February 3, 2015 - ABB Robotics introduced RobotWare 6 robot controller software. The updated software affords manufacturers greater flexibility and reliability, with an extensive toolbox for developers and a broad range of communications capabilities. The enhancements improve the programming and control of robotic systems and equipment, without sacrificing ABB’s unique brand of motion control and safety.
RobotWare 6 comes with improved installation features, including “nstallation Manager” a flexible application licensing mechanism for developers, and an intuitive user interface that vastly improves robot set-up time and system reconfiguration.
Another feature found in RobotWare is Externally Guided Motion (EGM), which, with the aid of external sensors, provides operators with more precise control over robot motion. The functionality also allows integrators to further optimize cell design and production flows. The sensors provide the ability to input absolute positions, and to modify the robot’s path. Paths can be updated every four milliseconds with a controller lag of between eight to 20 milliseconds, depending on the type of robot.
With the RobotWare 6 upgrade, installation time is shorter, jogging is more responsive, and restarts are quicker, all combining to provide improved productivity.
“ABB has always taken pride in the power and flexibility of its RAPID programming language,” said Nick Hunt, product technology manager, ABB Robotics. “Now with the release of RobotWare 6, programmers have an even more impressive palette of RAPID design tools and sensor interface capabilities at their disposal.”
About ABB Robotics
ABB Robotics is a leading supplier of industrial robots - also providing robot software, peripheral equipment, modular manufacturing cells and service for tasks such as welding, handling, assembly, painting and finishing, picking, packing, palletizing and machine tending. Key markets include automotive, plastics, metal fabrication, foundry, electronics, machine tools, pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries. A strong solutions focus helps manufacturers improve productivity, product quality and worker safety. ABB has installed more than 250,000 robots worldwide.