What is Force and Compliance Control and Why is it an Important Capability for Cobots?
To best understand force & compliance control it helps to understand the other alternative which is position control. Typically when programming a robot or cobot the programmer teaches a set of waypoints that the robot will follow to execute a task. With force & compliance control you are able to set a path and program the robot to be compliant to a particular force in a determined axis. For instance, a cobot can be programmed to follow a specific trajectory in a plane while maintaining a constant force normal to that plane despite irregularities on the surface of the piece the robot is working on.
A great example application is a cobot sanding a guitar. Programming a cobot for this application using waypoints would be tedious, impractical, and unreliable. Alternatively, if you use force & compliance control you can make the robot follow the guitar’s contour by selecting the appropriate axis to be compliant. This way it follows the shape while maintaining a set amount of force all the way through.
Certain applications can also benefit from compliance control. Such is the case of inserting objects. Assume the case where a tapered surface like a cone is loosely located, and a ring has to be inserted around the cone. The robot can be programmed to reach a certain height in the Z axis while being compliant in the X and Y coordinates. This will allow the robot to adjust to the location of the cone, much in the same way a human operator would place a fastener.
Continue reading then reach out to one of our robotics experts to discuss your particular application.
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