Two items within the same container [PickMaster 3]

PickMaster
1

Hi all,

first at all, thanks for reading. Any help will be wellcome.

I need to modify a currently running PM line that was, until now, picking just one item and placing it on a two layers tray. Both of the areas (pick/place) are on conveyors. The pick positions are generated by distance (vision), and the place ones, by I/O (predefined).

The items arrives randomly (let say, face up and face down). One of the item faces is darker than the other, and this feature was not taken into account untill now, so items goes to the tray whatever they are (up or down).

What I need to do now is to ensure that, at least, the second layer of the tray, is filled only with the items that has the dark face up.

My experience with PM is not so deep, and I think that maybe there are several ways to achieve this chalenge, so please, let me know if my opinions are all right:

1- I could add an inspection by histogram to the current blob model search and, playing with acepted and rejected, using two of the robots (must be R3 and R4) to fill the bottom layer of the tray, and the other two (R1 and R2) will fill later on, the top layer. Or even easier, defining differents item models for every two robots… but, this is not a perfect solution due to the oposite conveyors direction (R1R2 are the first recieving products and they should wait untill R3R4 fill the bottom layer)

2- All robots can pick&place any of the two different items, defining a container to be filled like that: layer1=item1 layer2=item2.
In case that I use this option (something like I have read on this post)
http://forums.robotstudio.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4329
Should I use the ItemType argument on RAPID?

See below, how I am thinking to do it

Do you think that this work? Accepting both items to the same distributor? The container should only accept the right item for each layer, isn’t it?

Sorry by the post extension.

Regards.

2

Hi manujuiz,
you did manily everything. just 2 additional steps:

  1. in pickmaster edit the items and set up 2 different item type value:

for example:
Item1Light >> item accept=1 item rejected=3
Item1Light >> item accept=2 item rejected=4

2)Now in RAPID you can request which is the next place item available and get the necessary pick item type:

PROC Pick()
VAR num PlaceType;

NextItmTgtType PlaceSource, PlaceType;

GetItmTgt PickSource, PickItem ItemType:=PlaceType

…

Best Regards

3

Hi Oscar, “grazie mille” for your reply.

I will keep your recomedation…

Unfortunately I can not test the line yet, anyway I will try it first without the RAPID modifications. Dont you think PM will do it by itself? I say this because the container already has this information: Item1=layer1, Item2=layer2, and with “Strict shorting method” I hope that layer1 will be filled before than layer2, otherwise, why can I choose different item per layer?

Of course, this is only my poor opinion. As soon as I test it, I will post it.

Again, many thanks for your support.

Ciao !

4

Beleave me, This soluton gives programmer full flexibility and opportunity to do a lot of customization on the robot

:+1: