The DynaCal™ robot calibration system allows not only robot calibration but the entire robot-cell calibration in one single step: the robot, the end-effector’s TCP, the fixture’s location (alignment), and optionally the external axes and/or positioner are calibrated altogether. This is achieved by moving the robot to a variety of positions in space, each time measuring the robot at (or at a point in a known location relative to) the TCP, expressed in the part’s coordinate frame. This can be performed with the DynaCal proprietary measurement hardware, or with any external (large-range) measurement equipment (such as a laser tracker).
Full Absolute Accuracy robot calibration as just described is used in virtually every kind of robotic application (except for very low-accuracy applications, such as painting), e.g. in arc-welding, waterjet cutting, drilling and routing, assembly, spot-welding, gauging, etc. The purpose of robot calibration is generally to reduce manual programming time, improve process quality, and/or to enable standard robots to achieve accuracies of much more expensive equipment (i.e. CNC machines, CMMs, etc.). Robot calibration enables ‘Off-Line Programming’, ‘Cloning’ of existing robot-cells, ‘Mirroring’ across production lines, ‘Swapping’ of robots, etc. (see “Off-Line Programming with No Touchup”, “Duplicate Robot Programs with No Touchup”).
Robot calibration, including calibration of its peripherals, for Absolute Accuracy with the DynaCal system is generally done once at the installation of the robot-cell, but it can of course be repeated at any time throughout production, for reasons such as robot maintenance, robot replacement, etc. However, during normal production operation, it is generally recommended to use a dedicated in-line recovery tool instead – such as the AutoCal™ or the AccuBeam™ system – in order to automatically detect and correct as promptly as possible any accuracy issue within the robot-cell, thus insuring that your robot-cell will maintain throughout production the level of Absolute Accuracy achieved at installation with the DynaCal robot calibration system (see “Maintain your Robot’s Accuracy throughout Production”).
