Palletizing with dual 2 finger grippers

tylermartin

I am working on a project where I need to pack components and we are currently using the 2 gripper beta program to run dual 2F-140 grippers. We need to take 2 parts from an EOAT on our extruding machine and package them in a sectioned bin.

The spacing of our grippers on the UR robot is 11" centre and the spacing on the EOAT is 5.5", so we will need to pick twice. My concern is the palletizing of the parts into the bin with 2 grippers.

Should I set up the points of the pattern for (1) "gripper 1" location (2) "gripper 2" (3) "gripper 1" (4) "gripper 2" etc. and just set a point for every space on my bins?

The idea is that after the bin is full we can pull it over and push it down a roller conveyor with our UR to make space for the next bin to come in. Then we only need one material handler to keep the line stocked with bins.

has anyone worked a project like this yet?

Karine_Simard

@Kaleb_Rodes  @Enric @Ryan_Weaver Any suggestions?

tylermartin

This is the Bin they will be packaged into.

This is our gripper setup. The inside of the grippers will be rebuilt to accommodate our new part.

Etienne_Samson

@tylermartin take a look at the post on the beta driver, @Enric found a bug with the GUI over Polyscope 3.2.X, we will work on it and post on that beta driver thread. If you run on any bug like this, please report it in that thread.

Thanks !

Catherine_Bernier

@tylermartin Just wondering if you can modify your mounting plate for the grippers to make it same center-to-center distance of the bin cases (1 and 3 for example)?

So, on point (1), you would have your grippers aligned with the pocket 1 and 3. Then you can program point (2) and the grippers would be aligned with pocket 2 and 4... etc.

Only a suggestion. What is your actual center distance between your pockets?

tylermartin

Catherine_Bernier said:

@tylermartin Just wondering if you can modify your mounting plate for the grippers to make it same center-to-center distance of the bin cases (1 and 3 for example)?

So, on point (1), you would have your grippers aligned with the pocket 1 and 3. Then you can program point (2) and the grippers would be aligned with pocket 2 and 4... etc.

Only a suggestion. What is your actual center distance between your pockets?

no we cant because the same grippers run an assembly fixture for another part. We are just trying to use the setup we have with the least amount of modifications and no changeover because they run one part on day shift and another part on nights.

The centre distance will probably actually work out because it's 10 3/4" centre op pocket 1 to pocket 4. So I could just set 3 points per row, and set up 5 rows.

Catherine_Bernier

@tylermartin Ok and what is your actual center distance between your pockets?

tylermartin

@Catherine_Bernier it is roughly 3.5" per pocket. they are plastic so they vary slightly. grippers won't need to be modified with this spacing because 11" will fit, I didn't look closely enough at the pockets when I wrote the original post.

Catherine_Bernier

Great so you would place your part in pocket 1 and pocket 4 at the same time then?
Center to center = 10.5"
Would that work?

Enric

@tylermartin
I personally generates 3 TCP.  
TCP_Center( Middle two grippers)
TCP_A (Gripper A)
TCP_B (Gripper B )
After use 1 Gripper (ex.TCP_A) to generate a Pallet_1
Example cycle program
1. Select TCP_Center
2. MOVE to take two parts with 2 grippers.
3. Select TCP_A
4. Function Pallet_1
5. Select TCP_B
6. Repeat Function Pallet_1

It is very easy to create only one Pallet and change the TCP.

Hope this can help you.

Kaleb_Rodes

@tylermartin break the box up into two separate pallets. One half for gripper 1 and the other half for gripper 2. Unfortunately, you're not going to be able to drop two parts in the box at once do to your EOAT.

Basically the same idea that @Enric mentioned above. Instead of switching TCP's you're creating two pallets.

Both options will work!

Gripper 1: Green pallet
Gripper 2: Red pallet

Enric

@tylermartin
Good idea @Kaleb_Rodes.
Remember create the Pallet_RED inside "After_End" option Pallet_GREEN.

I think this option is better, more times some customers don,t understand work with differents TCP.

tylermartin

@Kaleb_Rodes I will be able to drop both parts in at once, I plan to make 2 pickups at the EOAT to get both parts before I move to the loading bin. So in that case I wouldn't be setting a position for the second gripper, I would only be setting positions for gripper 1, and only for half the bins(the green bins) as the other red bins would be filled simultaneously with gripper 2. 

I still need to understand what code to use to make this all happen. This is hard when the robot is in production and rarely has downtime.