Post Processors

Post Processors are a key step in Offline Programming because they can generate robot programs for a specific robot controller. Robot programming must follow vendor-specific programming rules, these rules are implemented in the post processor. A robot post processor defines how robot programs must be generated for a specific robot controller.

The conversion from the RoboDK simulation to a specific robot program is done by a Post Processor. Each robot is linked to a post processor which will define a specific robot programming style. The post processor is used when the program is generated offline, as shown in the Generate Program section (by right clicking a program, then, selecting Generate Robot Program).

RoboDK includes many post processors to support over 50 different robot manufacturers and controllers. Supported controllers are listed in the Available Post Processors section. Alternatively, it is possible to create customized post processor or modify an existing post processor. All available post processors are in the folder: C:/RoboDK/Posts/.

One post processor is a PY file (each post processor is defined by a Python script). It is possible to manually add, modify or delete the files in the Posts folder of RoboDK. If you have been provided a RoboDK post processor (PY file) it should be placed in the Posts folder so that it can be selected from RoboDK.

This section shows how to select, edit or create a post processor and use it with your robots in RoboDK. A quick introduction is available in the following video: https://www.robodk.com/help#PostProcessor

Select a Post Processor

You can easily select a post processor by right clicking a robot or a program. The choice of a post processor is assigned to a robot, therefore, changing the post processor assigned to a program will update the post processor used by all programs assigned to the same robot.

To select a post processor for a robot:

1.Right click a robot or a program

2.Select Select Post Processor

3.Choose a post processor from the list

4.Select OK.

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The change is now applied, and the program can be generated again to see the result.

As an alternative, it is also possible to select the post processor by following these steps:

1.Open the robot panel (double click a robot)

2.Select Parameters

3.Select your post processor in the Robot brand box, as shown in the following image.

Post Processor Editor

You can easily modify post processor settings using a graphical user interface. The post processor editor allows you to modify variables defined in the post processor that are specific to your robot controller.

The post processor editor is a plugin that helps customize your post processors. You can easily download and install the plugin from the following page: https://robodk.com/addin/com.robodk.plugin.postprocessoreditor.

Follow these steps to open the post processor editor:

1.Select ProgramPost Processor Editor.

2.Select the post processor you want to customize.

3.Select OK. A new window will open, and you’ll see the variables you can modify.

4.Select Save Post Processor as…

5.Enter the name to save it.

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For example, if you select the Fanuc R30iA post processor you’ll see the window shown in the previous image.

Modify a Post Processor

You can modify existing post processors in RoboDK to customize the output of your robot programs or create new post processors. Most post processors don’t need editing but simply changing configuration flags to obtain the desired program output.

Make sure you have the source code of the post processor to edit it. Contact us if the post processor you are trying to edit is not editable (compiled).

Post processors must be placed in the folder C:/RoboDK/Posts/ so that they can be selected from RoboDK. The previous section describes how to link a specific robot to a post processor.

Each post processor is one PY file. It is possible to rename the file or copy files from/to the C:/RoboDK/Posts/ folder to share different post processors. To delete an existing post processor script, simply delete the corresponding PY file in the Posts folder.

Post processors can be edited using any text editor or a Python editor (Python IDLE). Using the Python editor allows to quickly debug and evaluate a sample program at the end of the file.

Python should be installed to test and use the post processors properly (Python is installed by default with RoboDK).

Follow these steps to modify an existing post processor:

1.Select ProgramAdd/Edit Post Processor

2.Select an existing post processor

3.Select OK. A text editor will open and the program.

4.Select GoDebug (F5) to preview the result. Make changes if necessary. Depending on the text editor you use you may have to select RunRun module (F5) instead.

Post Processors - Image 5

Alternatively, it is possible to edit a post processor manually:

1.Go to the post processors folder: C:/RoboDK/Posts/

2.Open a PY file with Python IDLE (right click Edit with IDLE) or other text editor.

3.Make the desired changes.

4.Run the file to test the result: Select RunRun module (F5 by default) from Python IDLE.

Alternatively, it is possible to edit this file using a text editor and run it with Python by double clicking it.

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Modification Examples

This section will show you how you can make small changes to an existing post processor. Most post processors have some variables that can be easily modified to change or activate vendor-specific robot programming features.

