.
• Component Simulation — RoboDK allows you to load your robot as well as all the other components of your application into the simulation environment. You can also create other shapes with the Shape Add-in.
• Trajectory Planning — The Add-in helps you create collision-free paths between subsequent points in your welding task. You can simply use the collision detector or you can autogenerate new trajectories using our AI planner.
• Predefined Weld Profiles — You can create multiple welding profiles for different welding tasks with predefined modes and visualization settings.
• Add Custom Code Instructions — Making changes to your program to suit your specific setup is very easy when you add custom code instructions.
• Cycle Time Estimation — An extremely useful feature of RoboDK is that it can estimate the cycle time for a particular task, helping you to continuously improve the efficiency of your program.
• Robot Program Generation — While simulation alone can be useful for planning your robot program, the real power of RoboDK comes when you use it to generate your robot program. When it’s set up with your specific robot model, you can do this at the touch of a button.

These features — and many more within RoboDK — offer a robust robot programming interface for your welding tasks. Additionally, RoboDK’s integration with gantry systems from Lucas France enhances its capabilities further.

How to Use the New RoboDK Welding Add-in

To use the RoboDK Welding Add-in, first ensure that you have the core software properly installed and running on your device.

You can get the latest version of RoboDK from our download page

Then complete the following steps to start your welding application:

1. Start by downloading the Add-in for free from our Add-in Marketplace. You can also load it directly in RoboDK by activating the App Loader.
2. Load the necessary models, robots, and tools into your simulation. Remember that you don’t need to include all objects from your robot’s physical environment. Only include those components that will affect the welding task.
3. Set up your tool (TCP) in RoboDK with the welding gun. There are several of these models in the Robot Library, or you can use your own
4. Create toolpaths and use the Welding Add-in to add specific welding commands.
5. Simulate the robot program and identify which aspects of your application needs improvement.
6. Double-check for any collisions that may have been generated using RoboDK’s collision detector.
7. Generate the robot program and send it to your welding robot.
8. Test the generated welding program on your robot. Note any changes you need to make to your program and update them within RoboDK.
9. When you have debugged the program fully, you can put the welding robot into production.
10. Plan to come back to your robot application after some time to see which aspects of the welding task you can improve.

These are just the overall steps to using the Welding Add-in. For a more detailed tutorial, go to our dedicated page on the documentation site

What You Can Expect With the New Add-in

If you are using robotics to improve your welding application, the new Add-in could be a game-changer.

If you are already an experienced user of RoboDK, you can expect to increase your productivity when programming welding tasks. This can help you reduce the time to program a new welding procedure and have more ways to improve existing welding.

If you are new to RoboDK and welding is your first robotic application, the Welding Add-in will help reduce the time and effort you take to get used to robot programming. With this application under your belt, you can then create even more impactful applications.

Which welding tasks would you like to automate? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or in the RoboDK Forum.. Also, check out our extensive video collection and subscribe to the RoboDK YouTube Channel

The post RoboDK Welding Add-in: Sparks are Flying with our New Feature appeared first on RoboDK blog.

The software landscape for manufacturing is ever-changing. New tools arrive all the time, either to fill gaps in the market or to make better use of the new technology.

Onshape is one such tool. Unlike traditional computer-aided design (CAD) packages, it is entirely browser-based. By using a cloud solution it brings another level of flexibility to manufacturing design.

RoboDK’s team also realized the need for reliable browser-based software. That’s why they released RoboDK for Web back in 2022.

With this new plug-in for Onshape, you can now create product designs and robot programming simulations entirely within your computer’s web browser!

What Is Onshape?

Founded in 2012, Onshape offers cloud-native CAD software. This provides its users with a centralized repository of all design data, making it easy to access, manage, and share design projects from anywhere.

With over two million users, Onshape is very popular. It recently claimed the top spot as the world’s fastest-growing CAD system. It is growing around seven times faster than the average in the market.

Onshape aims to cater to both the specific needs of core engineering teams and non-CAD users. With its wealth of collaboration and agile manufacturing features, it helps foster teamwork from the conception of new products to production.

If you hadn’t heard of Onshape before reading this article, you will almost certainly start hearing about it more. With the growing popularity of collaborative document writing systems, it seems likely that real-time collaborative CAD design will soon become commonplace.

Why Choose Onshape?

As a cloud-based CAD system, Onshape offers a variety of benefits for engineers and designers.

Here are some benefits using Onshape:

Cloud-based Solution

One major benefit of the system is that it eliminates the need for expensive hardware.

As the software is not installed locally, you only need a computer with the capability to run a compatible web browser. You don’t need extensive storage space to hold large project files because everything is stored in the cloud.

Collaboration and Sharing

Onshape is sometimes referred to informally as the “Google Docs of CAD” due to its powerful collaboration features.

You can easily share your CAD designs with both licensed and non-licensed users of Onshape. Non-licensed users can simply view the designs. Licensed users with shared file permissions can simultaneously edit designs in real-time.

Stability and Software Updates

Onshape also stands out thanks to its stability, regular updates, and free learning resources.

Regular updates are released every few weeks and the company provides a live link to check the application’s status and diagnose network issues.

If you do have any issues with the software, Onshape provides extensive training resources and it is supported by an active user community.

Introducing… the New RoboDK Onshape Plugin

What if you could combine the power of cloud-based CAD with a similarly powerful browser-based robot programming?

This is where the RoboDK plug-in for Onshape comes in!

In the plugin, you simply export your CAD file from Onshape and it will show up in the RoboDK window.

Unlike some of RoboDK’s other plug-ins, which are designed for the desktop version, this one works with RoboDK’s online tool: RoboDK for Web.

RoboDK’s CEO Albert explains:

“As with all our plugins, the Onshape plugin is free. We have integrated it with the free-to-use RoboDK for Web. Once you install the App, a window in RoboDK for Web will show that it has been embedded. We are also adding project templates to our library to make it very easy to get started with robot simulation and programming directly from Onshape.”

RoboDK for Web is designed for creating quick proofs of concept and sharing robot simulations. If you want access to more features, you can then download your project directly to RoboDK for Desktop to keep working on it further.

Is This Plugin Right for You?

If you are already using Onshape and you’re looking to get into robot programming, this new plug-in is a must-have!

If you are new to RoboDK, now is a brilliant opportunity to explore it. With RoboDK’s extensive training library and supportive user community, it’s easy to get started with robot programming even if you have never done it before.

If you haven’t tried Onshape yet – maybe you’re a RoboDK user looking for a new CAD software – you can test it to see if it is the right solution for you.

One factor to consider is how important it is that your CAD software is collaborative. Onshape’s real-time collaboration features can certainly be helpful if you are working with remote teams.

How to Get Started Using the New Onshape Plugin

Wondering how you can try out the new Onshape plug-in for yourself?

The best way to assess if it meets your needs is just to try it for yourself! Make a robotic simulation with your Onshape CAD design and see how easy it is to transfer your design into the software for robotic simulation.

You can install the RoboDK plugin from Onshape’s App Store. You may need to create an account with Onshape first. Then, you can try Onshape and RoboDK for free. You can find more information in the RoboDK documentation.

What questions do you have about the new Onshape plugin? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or in the RoboDK Forum.. Also, check out our extensive video collection and subscribe to the RoboDK YouTube Channel

The post Moving Robot CAD to the Cloud: The New Onshape Plugin for RoboDK for Web appeared first on RoboDK blog.

Quality issues and a lack of repeatability are common sources of frustration. Therefore, if you want to accurately cut tubes, you must do a few things first.

You either need to invest in large, expensive cutting machines or risk inconsistency by performing the job manually.

Meanwhile, one company in Finland has developed a system that makes tube and pipe cutting easy and quick with robotics.

With the help of RoboDK’s offline programming software, they have found a way to seamlessly turn CAD models into accurately milled pipes.

The Challenges of Conventional Tube Cutting

The conventional approaches to cutting and milling tubes are far from ideal.

Common options for cutting pipes include heavy-duty power cutters, gas cutters, band saws, or even grinders. These certainly perform the job of cutting the pipe. However, their accuracy and consistency are generally low.

As a result, this lack of consistency can be very problematic. For instance, With band saw cutting; incorrect tension applied by the human operator can lead to inconsistent wear of the cutting blade.

In addition, there are other quality issues that often arise as well. These issues include crooked cuts, wandering blades, poor cutting repeatability, excessive burrs on metal tubes, and other defects.

A common alternative for improving the accuracy and consistency of pipe cutting is to use a laser cutting machine. These machines are often huge, expensive, and inflexible. For instance, a particular machine might be suited to cutting the profile of a tube. However, it will likely be unsuitable for tasks like milling a window into the side of the tube.

As a result, these challenges mean that conventional approaches to tube and pipe cutting are often too inflexible. They just don’t suit the needs of those companies that are not cutting huge numbers of the same type of tube with the same type of cut every day.

Introducing Sunrob Robotics

Sunrob Robotics is a provider of advanced robotic applications based in Lappeenranta, Finland.

