Ask the Experts

Welcome to the world of automation and robotics. My proven suggestion is to visit the Visual Components web site and review the product called 3DRealizeR, a true 3D simulation solution which is specifically intended to assist in OLP the robots for all manufactuerers including the ArcMate 100i. This product already has an integral library of all the robot models as well as geometry for associated equipment such as turntables, conveyors and weld guns/equipment. Thie product also includes a basic CAD system to create simple geometries that are not resident in the library. This is an affordable solution that is used for robot programming, material flow (discrete event simualtion), PLC validation and Resource planning, all in one product and one platform.

I have pinged the web site for ARCO or the ASIA robot you stated. In the web site ARCO states they can provide any robot model and have connections with them all to supply your needs. What is the robot model and manufacturer as, based on the web site, ARCO does not manufacture their own brand but are a vendor or system integrator for various applications. In direct answer to your question on OLP (Off-Line Programming) typically the robot manufacturer has their own solution that can be generically used or you can ping the web site of Visual Components to review a product called 3DRealizeR specifically developed for robotic OLP applications without having to do a manual teach. This product is affordable and runs on workstatiosn or laptops equally well.

OLP (Off-Line Programming) was first introduced in the late 1980's with the imergence of 3D Graphic Simualtion. Initially, this new technology was used in the Automotive and Aerospace industries as they were the only enterprises that could afford the hardware and software that reached investments costs of near $250,000 at the time. Since then, this application i.e. welding, has been where the majority of the OLP functions have been focused - Arc, Mig, Tig, Spot, Plasma, etc. There is now affordable solutions for the Mom/Pop shops as well as the OEMs, that require an investment of 2% of the original costs.