As an example, the following changes will be made to existing KUKA and ABB post processors:

   Generate a program with its subprograms as one file and force programs to have 3000 lines of code per program at most. Large programs will be divided into smaller programs and called sequentially.

   Set a joint movement to generate the motion command using joint angles information.

   Override the maximum speed to 500 mm/s. Even if the robot is programmed to move faster, the speed will be limited to 500 mm/s in the post processor.

The following sections show how to make the suggested changes on a text editor.

Generate all programs in one file

This example will show you how you can change the default behavior of the KUKA KRC4 post processor to generate a main program with its subprograms in the same file.

Make sure the post processor editor plug-in is enabled and follow these steps to make the post processor modifications:

1.Select ProgramPost Processor Editor.

2.Select the post processor you want to customize (KUKA KRC4).

3.Select OK. A new window will open, and you’ll see the variables you can modify as shown in the following image.

4.Set the Include Sub Programs variable to True instead of False.

5.Select Save Post Processor as…

6.Enter a new name to save it (the default name uses the modification date).

Post Processors - Image 7

You should now have a new post processor in the Posts folder of RoboDK. You can now update your project to use this new post processor by following these steps:

1.Right click your robot.

2.Select Select Post Processor.

3.Select the new post processor you created.

4.Generate your programs again to see the result.

You could also make these changes using a text editor. Follow these steps to change the default Python code of the post processor:

1.Select ProgramAdd/Edit Post Processor

2.Select your post processor. For example, for KUKA KRC4 select KUKA_KRC4.

3. Select OK. The post processor will be shown in a text editor.

4.Set the variable MAX_LINES_X_PROG to 3000.

5.Set the variable INCLUDE_SUB_PROGRAMS to True.

Post Processors - Image 8

Force a speed limit

This example will show you how you can impose a speed limit of 500 mm/s and avoid using higher speeds when generating a program with RoboDK.

In this example we assume we are using a KUKA KRC2 or KRC4 controller:

1.Select ProgramAdd/Edit Post Processor

2.Select your post processor. For example, for KUKA KRC4 select KUKA_KRC4.

3.Select OK. The post processor will be shown in a text editor.

4.Locate the setSpeed function definition (def setSpeed)

5.Add the following line to make the maximum speed 500 mm/s. The line needs to be added before generating the $VEL.CP output which will change the speed in m/s: 
speed_mms = min(speed_mms, 500)

Post Processors - Image 9

Impose a movement using joint angles

This section will show you how you can modify an existing post processor to force an axial movement using joint values instead of Cartesian values.

In this example we’ll apply this change to an ABB IRC5 robot controller.

1.Find the programming manual of your robot controller. In this example we use the ABB IRC5 RAPID programming manual.

2.Look for the joint movement instructions. In this case, ABB’s absolute joint movement command is called MoveAbsJ. This command requires a jointtarget variable that defines the joint axes.

Post Processors - Image 10

3.Select ProgramAdd/Edit Post Processor and select the post processor you are currently using to modify it. If you are currently using a customizable post processor it will be selected by default.

4.You should look for the MoveJ function inside the post processor. This function defines the way post processors generate the joint motion commands. Alternatively, RoboDK uses MoveL for linear movements. Using Python programming language, modify the line that is added to the program file to provide joint angle information, as shown in the following image.

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5.Finally, you may need to modify the way the post processor converts the joint angles or the pose to a string. The functions angles_2_str and pose_2_str define how the joint angles and a pose, respectively, is converted to text.

Post Processors - Image 12

Most RoboDK post processors use joint data for joint movements and Cartesian coordinates for linear movements. It is recommended to always start the first point in a sequence of linear movements as a joint movement, specifying joint coordinates. This avoids starting a program with the wrong robot configuration and reaching a singularity or axis limits.

Available Post Processors

RoboDK provides over 100 post processors by default to support generating robot programs for over 40 robot manufacturers. Some post processors can be further customized to generate programs with a specific format.

You can find the complete list of available post processors in the RoboDK Library by navigating to https://robodk.com/posts. You can also select ToolsOpen Robot Library from the main toolbar in RoboDK.

