FANUC Load Program to the Robot

FANUC Load Program to the Robot

Table of Contents

Now that you've spent weeks preparing your program, it's finally time to load it onto the newly installed robot.

But don't think it's just a single click.

The steps may change based on the robot's brand. In this guide, I'll explain how to proceed to load program to FANUC robots and mention key factors to prevent errors.

 

Use Virtual Robot Backup to Restore Real Robot in One Click?

At first glance, you might think: "Okay, I'll do a full restore to load the entire program in one click."

But be cautious: For sure, it won't work with FANUC robot. There are significant risks that I would prefer not to take.

  • You may encounter incompatibilities if the robot version or installed options on the virtual robot prepared at the office are different from the real robot.
  • Overwriting the robot's serial number could lead to complications.
  • Worst of all, the axes calibration values may be lost.

In short, regardless of the robot brand, I advise against restoring the robot with a program you prepared at the office, except if you prepared your program from a backup of the real robot. But that's rarely the case, the robot is installed and powered up after you have finished all the programming work at the office.

 

How to Load a Program to FANUC Robot?

Here is the procedure I use.

 

Create a backup of the real robot

Before loading any program, take a backup of the real robot. This will preserve its initial state when first started up. Save this backup on your company's network.

Perform a backup by selecting "All Of Above" to be sure to save everything.

 

Create a backup of the virtual robot

Create a backup of the virtual robot that you have worked on. This backup will help you to load the system and program files.

Place the backup folder onto a USB key, and then insert the USB key into the controller or teach pendant.

 

Load the files

    It is recommended to load system and program files when the controller is in CONTROLLED START mode.

    To put the controller in this mode, you have two options:

    • Power on the controller while simultaneously pressing F1 and F5 on the teach pendant.
    • Use the "Function" menu on the teach pendant (FCTN -> CYCLE POWER -> OPTIONS -> CTRL).

    The process of loading a program is not simplified by FANUC. It involves the loading of individual files for I/O, frames, numerical registers, position registers, and more. Even after loading all these files, manual editing will still be necessary.

    Here's the step-by-step procedure for loading a file:

    • Click on "Menu".
    • Select "5-File".
    Controlled start fanuc
    • Navigate to the folder containing the virtual robot backup.
    • Choose the desired file, and press F3 for "Load".
    Load program with teach pendant

     

    Let's now begin listing the files that need to be loaded:

    • DIOCFGSV.IO : Inputs & ouputs information setup
    • NUMREG.VR : Data register information
    • POSREG.VR : Position register information
    • FRAMEVAR.VR : Frame setup information
    • SYSFRAME.SV : Tool frames and user frames
    • SYSMACRO.SV : Macros
    • DCSPOS.SV : Position & speed check function (if you use the DCS option)
    • DCSIOC.SV : Safe I/O Connect function and user comments of the Safe I/O signals (if you use the DCS option)
    • *.TP : Load all TP files

     

    You may come across information online suggesting you could load SYSVAR.SV for various system parameters such as user alarms or space functions. However, following this advice would be a mistake, as this file also contains mastering, servo parameters, and other critical settings that you wouldn't want to erase.

    You can now restart the controller in normal mode (COLD START).

     

    Items that require manual input

    As previously mentioned, certain elements cannot be loaded through files and necessitate manual entry. Below is a comprehensive list of items that must be entered manually. You can open Roboguide and compare the real and virtual robot to not forget anything.

    I suggest you to go through each item in SETUP ans SYSTEM menu and check if you need to enter something.

    Undoubtedly, the following items demand manual input:

    SETUP menu:

    • Prog Select
    • Reference positions
    • User alarms
    • Background logic
    • Space functions
    • Host comm

     

    SYSTEM menu:

    • System variables : disable T2 mode for example
    • Config
    • Motion : Payload definition

     

    Backup

      Lastly, create a backup of the program for easy restoration if needed in the future.



      By following these steps, you can confidently upload your program to the brand-new robot without risking potential problems.

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