Moreover, they specialize in a variety of different solutions. These solutions include robotic packaging, 3D printing, machine vision, and other robotic services. Since their first robotic application back in 2006 — a machine tending application for a metal lathe — Sunrob Robotics has been providing solutions to a wide range of industries. For example; the metal industry, the food industry, and the wood industry.

We previously introduced one of the team’s applications when we wrote about their robot milling setup for creating custom-built ice hockey sticks.

Meanwhile, the team at Sunrob Robotics have turned their engineering minds to the problems associated with accurately milling tubes and pipes.

Sunrob’s Flexible Robotic Milling System

The team knew that they needed to create a system that was easy for customers to deploy and even easier for them to program.

Tube and pipe cutting is required in a wide range of industries. These industries include; manufacturing, oil and gas, civil engineering, and more. They needed people who were not highly experienced robot integrators to be able to use the system; ideally out of the box.

For this reason, they designed the solution as a ready-to-use, self-contained unit. The robotic system is mounted inside a shipping container. The container has a 7-meter wide automatic door so that a 6-meter tube fits into it.

Their system is designed to be flexible and can be used with different types of tubes. For example, this video shows the system with a milling tool and a plastic tube. However, it can also be useful for a plasma or laser cutter and a stainless steel pipe.

The Team’s Robotic Setup

The team at Sunrob Robotics integrated a few key hardware and software components to make the tube cutting system possible.

Here are the basic elements that they combined:

The Robotic Hardware

Sunrob Robotics specializes in KUKA robots; the core of the robot cell is a KUKA KR 120 2500 Pro.

This is a compact, high-payload robot (120kg) from KUKA’s Quantec Pro line of robots. It is specially designed to meet the needs of various industries. As a result, this makes it suitable given the large number of industries that Sunrob Robotics services.

The core hardware components of the system are:

• The KUKA robot
• The required cutting head (in the case of the video demo above, this was a milling head)
• The automatic doors of the shipping container that perform the same job as a safety fence

The Software Setup

The team wanted to make sure that programming was quick and intuitive for any user that was using the tube cutting system.

For this reason, they based it around RoboDK; which provides an accessible robot programming interface even to new robot users.

The core software components were:

• RoboDK for offline programming of the robot
• Fusion 360 as their chosen CAD program (they generated the cutting paths in Fusion360 and sent it to RoboDK)

Fusion 360 integrates seamlessly with RoboDK through its native plugin. We have previously discussed why this CAD program is a great option when working with flexible milling applications like this one.

What’s Next for Sunrob Robotics

The team at Sunrob Robotics has developed their solution for agile robot milling of tubes and pipes. Now, what’s next?

Sami Pörsti CEO of Sunrob explains that they already have their next application planned.

He says:

“We are already setting up the next system for plasma cutting and welding with the same technology. This will also be in a shipping container.”

What challenges do you often encounter with tube and pipe cutting? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or in the RoboDK Forum.

The post How to Achieve Agile Tube Cutting with Sunrob Robotics appeared first on RoboDK blog.

Engraving is an increasingly popular task in manufacturing. Customization is becoming the norm for many different products and engraving allows manufacturers to easily add custom logos and designs onto their products. Robot engraving is an easy way to increase the value of the product with very little extra work.

One student at a German university has designed a system to engrave wood using robot milling and a collaborative robot in RoboDK. What’s especially interesting about this project is that it includes a specialized end effector to avoid generating too much dust and wood chips.

Introducing… Jan Gosedopp

The project was developed a few years ago by student Jan Gosedopp as part of his Bachelor of Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Hamm-Lippstadt in Germany.

We are writing about his project now because robot engraving looks set to become very popular in the near future. For example, someone at manufacturer Universal Robots mentioned recently that they are thinking of adding wood engraving to their ever-increasing list of collaborative robot applications.

Gosedopp’s project involved programming a Universal Robot and developing a custom engraving end effector which could remove the dust.

How Wood Engraving Is Usually Done

As is the case with many machining operations, the traditional way to achieve autonomous engraving is with a dedicated CNC machine.

These machines are easy to find and there are many competing options on the market. However, they are generally inflexible — each model is only suitable for one particular type of engraving. If you want to switch to another engraving process, you may have to buy an entirely different machine.

Programming a CNC Engraver

One of the challenges of this traditional type of engraving is with programming. As CNC expert James Hamilton says “a CNC machine is only as good as its software. And not all software is created equal.” He explains that the software you use can really restrict the abilities of your machine.

Some CNC software, for example, can only achieve 2.5D milling. This is fine for engraving, where you usually only want to mill a 2-dimensional shape into the material surface. However, it becomes restrictive if you ever want to progress to more 3-dimensional shapes.

Gosedopp was using 2.5D rotary engraving, which involves using a spinning routing or milling tool to cut thin grooves into the wood.

What is Robot Engraving?

The approach that Jan Gosedopp took was to avoid using a CNC machine altogether. Instead, he chose to use a robot, specifically the UR10 from Universal Robots.

Compared to CNC machines, robots are very flexible. In fact, a single robot could be used for almost any type of engraving processes… and more tasks besides. All you have to do is give the robot a different tool, which is very easy to do with the right robot programming software.

Programming Robot Engraving

For programming, Gosedopp chose to use RoboDK. This choice helped him avoid many of the potential programming problems that occur with traditional CNC machines.

With RoboDK’s dedicated robot milling wizard, it is easy to achieve both the 2.5D engraving that he needed and gives him the option of using 3D milling with exactly the same setup if he ever needs it.

To generate the engraving path, he used Solid Works along with its free HSMXpress add-on which produces CAM paths. Back when he did this project, the RoboDK tool bar for SolidWorks that we released this year was not yet available. Therefore, the milling path was imported in RoboDK using G-code files.

The Custom Tool for Dust-Free Engraving

One of the core developments of Jan Gosedopp’s project was a custom-built end effector for robot engraving.

An interesting feature of this tool was that it included elements to remove dust and wood chips from the workpiece during the operation, which allowed for a clean working environment.

Important Factors for a Robot Engraving Tool

As part of his Bachelor’s thesis, he evaluated 2 different end effector designs and chose the best one based on its suitability for the task.

He assessed his two designs based on the following categories:

1. Compatibility with the UR3/UR10
2. Ability to clamp the milling spindle
3. Compatibility with the extraction
4. Accurate centering and alignment
5. Milling spindle flush with robot flange
6. Lateral threads for fixing
7. Small tool footprint
8. Low production costs

The two designs were quite similar and rated exactly the same in most of these categories. The only two differences between the designs were in the method of attachment of the milling spindle and the positioning of the tool on the robot flange.

In the end, the two factors which determined his choice of design were lower production costs and the addition of lateral threads for extra fixings.

Security

A key concern for this type of tool is security. The robot used was a collaborative robot, so it had its own safety features. However, custom tools can introduce additional safety issues.

Gosedopp focused on two aspects of security:

1. Danger from flying objects — Wood chips and dust could easily fly away from the engraving operation and harm humans. To combat this, he introduced a brush around the tool to catch flying wood chips and a vacuum to extract the dust.
2. Danger from people entering workspace of milling spindle — Although collaborative robots themselves are generally safe, this does not mean that their tools are safe. The spinning engraving tool could cause damage to a human if, for example, their hand was to get in the way. The brush around the tool would help avoid this to some extent. However, Gosedopp felt that further security was required so he added a pane of safety glass and a laser scanner.

The Final Design

After assessing the two designs, Gosedopp arrived at the final design of the robot engraving end effector. It contained the following components:

• Milling head — the “business end” of the tool for milling workpieces.
• Robot arm — the UR10 collaborative robot.
• PC — the program was generated in RoboDK and exported to a robot program.
• Controller box — performed signal processing and ran the robot program produced by RoboDK.
• Vacuum — performed extraction of the dust and chips.
• Security system — a laser scanner was used to detect if someone entered the workspace and stop the robot.

Finally, Gosedopp was able to achieve the following wood engraving application, as shown in this video:

What could you do with a dust-free engraving robot? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or in the RoboDK Forum.

The post How One Engineer Achieved Dust-Free Robot Engraving With RoboDK appeared first on RoboDK blog.

The new plugin for Solid Edge allows you to get the power of synchronous technology with the easy robot programming of RoboDK.

Everyone has their favorite CAD program. When I was going through university, mine was Solid Edge. It was the first one that I learned and I stuck with it for years.

Solid Edge provides a type of modeling that very few other CAD packages do — its synchronous technology. If you’re a fan of this approach, your robot programming is about to get even easier.

Up until now, users of Solid Edge could only export their models into RoboDK the “old-fashioned way” (i.e. exporting the model to a file and dragging it into the RoboDK window). This is quite easy to do but it isn’t the slickest way possible.

Fans of other CAD packages already have seamless integration with RoboDK (including Inventor, Fusion 360, Mastercam, Rhino, and more).

Now the same capability has arrived to Solid Edge!

What is Solid Edge?

Solid Edge is a CAD program created by Siemens PLM Software. It is designed to be affordable, easy to use, and able to handle large assemblies.

Like many CAD programs it allows you to create and test 3D product models for your designs. It includes simulation, drafting, and assembly modes to allow you to go all the way from idea to final product design. With Solid Edge CAM, you can also generate paths for CNC machining.

Solid Edge vs SolidWorks

People often make a comparison between Solid Edge and SolidWorks. These two CAD packages are both very popular and both are highly capable for most engineering tasks.

We wrote previously about SolidWorks when we released our RoboDK plugin for it.

Although the two software packages are often compared, there are some key differences between them.

For one thing, SolidWorks is a product of French software company Dassault Systèmes while Solid Edge is from the US company Siemens PLM Software.

According to some reviews, Solid Edge has a slightly steeper learning curve for people who are completely new to CAD. SolidWorks also has the capability for more complex simulations, like liquid simulation.

However, the big thing that sets Solid Edge apart from all the rest is its synchronous technology.

The Power of Synchronous Technology

Most CAD packages are based around the concept of parametric modeling. Objects are built by creating features and constraints, which are defined by parameters.

These parameters are defined sequentially with each feature being built upon the previous ones. If you want to change the size of an existing feature (e.g. increase the size of a hole), every change after that one in the history tree will be affected.

Parametric modeling is great if the designer knows what they are doing. However, the history tree can quickly become unmanageable if it’s not handled correctly.

This can lead to dodgy CAD models that look right but are almost impossible for anyone to change (other than the original creator, who might have forgotten how it was built if a long time has passed).

Direct modeling provides a different approach. Instead of building models up feature-by-feature, you edit the model directly. Some people liken this to modeling with a lump of clay and it’s similar to the way that models are built for 3D animation. This gets rid of the problems of the history tree but can also introduce challenges when creating easy-to-manufacture parts.

Solid Edge combines the benefits of both of these approaches by using a method called synchronous technology. At any point, you can choose to edit your model using parametric modeling or direct modeling, as suits your needs in the moment.

Our new plugin will allow you to get the most of this (and all the other features in Solid Edge) when creating models for your robot program.

Introducing… the RoboDK plugin for Solid Edge

As with our previous CAD program plugins, the new plugin provides seamless integration between Solid Edge and RoboDK.

The newest version of RoboDK includes the Solid Edge plugin. After installing, you should now find that the new plugin menu is visible inside Solid Edge.

The plugin acts as a one-way bridge from Solid Edge to RoboDK. Using the new menu, you can send parts, paths, curves, and points directly to RoboDK. They will be automatically loaded into your robot program in a format that is suitable for robot programming.

The RoboDK toolbar includes the standard 5 buttons found in all of our plugin menus:

• Auto Setup — Select the geometries (curves, points, models) that you want to add to RoboDK and they will be loaded along with the 3D model.
• Load Part — This sends a 3D model directly from Solid Edge to RoboDK, without having to mess around with exporting parts to external files as you would have had to do before.
• Load Point(s) — Select a set of points (e.g. for robot drilling) along with their respective surfaces and they will turn up in RoboDK as a “point follow” program.
• Load Curve(s) — The same as the previous option but with curves, e.g. for painting, welding, etc.
• Settings — Here you can customize how the export is run, including changing tolerances, scales, and exported file type for 3D models.

Is this Plugin Right for You?

If you are already a fan of Solid Edge and RoboDK, this new plugin is definitely a good addition to your workflow.

Not using RoboDK yet? This could be a great opportunity to test out our robot programming software for your needs. Just download a copy and try it out.

How to Get Started Using the New Solid Edge Plugin

Getting started with the new plugin is really as easy as updating your version of RoboDK and opening up Solid Edge!

For more information about how to use the plugin menu, along with detailed steps and screenshots, check out the documentation page.

The post Experience Synchronous Design with the New Solid Edge Plugin appeared first on RoboDK blog.

You want to get good, working G-Code as quickly as possible. But usually, you spend hours fiddling with settings and repeating the same actions again and again in your CAM software.

Programming is a particularly important step if you’re interested in using CAM as a basis for robot machining (a great method to improve your machining flexibility). Programming a machining robot can be very easy and you don’t want to slow down the process at the stage of generating your G-Code.

FeatureCAM is a great solution to speed up G-Code generation and improve the quality of your machined products.

We have recently released a brand new RoboDK plugin for FeatureCAM which integrates these two powerful programming tools. Together, they let you go from CAD model to finished product quickly and easily when using robot machining.

Let’s have a look at FeatureCAM and the new software.

What is FeatureCAM?

FeatureCAM is a Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software from Autodesk, the company that also makes Inventor and Fusion360 — both of which also have RoboDK plugins.

The main purpose of FeatureCAM is to automate your programming workflow when designing NC code. It aims to speed up your programming process whist improving machining consistency and efficiency.

The software achieves this through a combination of feature recognition, built-in intelligence, and knowledge-based machining.

What’s FeatureCAM Good For?

As its name suggests, FeatureCAM’s strengths lie in how it handles features on the models you create in your Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. By using advanced feature recognition and other tools, the software is able to improve the speed and quality of G-Code generation.

The 3 key aspects that set FeatureCAM apart from other CAM software are:

1. Feature recognition — The software scans your 3D model and automatically identifies a list of common features (e.g. holes, bosses, pockets) and generates all of the information necessary to machine the part with a CNC machine (or robot).
2. Built-in intelligence — The software can automatically make programming decisions for you based on the recognized features. For example, milling of a path will often include a roughing pass and then a finishing pass of the tool. It will also set the speeds, tools, etc that are necessary to machine that feature.
3. Knowledge-based machining — The software can generate an entire workflow automatically for your part, which you can customize and save for future machining products. To achieve this, it includes a catalog of tools and materials, each with its own set of machining properties. You can create your own custom materials and update existing ones.

Ultimately, these features all combine to allow for fast, efficient, and consistent programming of your machining operations.

What’s the Difference between Fusion 360 and FeatureCAM?

Both FeatureCAM and Fusion 360 are CAM softwares created by Autodesk.

So… what’s the difference between them?

The biggest difference is the primary purpose of each of them:

• Fusion 360 is a cloud-based CAD software with integrated CAM functionality — see our Fusion 360 article for more details.
• FusionCAM is solely dedicated to CAM. It takes a 3D model that you develop in your CAD software and generates G-Code programs that can be used by a CNC machine or a machining robot. It includes tools to improve the G-Code generation, which sets it apart when compared to simpler CAM programs.

Until very recently, Fusion 360 and FeatureCAM were entirely different products. However, as of January 2020, they have been combined. If you purchase a new license of FeatureCAM it will come packaged with Fusion360 and be named “Fusion 360 with FeatureCAM.”

Introducing… the New RoboDK Plug-in for FeatureCAM

We already have a good selection of RoboDK plugins for some of the world’s most popular CAD/CAM packages (including SolidWorks, Inventor, and Fusion 360). Like these existing plugins, the functionality is controlled by a standard set of buttons that are visible in the plugin bar.

The FeatureCAM plugin includes the 5 standard buttons for CAD operations (plus a new “About” button):

• Auto Setup — This creates a new project within RoboDK, along with your 3D from within FeatureCAM and the machining path.
• Load Part — Sends the 3D model directly from FeatureCAM to RoboDK
• Load NC Program — This loads the machining program from FeatureCAM into RoboDK. If you are using multiple machining tools, it will create a new program for each tool.
• Generate Robot Program — This allows you to generate the robot programs within RoboDK without ever needing to leave FeatureCAM, which will speed up your workflow.
• Settings — Customize the plugin by changing tolerances, scales and the exported file type for 3D models. You can also define the names that objects will have when they appear in RoboDK.

Is the Plugin Right for You?

If you’re already using FeatureCAM then the new RoboDK plugin is an absolute must. If you haven’t tried RoboDK yet, the plugin is a perfect excuse to give it a go! You can get a free demo version on the downloads page.

If you haven’t tried FeatureCAM yet, but you’re using RoboDK, you might be trying to decide if it’s worth investing in FeatureCAM. It certainly is an impressive piece of software and has the potential to streamline your CAM programming for all types of machining (not just robot machining). You can get a demo from the FeatureCAM website, where there are also some pretty good videos which demonstrate the key functionality of the software.

If FeatureCAM doesn’t look right for your needs, you can always check out Mastercam which is also compatible with RoboDK.

How to Get Started Using the New FeatureCAM Plugin

The best way to test the new plugin’s capabilities is to try it out for yourself!

Download the latest version of RoboDK (if you haven’t already) and check out the documentation page, which explains all the functionality of the plugin in detail.

What are your opinions on FeatureCAM? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or in the RoboDK Forum.

The post Speed Up CAM Programming with the FeatureCAM Plug-in appeared first on RoboDK blog.

Plus, the power of a good CAM package.

Plus, the robot-programming skill of RoboDK.

You can now combine them all with the new RoboDK plugin for RhinoCAM.

We already have an impressive (and growing) set of plugins for some of the most popular CAD/CAM packages in the business.

But, our newest plugin is quite an interesting one…

It’s a plugin for another plugin!

