The basic operation of KUKA robot teaching pendant involves how to change the teaching pendant language, how to correctly hold the teaching pendant and enabler, and master the diagnostic output of the robot’s operating status, and how to unplug and plug the teaching pendant.
The basic operations of KUKA robot teach pendant are straightforward. First, power it on and access the main menu. Use the arrow keys to navigate through different functions. To record movements, enter the teaching mode and manually guide the robot. You can also set parameters like speed and position. Once done, save the program. Simple and intuitive, it enables efficient robot programming.
1 Language of the operation interface
When the teaching pendant leaves the factory, the default display language is English. For ease of operation, the display language can be set to Chinese. The operation steps are as follows:
1) Click the “Robot” icon to enter the main interface.
2) Click “Configuration” to enter the drop-down menu
3) Click “Miscellaneous” to enter the drop-down menu and click “Language”.
4) After entering the language selection interface, select “Chinese (People’s Republic of China)” and click “OK” to complete the language setting.
2 Teaching pendant plug-in and unplug
The smartPAD of the KUKA robot has a hot-swap function. When the smartPAD is not needed, it can be directly unplugged. The process of unplugging the smartPAD has the following features:
The smartPAD can be removed while the robot system is switched on;
The smartPAD can be inserted at any time;
The inserted smartPAD will apply the current operating mode of the robot controller;
When inserting, the variable smartPAD (firmware version) is irrelevant, because it will be automatically upgraded or downgraded;
The emergency stop and confirmation keys will resume function again 30 seconds after insertion;
The smartHMI (operating interface) will be automatically displayed again (within 15 seconds).
The steps for unplugging the smartPAD are as follows:
1) First, press the button for unplugging the smartPAD on the teach pendant, as shown in the figure below. At this time, a message prompt and a timer will be displayed on the KUKA smartHMI, where the message display is to remind you that the operation of unplugging the smartPAD is currently in progress. The timer counts 25 seconds, and the operator must unplug the smartPAD from the robot control system (KRC4) within this time.
2) Then, open the switch box door (V) KRC4, unplug the smartPAD plug from the robot controller, and unplug the smartPAD plug.
Note:
①The plug is in the plugged state
②Turn the upper black part about 25° in the direction of the arrow
③Pull the plug downwards. There are several points to note when unplugging the smartPAD:
1) If the teach pendant smartPAD is removed when the counter is not running, an emergency stop will be triggered. The emergency stop can only be canceled after the teach pendant smartPAD is reinserted.
2) During the timer timing, if the teach pendant smartPAD is not unplugged, the timing will be invalid. The user can press the button for unplugging again to display the information and timer again.
3) When the smartPAD is unplugged, the equipment can no longer be stopped by the emergency stop button on the smartPAD. Therefore, an emergency stop device must be connected to the robot control system.
4) After the teach pendant smartPAD is unplugged, it should be immediately removed from the equipment and properly stored. To avoid confusion between valid and invalid emergency stop devices, the storage location should be away from the sight and range of action of the staff working at the robot. If this measure is not taken into account, personal injury and property loss may occur.
Before inserting the smartPAD into the teach pendant, first make sure to use a smartPAD of the same specification. The specific steps are as follows:
1) First open the distribution box door (V) KRC4, and then insert the smartPAD plug.
First, the plug is unplugged (pay attention to the marks on the socket and the smartPAD plug at this time), and then push the plug upward. When pushed up, the upper black part automatically rotates about 25° until the plug automatically locks.
2) Then close the distribution box door (V) KRC4. The teach pendant is inserted. It should be noted that after the operator plugs the smartPAD into the robot controller, he must stay next to the smartPAD for at least 30 seconds until the emergency stop and confirmation keys resume normal function again. This can avoid situations such as an operator using the emergency stop device in an emergency and it is temporarily ineffective.
3 Hold the teach pendant correctly
There are 3 confirmation keys (i.e., enable keys) on the KUKA teach pendant, which can facilitate people with different habits to hold the teach pendant in different ways. You can hold the teach pendant with both hands and press the enable key with four fingers. For right-handed people, press the enable key with the left hand and operate the screen and buttons with the right hand, or press the enable key with the right hand and operate with the left hand. You can also use the second method as shown in the figure on the right, hold the teach pendant with the left hand and operate the screen and buttons with the right hand.
4 Enabler button The enabler button is set for industrial robots to ensure the personal safety of operators. Only when the enabler button is pressed and kept in the “motor on” state can the robot be manually operated and the program debugged. When danger occurs, people will instinctively release or press the enabler button, and the robot will stop immediately, thus ensuring the safety of the operator.
The enabler button is divided into two gears. In the manual state, the first gear is pressed (pressed lightly), the drive device displays the letter “I” and the six-axis representative letter is displayed in green, and the robot will be in the motor on state. After the second gear is pressed (pressed hard), the message prompt “safe stop” appears, and the robot will be in the protective device stop state.