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   Turning on outputs while robot is moving reduces the time the robot needs to pause.

   If the robot position is not critical for the timing of an output, turn on the output after a continuous move.

   The output will turn on during the cornering to get to the next point. If the output is turned on after a fine move, the robot will stop and then turn on the output.

9. Different Spot Welding timers can be adjusted to improve cycle time.

   Increase gun close anticipation time to close the gun before the robot reaches the weld point instead of letting the robot stop at the point and then closing the gun.

   Reduce the gun open delay to enable the robot to begin the next move before the gun is fully open.

   By adjusting these timers, the gun can be opening or closing while the robot is in motion.

10. Several techniques can improve servo gun operation.

    While moving between points, keep the gun opening to a minimum to clear the part being welded. Keeping the servo gun opening almost closed will reduce the amount of time used to close the gun at each weld spot.

    Use continuous moves for weld spots to reduce motion pauses during the weld motions. If the weld spots are fine points, the robot will hesitate at the approach and departure points.

    Remove squeeze times from the weld controller. For a pneumatic gun, squeeze time is added to ensure the weld pressure is met. The servo gun does not need the squeeze time delay and will close until correct pressure is achieved.

11. Material handling applications have several different timers used to control clamps opening and closing, and part present checking.

    Equipment delay timers can be reduced or eliminated if clamp opened and clamp closed switches are used to verify clamp operation.

    For special applications, custom macro programs can be created to improve the speed of material handling operations.

12. Set the robot payload properly, to improve overall robot movement and efficiency.

Ensure the payload settings are correct including mass, center of gravity, and moments of inertia.

The proper payload will allow the robot to accelerate and decelerate more precisely, improving cycle time and accuracy.

Cycle time will always be a concern for system builders and production support. The items listed here will help improve cycle time and overall system efficiency. By using these various techniques, cycle time can be reduced and production totals increased.

This article is taken from a white paper prepared and copyrighted by Applied Manufacturing Technologies Inc. (www.appliedmfg.com).

Applied Manufacturing Technologies is North America's largest automation engineering company for supporting robot companies, systems integrators, line builders and users of robotic automation worldwide. The company is built around seven core engineering technologies that it sees as key to flexible automation, and supports its customers on projects that range from single-day consulting to complete outsourcing automation engineering functions.