Let’s have a look at the new RoboDK plugin for RhinoCAM

What is RhinoCAM?

RhinoCAM is itself a plugin for the very popular freeform modeling tool Rhino (aka Rhinoceros or Rhino3D). We already have a plugin that communicates directly with Rhino itself.

RhinoCAM adds additional CAD/CAM capability to Rhino. It is based on VisualCAM, a popular stand-alone CAM package by MecSoft. It runs seamlessly within Rhino, allowing you to easily generate CNC programs from your freeform generated models.

What is RhinoCAM Good For?

One of the key features of RhinoCAM (and VisualCAM itself) is its 5 core modules dedicated to specific CNC manufacturing processes.

These 5 modules are:

1. RhinoCAM-MILL — The MILL module is designed for processes like molding, die and tooling, woodworking, rapid prototyping, and general machining. It is compatible with 2.5, 3, 4, and 5-axis machining, which is perfect when used in collaboration with RoboDK.
2. RhinoCAM-TURN — The TURN module is a powerful 2-axis turning center for processes like turn roughing, finishing, threading, parting, and hole machining. It is used with CNC lathes.
3. RhinoCAM-NEST — The NEST module is an optional add-on module that helps users optimally arrange and fit geometric shapes onto sheets of stock material. It provides two nesting capabilities: rectangular nesting and true nest shaping.
4. RhinoCAM-ART — The ART module turns artwork into geometries suitable for machining. It can take raster bitmap images as an input. It also has a set of modeling techniques specific to jewelry design, sign making, and model making. This is perfect when used for robotic drawing or engraving projects.
5. RhinoCAM-MESH — The MESH module is a completely separate module that includes tools for automatically processing 3D mesh data. It can clean up, reduce, refine, and otherwise prepare 3D meshes for applications like NC machining and 3D printing.

These modules form the basis of RhinoCAM’s capabilities and provide a very focused capability for these particular CAM tasks.

Why You Might Want to Use RhinoCAM and RoboDK Together

As you might know, RoboDK is a software that allows you to easily and effectively program your robot for a huge variety of different tasks.

One such task is robot machining which involves using the robot to operate a machining tool. This is like CNC machining but with much more flexibility. There are several benefits to using a robot over a CNC machine as we discussed in our article Can a Robot Outperform a CNC Machine for Robot Machining?

Just as is the case with normal CNC machining, the process starts with a good 3D model produced in a CAD program. Then, you use a CAM program to turn this into a G-Code path that can be machined on a robot or a CNC machine.

RhinoCAM has the capability to generate the G-Code, whilst also performing other functions to optimize the machining process.

RoboDK can then take that G-Code as an input and automatically creates a robot program for your particular robot model.

Together, you can quickly and easily generate machining programs for your robot machining setup.

Introducing… the New RoboDK Plugin for RhinoCAM

As with our other plugins (for Rhino itself, Mastercam, SolidWorks, and Inventor) the main functionality of the plugin is controlled by a standard set of buttons.

It includes the 5 standard buttons for CAD operations (plus an “About” button):

1. Auto Setup — This creates a new project within RoboDK, along with your 3D from within RhinoCAM and the machining path.
2. Load Part — Sends the 3D model directly from RhinoCAM to RoboDK.
3. Load NC Program — This loads the machining program from RhinoCAM into RoboDK. If you are using multiple machining tools, it will create a new program for each tool.
4. Generate Robot Program — This allows you to generate the robot programs within RoboDK without ever needing to leave RhinoCAM, which will speed up your workflow.
5. Settings — Customize the plugin by changing tolerances, scales and the exported file type for 3D models. You can also define the names that objects will have when they appear in RoboDK.

Is the Plugin Right for You?

If you’re already using RhinoCAM then I can’t see any reason why you shouldn’t try the new RoboDK plugin! You can get a free demo version on the downloads page.

If you haven’t tried RhinoCAM yet, but you’re using RoboDK and/or Rhino, check out the RhinoCAM website to see if it might be a good match for your machining needs.

How to Get Started Using the New RhinoCAM Plugin

The best way to test the new plugin’s capabilities is to try it out for yourself!

Download the latest version of RoboDK (if you haven’t already) and check out the documentation page, which explains all the functionality of the plugin in detail.

What are your opinions of RhinoCAM? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or in the RoboDK Forum.

The post Boost Robot Machining With RhinoCAM and the RoboDK Plugin appeared first on RoboDK blog.

We always love hearing from users of RoboDK, especially when they are using new features of the software. Often, the first we hear about these great case studies is when a user sends us a question.

Recently, Andrew Tarlinton from Protolab at the Swinburne University of Technology had a question about using robotic milling with the new Fusion 360 Plugin.

Andrew asked: How can I incorporate multiple external axes into my robotic milling project?

Let’s have a look at that project!

Meet… Protolab

Protolab is a fabrication laboratory at the Swinburne University of Technology in Victoria, Australia. The lab provides training and fabrication services to students at the university and has an impressive collection of machines including 5-axis CNC machines, SLA 3D printers, and, of course, robots.

Andrew Tarlinton is the manager of technical services, design, and architecture for Protolab. He has a background in industrial design and scientific instrument making.

The lab serves the university both by providing a space for students to learn about fabrication in a hands-on setting and by providing fabrication services for the university’s many technical projects.

The Project: Multi-Axis Robot Milling Workstation

Fabrication technology is always improving and Andrew is always on the lookout for new and better ways to run the Protolab workshop. He got in contact with us because he was setting up a new robot milling workstation using a KUKA robot.

The setup uses multiple external axes to allow for an extremely flexible robot milling station. At the moment, the team is primarily using this setup for architecture research, but Andrew expects that they will soon start using it for applications like furniture fabrication and possibly creating automotive models.

Hardware Setup

Andrew and the team at Protolab decided on the following robotic technology:

• KUKA KR 120 — The KR120 is a range of KUKA robots all of which have a payload of 120 kg, but with differing reaches. Many of this range are already within the RoboDK library. The team used the KR C4 Controller which can control both the robot and external axes.
• KL 4000 — This is a linear track external axis with a 7.9-meter travel distance and supports payloads up to 4000kg.
• KP1-V 500 — From KUKA’s range of positioners, this is a vertical single-axis positioner with a payload capacity of up to 500 kg. The team uses this as the turntable to hold the workpiece.
• KP1-H 500 — Also from the KUKA range, this is a 500 kg payload single-axis positioner which can be used for horizontal positioning.

This combination of 3 programmable external axes with a 6 Degrees of Freedom (DoF) robot provides up to 9 DoF for the team at Protolab to carry out robot milling, with a huge workspace thanks to the 7.9 m distance of the KL 4000.

Software Setup

Despite the complex hardware setup, the software workflow is quite simple:

1. Fusion 360 — The design of the machined part is done within Autodesk’s Fusion 360, a cloud-based CAD/CAM software which has various advantages over Autodesk Inventor. Once the CAD model is designed, the CAM path is generated within the same software.
2. RoboDK — Using the plugin for Fusion 360, the robot program can be generated immediately, by using RoboDK’s robot machining capability, without leaving the Fusion 360 software.
3. KR C4 — The generated robot program is then sent to the KUKA controller, with a program in KUKA’s KRL programming language generated by the relevant post-processor. This controller then moves the physical robot through the milling process.

This is the same software workflow that you would use for any similar robot machining project.

Handling Multiple New External Axes in RoboDK

Andrew Tarlinton initially got in contact with us for some help. The three external axes that he was using provided a great amount of flexibility for larger robot machining tasks. However, he wasn’t sure how to incorporate them into RoboDK.

Our Robot Library already contained the robot (KR 120) and horizontal positioner (KP1-H), but the other two axes were not there yet.

Of course, we can always add new axes, robots, and accessories to the library if you ask us to. However, there was a quick way for Andrew to get his missing axes…

The Solution: Custom Axes and Auto-Sync

RoboDK has a very large library of already-supported robots. But, it can also easily support any other mechanism which is not already in the library. All you need to do is create a custom mechanism by using the “Create Mechanism” tool.

Andrew was able to create the two missing axes as single-axis mechanisms consisting of one linear and one rotative axis.

In RoboDK we can then synchronize the axes. By making one or more mechanisms (e.g. an external axis) the child of another (e.g. the robot), the software will integrate the DoFs of both mechanisms, allowing you to seamlessly control the entire setup as if it were one single mechanism.

Fusion 360 + RoboDK = Seamless Integration

Using Fusion 360 in collaboration with RoboDK — via the plugin — is a great way to achieve robot machining in a familiar software environment (if you are already a user of Fusion 360, of course).

As Andrew Tarlinton told us: “I was very impressed how seamless it was to go from Fusion to RoboDK to robot machining. I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve with it!”

An added benefit of using the RoboDK and Fusion 360 combo over more traditional programming methods is that it is easier for non-programmers to program the robot.

As Andrew explained: “I really think it will allow non robot & coding experts the opportunity to work with the machine.”

The Protolab website expands on this, saying: “With the ease of functionality these two programs, it puts the power of robotics well within reach of our students, allowing for greater prototyping and exploration of concepts.”

Which project are you planning on deploying next? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or in the RoboDK Forum.

The post Multi-Axis Robot Machining With the Fusion 360 Plugin appeared first on RoboDK blog.

The future of software, it seems, is in the cloud. Software companies in many industries are moving their packages into the cloud, giving a whole host of benefits for end users, including continuous updates and increased computing power.

Until now, Computer Aided Design (CAD) software has not yet broken into the cloud as much as the software has in other industries. But, the change is coming… and our new RoboDK plugin for Fusion 360 allows you to integrate your cloud-based CAD with any robot of your choosing.

Let’s have a look at the future of CAD and how RoboDK can work alongside it.

What is Fusion 360?

Fusion 360 is the new cloud-based CAD software from one of the leading software companies in the industry, Autodesk.

Autodesk is most famous for its programs AutoCAD and Inventor which have provided the backbone for many manufacturing businesses for the last three decades. Inventor (for which we also have a new plugin) was introduced in 1999 as a response to the popularity of SolidWorks and was specifically designed to make life easier for manufacturers.

Fusion 360 is the next step…

Eventually, Autodesk wants to move all of its software offerings to the cloud, according to the CAD Report. Fusion 360 is their way to do this and will eventually become the replacement for Inventor. However, there is some way to go before there is a completely cloud-based solution which all CAD users are happy with.

What’s Fusion 360 Good For?

Until Fusion 360 reaches the point when it can fully replace Inventor, the two software packages are best-suited to slightly different users.

Here are 5 of Fusion 360’s strengths compared to Inventor, and how they are relevant to RoboDK users:

1. New Users

Fusion 360 is very popular with makers, hobbyists and startups who are designing consumer products. It even has a free year-long license for early-stage startups and 3 years for students and educators. This is great for early-stage RoboDK users as we also have an educational version.

Inventor, on the other hand, is best suited to established large scale engineering or mechanical applications.

2. Mac Compatibility

Fusion 360 is great if you are exclusively a Mac user while Inventor is heavily tied into the Windows operating system.

RoboDK also supports Mac (as well as Linux and Android) so they make a great pairing.

3. Low Resource-Use

Fusion 360 is aimed at smaller projects than Inventor which means it’s less resource-hungry (using less RAM) and is better at getting things built fast.

RoboDK doesn’t require huge resources to run either, especially for smaller projects. However, like Inventor it is scalable and a more powerful computer will be able to handle larger, more complex projects.

4. Learning Curve

Fusion 360 is easier to learn than Inventor which means it’s great for newer CAD users.

RoboDK is also very easy to learn, especially if you follow our extensive library of tutorial videos.

5. Easy Project Sharing

As a cloud service it is very easy to share models with Fusion 360.

Although RoboDK is not cloud-based, it is also simple to share projects. Our robot project files have small file sizes and contain all information needed to run that project with no extra dependencies.

Conclusion

In summary, at present Fusion 360 is best suited to newer CAD users and small companies who want the flexibility of a cloud system. They want to get their designs up and running quickly without the steeper learning curve of Inventor.

Introducing… the New Fusion 360 Plugin

As with our other plugins (for Rhino, Mastercam, SolidWorks and Inventor) the main functionality of the plugin controlled by a standard set of buttons.

It includes the 5 standard buttons for CAD operations:

• Auto Setup — Select your geometries within Fusion 360 (curves, points, models) and they will be loaded into RoboDK along with the 3D model.
• Load Part — Sends the 3D model directly from Fusion 360 to RoboDK.
• Load Point(s) — Select a set of points and surfaces to create a new “point follow” program within RoboDK.
• Load Curve(s) — Select a set of curves and surfaces to create a RoboDK “curve follow” program.
• Settings — Customize the plugin by changing tolerances, scales and exported file type for 3D models. You can also define the names that objects will have when they appear in RoboDK.

As is also the case with the new Inventor plugin, there are two new buttons in this new plugin which make use of the CAM functionality in Fusion 360:

• Load NC Program — This loads the machining program from Fusion 360 into RoboDK. If you are using multiple machining tools, it will create a new program for each tool.
• Generate Robot Program — This allows you to generate the robot programs within RoboDK without ever needing to leave Fusion 360, which will speed up your workflow.

Is the Plug-In Right for You?

If you’re already using Fusion 360 then the new RoboDK plugin is a no-brainer. If you haven’t tried RoboDK yet, the plugin is a perfect excuse to give it a go! You can get a free demo version on the downloads page.

If you haven’t tried Fusion 360 yet, but you’re using RoboDK and you’re in the market for a new CAD program, now could be a great opportunity to try Fusion 360 out for yourself. It looks like the future of CAD is in the cloud, so the sooner you get on board the better prepared you will be!

How to Get Started Using the New Fusion 360 Add-In

The best way to test the new plugin’s capabilities is to try it out for yourself!

Download the latest version of RoboDK (if you haven’t already) and check out the documentation page, which explains all the functionality of the plugin in detail.

What do you think about cloud services? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or in the RoboDK Forum.

The post Get Cloud Robot CAD with the Fusion 360 Plug-In appeared first on RoboDK blog.

Some years ago, I was looking around the market for a good simulator for my robot application. After testing software, after software, after software, I was getting nowhere.

Each package seemed to have some features which made it useless for my needs. One software would make it very easy to create a new robot, but lack the ability to interact through an API. Another software would interact very well with other programs, but the physics would become completely unstable, seemingly at random.

I started to ask myself “What features are really necessary for my application?”

I suddenly realized that I had been looking for the “best” robot simulator. Instead, what I should have been looking for was the package that made my life as easy as possible, whilst providing only the features that I really needed.

With offline programming, this is also a good strategy. Look for a software which makes your life easy, whilst providing the features that you need. Avoid features that are not necessary or that will make your life harder.

Recently, a helpful user wrote a list of feature requests on our forum. It caught my eye. Some of the requests made a lot of sense, but a few of them struck me as unnecessary for offline programming. It reminded me of my past dilemma and prompted me to think:

Which features are unnecessary for offline programming?

In a moment, I’ll tell you five.

What an Offline Programming Package Isn’t

First, let’s be clear about what offline programming software is and what it isn’t.

The purpose of offline programming software is to provide a way for you to quickly and easily program your robot whilst maximizing productivity. As the Robotics Industries Association explains “[Offline Programming allows] for quicker deployment at a lower initial cost [and] has become an essential part of planning and designing an industrial robot system.”

Therefore, offline programming (OLP) software should be easy-to-use, reliable, and have a focus on improving productivity.

That’s what OLP is.

Here’s what it isn’t:

OLP isn’t a simulator for highly realistic models of a virtual world. A good OLP package shouldn’t try to accurately model every object, particle, and beam of light in a ultra-realistic model of the world.

But what if I want a highly realistic simulation!?

Then you don’t want offline programming!

High degrees of realism in a simulator require a whole different set of features than those required for good, efficient offline programming.

The features that make this realism possible often reduce the productivity of robot programming and make it harder to use. You have to do a lot of fiddling around to “get the simulator to play nicely” which means more programming and less productivity.

If you are in the situation where you need an ultra-realistic robot simulator, it’s likely that you are a researcher of some sort (either academic or industrial). You are probably developing complex control algorithms and want test them out with the most accurate simulated robot that you can find. This is great, but it’s not what offline programming is for.

5 Unnecessary Features in Offline Programming Software

Here are five features which are usually unnecessary in OLP software. I say “usually” because there may be some exceptions, but in most cases you don’t need a software with these features.

1. Physics

This is a big one. A lot of robot simulators include physics engines which model the forces in the virtual world. Physics engines allow you to, for example, create a ball which will fall to the ground and bounce in a “realistic” way.

Physics are necessary for some types of robot simulation; for example, when testing algorithms for advanced grasp planners, walking robot simulation, and stair climbing. However, using physics comes at a cost — it’s a pain in the neck! I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent trying to “get the physics to work” instead of doing the robot programming itself.

For almost all OLP applications, realistic physics is just not necessary and it’s not worth the headache. For example, you just want to be able to easily program the robot to pick up a ball and place it on a table. You don’t care how realistically the ball bounces when it hits the tabletop.

Even when physics is necessary, research has shown that less accurate physics engines can have better performance than realistic physics for some robot applications.

2. Advanced Surface Modeling

Surface modeling is only really important when you’re making a computer game, product demo, or a CGI movie. It allows graphic designers to add realistic surfaces and textures onto their models, which improves the level of realism. However, this is purely an aesthetic feature. For robot simulations, it’s rarely worth the bother.

With offline programming, we don’t really care how realistic the models look. It’s sometimes helpful to be able to choose the color of objects — so that we can differentiate between them — but that’s about as far as it goes.

3. Shadows and complex lighting

A similar feature which does not make sense for offline programming is advanced lighting. While shadows and complex lighting setups might make the virtual scene look more appealing to us, it doesn’t help with the performance of the robot program.

