Converting 7-axis robot to 3-d router

[flightofone]

Hi,

I picked up a CRS Robotics system to play with consisting of a A465 6-axis robot on a 10-foot linear track with C500C controller and RAPL-3 software that comes with it. I would like to mount it inverted in my garage with a small router on the end of the arm, and use it to: 1) cut out 2-D foam panels, and 2) cut 3-D shapes out of large foam blocks.

My application is a large sailboat that I've designed in Solidworks, and I want to use this setup to make the 2-D bulkhead foam cores, and 3-D plugs for hull molding.

Being new to this CNC/CAM stuff, my questions are:

1. Does any software package already exist that can take DXF and convert it to RAPL-3 code to drive the robot as a 2-D or 3-D router (or otherwise drive the robot without the RAPL-3)?

2. If not, I think I can write RAPL-3 software that will read g-code and translate it into RAPL-3 commands. What software package(s) are recommended to take DXF files and generate 2-D and/or 3-D g-code?

Thanks,
John Clayton

[jsheerin]

That is a really complicated project. I hope you can do it - it would be really cool. I looked into using a robot as a router for a short time and came to the conclusion it wouldn't work very well due to lack of precision and high software cost. The lack of precision might not be an issue for you in carving foam, but the software one probably will be. 6 axis cam programs are typically very expensive. I'm not sure how much robot specific ones are, but I'd expect they're similarly priced. Mastercam was about $15k for a 5 axis router version when I asked for a quote a while back just to get you in the ballpark. If you just want to do simple 2D and 3D stuff, that might be a bit easier if you can write your own interpreter. For simple cam programs you can go all the way from free up to several thousand dollars. I use Visual Mill which is $1k, but it has a lot of features. You can look at Vectric for simpler programs. For lots of other ones try doing a search for threads on cam programs here.

[kevin swan]

Years ago we built a system that cut out for the lockset and the windows in steel clad house hold doors. last I knew it worked well

[Drassk]

Making a G-Code to RAPL converter is the easiest way I can think of.

If I remember correctly, there is a nice mode where the robot will hold the end effector parallel to some line and then you can move it in XYZ coordinates. So long as you line everything up well, a 3-axis G code converter is entirely doable under this mode.

Unless you want to retrofit a new controller to it, which is -very- difficult on something like a robot unless you have accurate info on every dimension of the robot, you've got to live with feeding its controller what it wants to hear and that's RAPL.

[flightofone]

Your memory is good - I found the RAPL JOG_TS command which performs movement along the axis. I have a programming background, so I'm going to give a shot at the G-Code to RAPL converter. I'll post some pictures as I get the system mounted and make some progress.
- John

Originally Posted by Drassk Making a G-Code to RAPL converter is the easiest way I can think of. If I remember correctly, there is a nice mode where the robot will hold the end effector parallel to some line and then you can move it in XYZ coordinates. So long as you line everything up well, a 3-axis G code converter is entirely doable under this mode...