Creating a Grab Activity

This procedure describes how to add a grab activity to a robot task.

Three modes are available, depending on the context of your scenario:

  • Product BuildUp is used to check resource reachability in resource simulation (based on process planner inputs) and early validation (based on manufacturing item inputs). It is available only when planning data is loaded in the session and no manufacturing product is available under organizational resources.
  • Pick and Drop mode is used in resource programming. It allows you to grab products inserted under a manufacturing product node or the manufacturing product itself.
  • Sensor Detection mode allows any movable resource that owns a simulation sensor to grab sensed product occurrences that are specified by the sensor.

Before you begin: Your scenario must contain a robot, a mounted weld gun (or gripper and part), and at least one robot task.
  1. Click Create Grab Activity in the Material Handling toolbox.
    The Grab Activity panel appears.
  2. You can enter a Goto label and Display Name for the activity under General.
  3. Select the Mode to use for the grab activity:
    • If you select Product Buildup mode:
      • In a resource simulation scenario, select a product in the work area implemented by planning data or a planning operation in the Behavior side tab.
      • In an early validation scenario, select a product in the work area implemented by manufacturing item data, or a functional process/manufacturing assembly in the tree.
      • As products are selected, they are added to the Grabbed Objects list. Each object specifies a Role for product build up, where:
        • Concerned Products grabs all of the products managed by a selected operation.
        • Input grabs all of the input to a selected operation.
        • Output grabs all of the output of a selected operation.
        The Status column displays a warning when the selected operation is below the operation being implemented by the current task.
    • If you select Pick and Drop mode:
      1. Select the Mechanical Port of the Grabbing Object according to which the product(s) will move.
      2. Select the product(s) to grab in the work area or tree.

        Products are populated in the Products table as they are selected.

        Note: To remove a product from the list, select it in the table and click .
    • If you select Sensor Detection mode,
      1. Select a simulation sensor that is defined for the currently programmed resource. This sensor is used to detect the parts to grab.

        After a simulation sensor has been selected, its beam is displayed in the work area.



      2. Select the type of entity to detect. You can select from workpieces that are generated by a source, or any product (whether it is a workpiece or not).
  4. Click to create the grab activity as defined.