You might think that lighting is important when are using robot vision in your application. However, there’s a problem with this: it’s very difficult to reliably test a vision setup in a simulator because the real world is always more (visually) messy than a virtual world. A much better solution is to make a simple, physical test with your vision sensor and test it out in the real environment.

4. High-Definition Rendering

Rendering is the process of turning a rough virtual scene into a pretty image or video. It’s most often used when you’re creating marketing materials for products which do not yet exist. A CAD package or 3D modeling software can render the model into a scene, complete with backgrounds, lighting, and surface modeling.

For offline programming, this level of realism just doesn’t make sense. It provides nothing to the functionality of your robot program and requires you to do a lot of unnecessary work (e.g. setting up the lighting, choosing surfaces and backgrounds, etc).

If you want to show your robot program to clients or colleagues, you can easily export it as a video simulation which demonstrates the necessary functionality without all the fancy extras.

5. Advanced CAD/CAM Functionality

An OLP package is not a Computer Aided Design or Manufacture (CAD/CAM) package. In fact, if you find software which claims to do both of these tasks equally well, be suspicious.

Gone are the days of the single software package which does absolutely everything. These days, the best software is highly targeted at a particular set of functionalities. With OLP, this functionality is programming robots.

Of course, you will also want your OLP software to be able to interact well with your favorite CAD/CAM software. That’s why interoperability is vital. Find out more about this in the post Don’t Want to Change Everything to Use Robots? Well, Don’t!

Which features do you think RoboDK is missing? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or in the RoboDK Forum.

The post 5 Unnecessary Features in Offline Programming Software appeared first on RoboDK blog.

Autodesk Inventor is truly a superstar in the world of CAD/CAM programs. According to the CAD Trends survey, Inventor was the 3rd most used CAD package in 2018 after AutoCAD and SolidWorks.

At RoboDK, we’re devoted to making your life easier whichever CAD system you are using. We already have a great plugin for SolidWorks. Now, we’ve added Inventor to the list of software that works seamlessly with RoboDK.

Let’s look at what makes Inventor+RoboDK such a great paring for integrated, scalable robot manufacturing.

What is Inventor?

When you first look at Autodesk’s Inventor, it can seem a bit curious that it exists at all.

Autodesk is a world-leading software company which was founded in 1982. They soon became famous for their groundbreaking CAD package AutoCAD. Before the software existed, the only way to do design products on a computer was to use a mainframe. AutoCAD brought that power to desktop machines for the first time.

At the time that Inventor was … well … invented in 1999, AutoCAD was a leader amongst desktop CAD software. It is still is today.

Why did Autodesk decide to make Inventor when they were already top of the industry?

The answer to this question has a lot to do with why RoboDK is such a good pairing with Inventor, and it is best demonstrated in a story…

Why RoboDK + Inventor is a Great Pairing

Jay Tedeschi was working at Autodesk in 1999 and was one of the first people to try the software that would later become Inventor.

As he told the Autodesk blog:

“Jay recalls sitting at the desk and being given no instructions on how to operate the program in front of him. He asked, “what do you do to start?” to which the developer said, “well, what do you think you do to start?” It was at this point that Jay began to understand the methodology that went into designing Inventor […] More than he had ever seen it before, these developers were designing the program to be intuitive for the end user.”

Autodesk invested in building Inventor because it filled a niche… just like RoboDK fills a niche. RoboDK gives users the power to program any robot with ease. Inventor provides a very intuitive, scalable software specifically designed for manufacturers. At the time, SolidWorks was the leading software filling that niche and Autodesk wanted to keep its place at the top.

A Software Designed for Manufacturers

AutoCAD is still the leading CAD package, but it isn’t perfect for all tasks. When you look at the two packages side-by-side you can get a good idea of Inventor’s strengths for manufacturing:

• Inventor was designed especially with manufacturers in mind whilst AutoCAD is for any designer.
• Inventor is a dedicated 3D modeling package whilst AutoCAD is a 2D drafting package which can produce 3D shapes.
• Inventor is mostly used for design and production, whilst AutoCAD is mostly used for 2D design and documentation.

If you’re looking to use RoboDK for robotic manufacturing, as many of our users are, the new Inventor integration is clearly a good way to go about it.

Introducing… the New Inventor Plugin

As with our existing plugins (for Rhino, Mastercam and SolidWorks) the main functions of the plugin are controlled by a set of 5 standard buttons for CAD operations:

• Auto Setup — Select your geometries within Inventor (curves, points, models) and they will be loaded into RoboDK along with the 3D model.
• Load Part — Sends the 3D model directly from Inventor to RoboDK
• Load Point(s) — Select a set of points and surfaces to create a new “point follow” program within RoboDK
• Load Curve(s) — Select a set of curves and surfaces to create a RoboDK “curve follow” program.
• Settings — Customize the plugin by changing tolerances, scales and exported file type for 3D models. You can also define the names that objects will have when they appear in RoboDK.

The Inventor plugin also contains two new buttons which make use of Inventor’s integrated CAM functionality:

• Load NC Program — This loads the machining program from Inventor into RoboDK. If you are using multiple machining tools, it will create a new program for each tool.
• Generate Robot Program — This allows you to generate the robot programs within RoboDK without ever needing to leave Inventor, which will speed up your workflow.

Is the Plugin Right for You?

If you are already using Inventor and you’re thinking of trying out robotic manufacturing, the new plugin is definitely worth a look. If you haven’t tried RoboDK yet, the plugin is a perfect excuse to give it a go! You can get a free demo version on the downloads page.

Why Inventor + RoboDK Will Level-Up Your Simulations

One of Inventor’s great strengths is digital prototyping. It has many integrated simulation tools which allow you to thoroughly test your products before you build the real components. Then, its integrated CAM functionality makes it easy to turn these designs into real products.

Before our new plugin existed, you would have had to leave Inventor in order to build and generate a robot program in RoboDK. This would have slowed down your software workflow and reduced the productivity of your whole system.

Now, the RoboDK plugin means that you can operate everything from within Inventor itself. Once you’ve got your robot station set up, you can even generate the robot program from the plugin toolbar without having to switch over to RoboDK at all.

You can now design, test, and produce your products all from inside Inventor, which can only be a good thing.

How to Get Started Using the New Inventor Plugin

The best way to test the new plugin’s capabilities is to try it out for yourself!

Download the latest version of RoboDK (if you haven’t already) and check out the documentation page, which explains all the functionality of the plugin in detail.

What do you plan to build with the new Inventor plugin? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or in the RoboDK Forum.

The post Level-Up Your Robot Manufacturing with the Inventor Plugin appeared first on RoboDK blog.

Some years ago, I started a new position in a robotics research lab. The robot that they were using — a hulking, black hydraulic monster — was rigged up with a proprietary hardware interface. The whole system was locked into this hardware… and the programming language that it used.

I was sent on a training course to use the hardware. But, there was a problem. I hated the programming language. Its clunky graphical interface didn’t suit my preference for text-based programming. But, I had no option. I had to use it or I couldn’t use the robot.

Slowly, I became adept at using the system. However, realistically, it was over a year until I was an expert in programming the robot. I would have been up and running much quicker if I’d been able to program in one of my favorite programming languages from the start.

If I had been working in a manufacturing environment instead of in a research lab, this could have severely restricted the robot’s productivity!

Unfortunately, this can be a common situation with robots.

Why Robot Software Is Often Inflexible

A traditional problem with robots is that every manufacturer uses their own software.

Many industrial robot manufacturers create their own programming languages, design packages, and software tools. Sure, this has an advantage. It allows users access to all of the functionality of their robots. But, it comes at a terrible cost.

When you add a new robot to your business, you often have to change how you do things to accommodate the robot.

At RoboDK, we think that this is unacceptable. It should be the other way round.

It doesn’t have to be like this…

The Power of Plugins and Interoperability

On the surface, RoboDK is just an offline programming software for industrial robots. But, it’s really much, much more than that.

RoboDK can be a bridge between your favorite CAD/CAM software and your preferred robot.

There’s no need to change which design packages you use.

There’s no need to tie yourself in knots trying to get the robot software to play nice with your favorite CAM package.

There’s no need to change everything to accommodate the robot.

You simply slot RoboDK into your workflow between your existing CAD/CAM package and the physical robot. You can then turn your designs into robot programs with no fuss.

That’s the power of interoperability.

The Age of Interoperability

“Interoperability” means the ability of different computer softwares to exchange and make use of information.

We are currently entering The Age of Interoperability.

Think of all the software automation services that are available these days. The type of services which send a Twitter post whenever you post an image on Facebook, or which turn off your home heating automatically whenever your calendar says you’re on holiday. Interoperability allows us to spend more time doing the important tasks, without having to mess around copying data from one place to another.

Entirely closed systems are becoming a thing of the past.

We’re seeing interoperability in a whole range of industries. According to one research study, for example, within the construction industry “multidiscipinary software interoperability is becoming a widely adopted business culture.”