By default, the following post processors are available in RoboDK:

   ABB RAPID IRC5: for ABB IRC5 robot controllers

   ABB RAPID S4C: for ABB S4C robot controllers

   Adept Vplus: for Adept V+ programming language

   Allen Bradley Logix5000: for Allen Bradley Logix5000 PLC

   Aubo: for AUBO robot controllers

   Brooks: for PreciseFlex robots

   CLOOS: for CLOOS robot controllers

   Comau C5G: for Comau C5G robot controllers

   Denso PAC: for Denso RC7 (and older) robot controllers (PAC programming language)

   Denso RC8: for Denso RC8 (and newer) robot controllers (PacScript programming language)

   Dobot: for educational Dobot robots

   Doosan: for Doosan collaborative robots

   Epson: for Epson robot controllers

   Fanuc R30iA: for Fanuc R30iA and R30iB robot controllers

   Fanuc R30iA_Arc: for Fanuc Arc welding

   Fanuc RJ3: for Fanuc RJ3 robot controllers

   GCode BnR: for B&R robot controllers

   GSK: for GSK robots

   HCR: for Hanwha robot controllers

   HIWIN HRSS: for HIWIN robots

   Hyundai: for Hyundai robot controllers

   KAIRO: for Keba Kairo robot controllers

   Kinova: for Kinova robots

   Kawasaki: for Kawasaki AS robot controllers

   KUKA IIWA: for KUKA IIWA sunrise programming in Java

   KUKA KRC2: for KUKA KRC2 robot controllers

   KUKA KRC2_CamRob: for KUKA CamRob milling option

   KUKA KRC2_DAT: for KUKA KRC2 robot controllers including DAT data files

   KUKA KRC4: for KUKA KRC4 robot controllers

   KUKA KRC4_Config: for KUKA KRC4 robot controllers with configuration data in each line

   KUKA KRC4_DAT: for KUKA KRC4 robot controllers including DAT data files

   Mecademic: for Mecademic’s script code required by the Meca500 robot

   Mecademic Python: it generates a Python script that can control the Mecademic Meca500 robot remotely.

   Mitsubishi: for Mitsubishi robot controllers

   Motoman/Yaskawa: for different Motoman robot controllers using Inform II and Inform III (JBI)

   Nachi AX FD: for Nachi AX and FD robot controllers

   Omron: for Omron/Techman robot controllers

   OTC: for Daihen OTC robot controllers

   Panasonic: For Panasonic PRG programs (requires Panasonic G2PC tools to compile ASCII files to binary files)

   Robostar: for Robostar robot controllers

   Siasun: for Siasun robot controllers

   Siemens_Sinumerik: for Siemens Sinumerik ROBX robot controller

   Staubli VAL3: to generate Staubli VAL3 robot programs (CS8 controllers and later). It inlines the robot movements.

   Staubli VAL3_Machining: for Staubli VAL3 controllers that have the Machining HSM option.

   Staubli S6: for Staubli S6 robot controllers

   Toshiba: for Toshiba robots

   Techman: for Omron/Techman robot controllers

   Universal Robots: for UR robots, it generates linear movements as pose targets

   Universal Robots URP: for UR robots, it generates a URP that can be loaded and modified in Polyscope (the UR robot controller)

   Universal Robots_RobotiQ: for UR robots including support for RobotiQ gripper

   Universal Robots_MoveP: for UR robots, it generates linear movements as MoveP commands

   Yamaha: for Yamaha robots

Reference

This section includes useful references related to post processors.

The following video shows an overview of Post Processors in RoboDK: https://robodk.com/help#PostProcessor

Reference documentation for each method in the post processor is available in the RoboDK API section of the documentation: http://robodk.com/doc/en/PythonAPI/postprocessor.html

Most post processors use the robodk.py module: http://robodk.com/doc/en/PythonAPI/robodk.html#robodk.Mat. The robodk.py module provides tools for pose operations (multiplications, inverse, …) and conversions between poses to Euler angles in different formats, among other things.

Documentation is available online to learn about Python programming:
https://docs.python.org/3/

When a program is generated, a preprocessed/universal Python program is generated and saved in a local temporary folder. The preprocessed program is linked with the right post processor (selected by the user in RoboDK). The post processor defines a RobotPost class that generates the desired code.

The precompiled programs are executed with Python.