{"id":3624,"date":"2021-02-02T09:10:33","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T14:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/?p=3624"},"modified":"2024-11-08T05:05:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T10:05:03","slug":"precise-easy-to-use-robot-programming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/precise-easy-to-use-robot-programming\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Precise + Easy-to-Use Robot Programming Possible?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a robot user, you are faced with a huge array of options for robot programming. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some options \u2014 such as jogging and online programming \u2014 may be very familiar to you. They may be slow, cumbersome, and have varying precision. Other options \u2014 such as hand-guiding \u2014 appear to be more intuitive but their lack of precision is often concerning. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be wondering: Is precision an important factor for me to consider when choosing a programming method?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Precision is increasingly relevant in modern robotics. <\/a>In the past<\/a>, most robots were not precise enough for detailed tasks. However, robotic technology has improved significantly in recent years. Many robots are now advertised as precision technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to robot programming, precision is not always assured. It can sometimes feel like you’re stuck between two decisions\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want easy programming, you can’t have a precision application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want a precision application, you can’t have easy programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this really true?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How important is precision in robot programming?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Precision Robotics vs Easy Robot Programming<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you think that precision and intuitive programming are at odds with each other, you are not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, the classic example of intuitive programming is hand-guiding: This is where you physically move the robot to the location that you want it to move, with your hand. Hand-guiding is easy to use but <\/a>it is not usually suitable for precision tasks. The robot’s teach pendant is usually necessary when precise movement is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another option for intuitive programming is offline programming. This is where you program the robot using a simulated robot first and later download the program to the physical robot when it is ready. People sometimes believe that offline programming is an imprecise way of programming a robot. However, this is a misconception <\/a>as we showed in a previous article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These conceptions of the existing options \u2014 some of which are true and some of which aren’t \u2014 can lead us to feel that precision can never be possible with an easy programming method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not necessarily true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are Precise + Easy Robot Programming Tools Possible?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The problem with most options that are advertised as “easy robot programming” is that they make sacrifices on precision to improve their intuitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With hand-guiding, for example, it’s very intuitive for you to physically move the robot to the desired location. However, you sacrifice the inherent dexterity of the human hand and arm because you need to drag the robot around its workspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With some offline programming options, you sacrifice precision when the simulated robot does not accurately represent the physical robot. This issue can be overcome with <\/a>good calibration<\/a>. However, you are still sacrificing ease-of-use because most offline programming tools are not as intuitive as hand-guiding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would it take to have an easy robot programming tool that didn’t sacrifice precision?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You would need the tool to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n