That’s why it’s surprising that interoperability is so limited in industrial robotics. Sure, software developers can create plugins for specific robot manufacturers. But, there are very few independent solutions which allow you to connect your favorite CAD/CAM package with your favorite robot.

RoboDK is that very solution.

With our new set of software plugins, it’s now easier than ever to use your robot on your own terms.

The 6 New RoboDK-Supported Plugins

Plugins are one of the most intuitive ways to connect two softwares together.

In the latest version of RoboDK, we have added some new plugins which increase its interoperability with some very popular CAD/CAM programs.

The release includes the following three plugins:

• SolidWorks — This plugin provides a seamless link between the most popular CAD package and RoboDK. Do you use SolidWorks? Read this article to learn what it does.

• Mastercam — The most popular high-end CAM package is now also supported out the box. Read this article to learn what the new plugin does.

• Rhino — This plugin for one of the most popular freeform surface modeling CAD packages allows you to achieve astonishing new applications with RoboDK. Read this article to learn more.

The release also includes support for the following three plugins (available from the suppliers):

• Alphacam
• TopSolid
• WorkNC

How Plugins Can Improve Your Workflow

We often talk about “workflow” in business, but many of us have little “flow” in our work. We jump around from task to task doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Even in manufacturing businesses, where the concept of “process flow” is strongly established, it’s common to see processes which are not well optimized.

The problem with this is that it can severely restrict productivity. According to psychologists, task switching (i.e. jumping between tasks) can cut a person’s productivity by 40%.

Whenever we open a new software program, it takes time to re-accustom ourselves with it. This can be a real problem when we’re jumping between software packages all the time.

We might tweak our design in a CAD package, then open up a separate CAM package to update the machining path. Then, if we were using a separate robotics software we would have to export the models and paths, open up the robot software and program with that. All this jumping around takes a lot of time and brainpower.

Our new plugins mean that you can pass information from CAD/CAM packages at the touch of a button. Also, they have in-built themes for SolidWorks, Mastercam and Rhino. This makes it much easier to jump between the programs because the mouse controls and color themes match.

Welcome to The Age of Interoperability!

What interoperability issues have you had with robot software in the past? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or in the RoboDK Forum.

The post Don’t Want to Change Everything to Use Robots? Well, Don’t! appeared first on RoboDK blog.

Robot machining is one of our favorite applications. There are huge benefits to using a robot for your machining tasks and RoboDK already has a powerful machining wizard. It can turn a machining path into a robot program within seconds.

But, so much more is possible with robot machining!

Imagine what you could achieve if you combined RoboDK with the power of the industry’s top CAM package.

That’s exactly what we’ve done with the new RoboDK plugin for Mastercam.

What is Mastercam?

Computer Aided Design (CAD) software allows you to design physical products within a computer. However, there is another vital step between this design phase and the physical process of automated manufacturing. That’s where Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) comes in. It is the bridge between CAD and physical machining.

CAM packages generate the machining paths which can then be sent to your machines.

Mastercam has been the most popular high-end CAM packages for the last decade, according to a series of surveys from CNCCookbook — in this case, “high-end” refers to functionality-rich packages targeted at industrial users rather than hobbyists. While the popularity of other packages has fluctuated since 2010, Mastercam’s popularity has stayed steadily out on top.

Since it was founded in 1983, Mastercam has evolved from a highly intuitive CAD/CAM package — it was the first to be aimed at both engineers and machinists — to a manufacturing powerhouse. It now supports a huge range of machining processes, including milling, drilling, routing, lathe turning, part cutting, finishing, 3D artwork, wire EDM, and advanced gouge checking… to name just a few of its capabilities.

Its integrated solutions allow you to quickly generate machining paths for many machining tasks.

Introducing… the New Mastercam Plugin

In our recent update of RoboDK (released in December on the download page) we have added a new selection of plugins. One of these was the Mastercam plugin.

The new plugin allows you to access RoboDK’s powerful robot programming capabilities from right inside the Mastercam window. It also makes it very easy to send models and machining paths from Mastercam to RoboDK at the touch of a button.

If you have updated to the latest version of RoboDK, you should find that the plugin has already been installed and shows up as a new toolbar within Mastercam. You’ll need to activate this new toolbar at the top of the Mastercam window by following the instructions on the documentation page.

The RoboDK toolbar in Mastercam includes 4 buttons:

1. Robot setup — This gives you various options for setting up your robot project. You can use it to create an empty project, load an existing one, send parts to RoboDK, or create a project with a default robot and tool.
2. Update selected operations — This allows you to send machining operations from Mastercam to RoboDK. You can then switch to the RoboDK window to edit the program, run the simulation, and generate a robot program.
3. Generate selected robot program — This button means that you don’t have to open the RoboDK window at all. You can access RoboDK’s functionality from right inside Mastercam. It will generate the robot program and only open RoboDK if there are issues.
4. RoboDK Settings — This allows you to customize the plugin by setting the units (inch or metric), selecting the export format, and choosing how RoboDK is displayed and run.

Is the Plugin Right for You?

If you are already using Mastercam and RoboDK then the new plugin is a no-brainer. It’s intuitive to use and will streamline your workflow considerably.

If you’re not using RoboDK yet, but you are a Mastercam user, the plugin is a perfect excuse to give RoboDK a try! You can get a free demo version on the downloads page.

4 Benefits of Using Mastercam With RoboDK

The best way to test the plugin is just to try it out for yourself. However, if you need some more convincing, here’s 4 benefits to using Mastercam with RoboDK

1. Control All Your Automation from Mastercam

Mastercam already prides itself in its ability to control all your CNC machines from within one software package. It has the capabilities and post-processors to control any mill, lathe, router, mill-turn, and wire cutter.

Yes, it can support any CNC machine.

But, it can’t support any industrial robot. For that, you need RoboDK with its support and post-processors for any industrial robot (if one isn’t listed, we can add support).

By using Mastercam and RoboDK together, you can support every automated manufacturing machine in your workshop.

2. Seamless Transition Between Mastercam and RoboDK

We’ve made it as easy as possible to transition between Mastercam and RoboDK so that your workflow is seamless. This includes making a Mastercam template for RoboDK which you can activate within the plugin’s settings window. This changes RoboDK’s mouse behavior to match that of Mastercam and also changes the background color to match.

3. Automatic Reference Frame Alignment

When sending a model from Mastercam to RoboDK, the last thing you want is to have to drag your model around the screen, trying to get it to line up properly.

As RoboDK’s support-wizard Jeremy explains in his video tutorial, you can easily set up your station so that RoboDK knows exactly where to place new parts. By setting the machining reference in RoboDK and Mastercam it’s almost like the plugin can read your mind.

4. Supercharges Your Favorite Robot Machining Tasks

Whatever robot machining task you want to achieve, the new Mastercam plugin can supercharge the programming process. Check out our previous articles for information on how to improve these tasks with RoboDK:

• Robot Milling — Can a Robot Outperform a CNC Machine for Robot Machining?
• Robot Drilling — 5 Tips to Achieve Flawless Robot Drilling
• Robot Turning — Robot machining 8 axes – RoboDK
• Incremental Forming — The Indispensable Guide to Incremental Sheet Forming

How to Get Started Using the New Mastercam Plugin

Want to try out the plugin for yourself?

The best way is to download the latest version of RoboDK (if you haven’t already) and just give it a spin!

The documentation page also explains its functionality in detail and includes Jeremy’s video tutorial.

The post Supercharge Your Robot Machining With the Mastercam Plugin appeared first on RoboDK blog.

Here at RoboDK, we think our software is easy to use. We work hard to make sure the software is quick to learn, simple to use, and fits right in to your existing workflow.

But, until now there has been one part of the process which was not as quick and easy as we’d have liked it to be: the integration with Computer Aided Design (CAD) packages. Up until now, you’ve had to export your models from your favorite CAD package and import them into RoboDK. Sure, this is very straightforward… but we’ve decided to make it even easier.

Last month, we released a new set of plugins for RoboDK for a selection of third-party platforms, including the all-popular SolidWorks.

If you’re using SolidWorks, the new plugin promises to make your workflow significantly smoother. Let’s take a look at the new plugin and see what’s possible with it.

What is SolidWorks?

If you’re not familiar with SolidWorks… where have you been all your life!?

The brainchild of a Blackjack-playing MIT genius, SolidWorks has become the most popular CAD software in many industries. If you don’t know SolidWorks yourself, you’ve almost certainly used products which were designed with it.

It is primarily a “solid modeler,” which means that models are built from virtual solid parts, much as real objects are made. The alternative to this is “surface modeling” which defines models by their surface geometries. Although these two modeling techniques were traditionally very different, modern versions of SolidWorks can use either of them. It’s a hugely flexible design package.

A bit of fun trivia for you: The software was the brainchild of Jon Hirschtick, one of the members of the famous MIT Blackjack Team who beat casinos using card counting. In 1993, he used some of the money that the team won to assemble a group of engineers and develop the first version of SolidWorks.

Since then, it has become one of the standard CAD packages in many industries. According to a 2015 survey of 215 CAD/CAM users, SolidWorks was by far the most popular CAD software with 27% of users, almost double that of the next most popular package.

