KUKA Setup Instructions

This section introduces the process of loading the robot full-control program onto a KUKA robot.

The process consists of 4 steps:

• Check Controller and Software Compatibility

• Setup the Network Connection

• Load the Program Files

• Test Robot Connection

Please have a flash drive ready at hand.

Check Controller and Software Compatibility

Compatibility requirements are as follows:

• Controller model: KUKA KR C4

• Controller system software version: KSS 8.2, 8.3, 8.5 or 8.6

• Add-on software package: Ethernet KRL (V 2.2.8, 3.0.3 or 3.1.2.29)

  The correspondance between KSS and Ethernet KRL versions is as follows:

  KSS version	Ethernet KRL version
  8.2 or 8.3	2.2.8
  8.5	3.0.3
  8.6	3.1.2.29

• Mech-Center: latest version recommended

Note

All teach pendant actions in this chapter are performed on KSS 8.6. The specific steps and menu selections may differ slightly in older versions of system software.

Setup the Network Connection

Hardware Connection

Plug the Ethernet cable into:

• An Ethernet port on the IPC

• The X66 port on KR C4 compact and KLI port on other KR C4 controllers

  
  

IP Configuration

To allow communication between the IPC and the robot controller, both must have an IP address in the same subnet. This means that the first three numbers of the IP addresses should be the same. For example, 192.168.100.1 and 192.168.100.2 are in the same subnet.

1. Check the IP address of the IPC: please use the ipconfig command in Command Prompt or PowerShell to check the IP address.

2. Switch to expert mode:

   1. Press on , and then select Configuration ‣ User group.

      

   2. Select Expert, enter the password (the default password is kuka), and press on Log on.

      

3. Press on , and then select Start-up ‣ Network configuration.

   

4. Input an IP address in the same subnet as that of the IPC, and then press on Save. In the next two pop-up windows, press on Yes and OK, respectively.

   

   

5. Restart the robot to finish setting the IP address:

   1. Press on , and select Shutdown.

      

   2. Press on Reboot control PC.

      

Load the Program Files

Attention

Before operating the robot, please follow the backup instructions below to back up the system.

Backup

Note

Make sure you have switched to expert mode on the teach pendant. For instructions, see step 2 in IP Configuration.

1. Plug the flash drive for storing the backup file to the controller, and make sure that the flash drive shows up on the teach pendant.

   

2. Press on , and then select File ‣ Archive ‣ USB (cabinet).

   

3. After selecting USB (cabinet), select All in the last column.

   

4. Press on Yes in the pop-up window to start the backup process.

   

5. The following message is displayed when backup is in process. Once the backup is completed, this message disappears, and a ZIP file is created in the flash drive.

   

Prepare the Files

The program files are stored in the installation directory of Mech-Center. The default directory for Mech-Center is C:/Mech-Mind/Mech-Center-xxx.

Navigate to xxx/Mech-Center-xxx/Robot_Server/Robot_FullControl/kuka/kuka_new, and copy all the program files to your flash drive.

Load the Files to the Robot

Note

Make sure you have switched to expert mode on the teach pendant. For instructions, see step 2 in IP Configuration.

1. Plug the flash drive to the controller.

2. Select the flash drive, and locate the above files.

3. Select mm_motion.xml, press on Edit, and then select Copy.

   

4. Navigate to C:/KRC/ROBOTER/Config/User/Common/EthernetKRL, press on Edit, and then select Paste.

   

5. Navigate back to the flash drive, and repeat steps 3 and 4 for mm_status.xml.

6. Navigate to KRC:/R1, and press on New.

   

7. Input mechmind for the folder name, and press on OK.

   

8. Navigate back to the flash drive, and copy and paste the other 5 files to KRL:/R1/mechmind.

   Note

   Long-press and drag to select multiple adjacent files.

   

Set Autostart for Background Porgram

Note

Make sure you have switched to expert mode on the teach pendant. For instructions, see step 2 in IP Configuration.

1. Press on and then Display/Assign.

   

2. Press on Cold start configuration, and then press on the text box to the right of SYS.

   

3. Select the blank in the drop-down menu, and then press on the check-box in Autostart to uncheck it.

   

4. Similarly, select mm_server from the drop-down menu for EX1, and make sure Autostart is checked.

   

5. Press on Current display/assignment, press on the text box to the right of SYS, and then press Deselect.

   

6. Press on the text box to the right of SYS again, and select the blank in the drop-down menu.

   

7. Similarly, select mm_server from the drop-down menu for EX1, and press on Select/Start.

   

Select Foreground Program

1. Open the mechmind folder, select mainmodule.src, and then press on Select.

   

2. The following should appear on the screen.

   

Run Program in AUT Mode

1. Turn the key switch to horizontal, select T1 on the screen, and then turn the switch back to vertical.

   

2. Check the icon to the right of :

   • If it looks like , then skip this step.

   • If it looks like , then press on it and select in the drop-down window.

   

3. Press on the enabling switch (either one of three) on the back of the pendant and on the front at the same time to move the robot back to Home position. When the screen displays a message saying Programmed path reached (BCO), and turns red, release the enabling switch and .

   Note

   Set an appropriate speed for the robot before moving it, and observe its motion carefully to avoid accidents.

   

4. Switch to AUT mode as described in step 10, and press on to start running the full-control program ( should turn green).

   

Test Robot Connection

Please refer to Test Robot Connection for detailed instructions.