Introducing… the RoboDK plugin for SolidWorks

Our new plugin adds a seamless link between SolidWorks and RoboDK.

When you update to the latest version of RoboDK, (which you can get on the Download page), you should find that it is already installed as new “RoboDK toolbar” within SolidWorks. If you can’t find the toolbar, see the documentation page for instructions on how to perform a manual install.

As described on Engineering.com, the plugin acts like a one-way bridge from SolidWorks to RoboDK. You can use this bridge to send paths, curves, points, and models, which will be automatically loaded into RoboDK in a format which makes them easy to use for robot programming.

The RoboDK toolbar includes 5 buttons:

1. Auto Setup — Simply select whichever geometries (curves, points, models) that you want to add to RoboDK and they will be loaded along with the 3D model.
2. Load Part — This sends a 3D model directly from SolidWorks to RoboDK, without having to mess around with exporting parts to external files.
3. Load Point(s) — Select a set of points (e.g. for robot drilling) along with their respective surfaces and they will turn up in RoboDK as a “point follow” program.
4. Load Curve(s) — The same as the previous one but with curves.
5. Settings — Here you can customize the export properties, including changing tolerances, scales, and file type for 3D models.

Is the Plugin Right for You?

If you are already using SolidWorks and RoboDK then the new plugin is a no-brainer. It’s intuitive to use and will streamline your workflow considerably.

If you’re not using RoboDK yet, but you are a SolidWorks user, the plugin is a perfect excuse to give RoboDK a try! You can get a free demo version on the downloads page.

5 Tasks That Are Very Easy With the SolidWorks Plugin

There are a few tasks which have become especially easy with the new SolidWorks plugin. These were already pretty straightforward with RoboDK.

1. Welding — Check out this tutorial video from Jeremy, RoboDK’s support-wizard, which shows how to set up the new plugin and use it to create a welding program from within SolidWorks. See this article for an introduction to robot welding.
2. Drilling — At the end of his tutorial video, Jeremy also demonstrates a robot drilling application, which is equally easy with the new plugin. See this article for some tips on achieving flawless robot drilling with RoboDK.
3. Machining — Almost all robot machining tasks can be achieved with “point follow” and “curve follow” commands which means that robot machining is extra simple with the new plugin. See this article for an introduction to robot machining.
4. “Scene-building” — Many of our users like to build the whole “scene” into their robot simulations. This isn’t always necessary for creating a functional robot program, but it does look good. The only problem with this is when you are required to export many parts to external files. The new plugin makes this step very quick. If the part is in SolidWorks, you can export it to RoboDK with the click of a button.
5. Setting approach angles — One of the most powerful features of the plugin is the way that it selects the surface normals for curve and point movements. All you have to do is select the adjacent surfaces and the plugin will calculate the appropriate approach angle for the movement.

Above all, the new plugin gives you a seamless link between your favorite CAD package and the powerful robot programming capabilities provided by RoboDK.

Two Final Features You Might Have Missed

Finally, here are a couple of very useful features of the plugin which you might miss on first inspection. They can be found by clicking the Settings button in the plugin toolbar within SolidWorks.

• It has a SolidWorks theme — There’s nothing more annoying than switching from one 3D modeling package to another, only to find that the mouse behavior is different. The plugin includes an option to use the “SolidWorks theme” within RoboDK which matches SolidWorks mouse behavior and also changes the background color.
• It supports multiple instances of RoboDK — If you didn’t know already, you can run multiple instances of RoboDK at once. The plugin allows you to select which RoboDK instance you want it to communicate with via the “communication port.”

Want to try out the plugin for yourself?

The best way is to download the latest version of RoboDK (if you haven’t already) and just give it a spin!

Jeremy’s video is also a great demo of its capabilities and the documentation page explains its functionality in detail.

The post How to Streamline Your Workflow with the SolidWorks Plug-In appeared first on RoboDK blog.

Rhino (also known as Rhinoceros or Rhino 3D) is one of the most popular Computer Aided Design (CAD) packages in some industries. Designers and engineers use it to create complex and beautiful product designs with its unique approach to freeform surface modeling.

We’ve just launched the RoboDK plugin for Rhino!

The plugin will be a huge benefit to you if you’re a designer who already works with Rhino and you want an easy way to get into robot machining, 3D printing, or any other robot-based process. It will also be useful for you if you do not yet use Rhino but you are considering it as your CAD package of choice.

In this article, we’ll introduce Rhino and RoboDK. We’ll also explain the top 5 advantages of using the two packages together and explain how you can get started.

What is Rhino?

Rhino is a CAD software which is widely used in industries like architecture, product design, industrial design, jewelry design, and more.

Its unique ability is that it is a highly-accurate freeform surface modeler which uses NURBS.

What does that mean? Let me explain.

CAD systems generally use one of two methods for describing objects:

• Polygonal modeling, which makes objects out of a mesh of polygons (e.g. cubes, cones, spheres). The size of each polygon determines the smoothness of the object’s surface. A low-polygon model has a similar look to a photograph with a low number of pixels, i.e: when you zoom in to it, it looks fuzzy.
• Freeform surface modeling, which describes the surface of objects using curves. This makes the surface smooth no matter how much you zoom into it.

Rhino achieves its surface modeling with a mathematical model called NURBS (which stands for “Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline”, if you’re interested). However, you don’t need to understand the mathematics to get the advantages of Rhino.

As the team at Rhino explain, many freeform modeling software packages are not accurate enough for manufacturing. However, using NURBS allows Rhino to achieve a high level of accuracy, enough to match any other CAD software on the market.

What Applications Are Possible With Rhino?

Thanks to its accurate NURBS-based modeling, there are some applications which Rhino can excel at. For example:

• Machining — Gone are the days when CAD packages were only used for design. With the right packages, you can use the same software solution to design a product and generate machining paths. See our article How Robot Machining Can Simplify Your Life
• Sheet forming — Rhino’s surface modeling is perfect for modeling complex shapes for sheet material forming. Robotic incremental forming provides a method for producing such shapes.
• 3D Printing — Rhino is very popular in the 3D printing industry thanks to its ability to create complex shapes very easily using the visual programming language Grasshopper. This was previously a plugin but it was integrated for the first time as a core part of Rhino in March 2018.

What is RoboDK?

RoboDK is an offline programming software for industrial robots. It is used by professionals in many industries, including aeronautics, automotive, art and architecture, to name just a few application areas.

There are many benefits to using RoboDK. For example, if you work in a manufacturing environment, one of the biggest benefits is that the software allows you to program the robot without interrupting the production. This saves time and money. On the other hand, if you work in product design or architecture, the biggest benefit may be the ease-of-programming and the huge flexibility provided by using a robot to construct your prototypes.

RoboDK makes it very easy to turn CAD models into robot code. It supports over 300 robot models from over 30 manufacturers, which you can access in our Robot Library.

The new RoboDK plugin for Rhino allows you to easily use the powerful features of Rhino with the simplicity and dependability of RoboDK.

The 5 Advantages of Using Rhino With RoboDK

Here are the top advantages to using these two software packages together.

1. Robust and Reliable

The RoboDK plugin is not the only option available to Rhino users for controlling robots. The Food4Rhino plugin directory has a few options for controlling some robot models which vary wildly in terms of features, price, and reliability.

The two top advantages of our solution are robustness and reliability. The plugin is not just a stand-alone add-on, as some of the others are. It gives you access to all the features of RoboDK, which is a mature software with thousands of satisfied users.

2. You’re Not Alone

Support is paramount when using a new software. You need to know that someone has got your back if things get difficult. With RoboDK, you can get help quickly by posting your query on the RoboDK Forum or emailing us directly.

3. Versatile Modeling

Some call Rhino “the worlds most versatile modeler.” It certainly is used in an impressive set of industries, from shipbuilding to jewelry design. Combining it with RoboDK allows you to take full advantage of this versatility better than ever before. After all, robots are one of the most versatile manufacturing tools that have ever existed.

4. Design and Manufacture in One

Even before the new plugin existed, it was possible to export Rhino models to RoboDK. You could export the file to GCode (using the Slic3r plugin) and load this into RoboDK with its Machining Tool.

The new plugin, however, avoids this intermediary step. You can work seamlessly between the two programs. With robot machining, this means you can design and manufacture in a streamlined workflow.

5. Simulation Before Manufacture

A huge advantage of RoboDK in itself is that it allows you to simulate the robot program before you download it to the physical robot. This reduces the chance of costly errors and mistakes. You can manufacture your models directly from Rhino with RoboDK, safe in the knowledge that the robot will act as it’s supposed to.

How to Get Started With the RoboDK Plugin

The best way to start using the new Rhino plugin is to head on over to our Documentation Page “RoboDK plugin for Rhino”.

The documentation gives a step-by-step guide to installing, setting up, and using the plugin. The plugin also comes with an example project which demonstrates the basics of using the two programs together.

The post How to Use Rhino + RoboDK for Robot Programming appeared first on RoboDK blog.