Table of contents

Installation of Pally

Download the latest version of Pally from the homepage of Rocketfarm.

https://www.rocketfarm.no/software-products/palletizing/pally-official-software-download/

Use a USB stick connected to the Teach Pendant to install the Pally software. Follow the steps below.

Step 1.

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Go to System Manager and enter the password “easybot” to get access to the URcaps menu, where you upload the Pally software.

Step 2.

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Create the Pally program in the program menu by pressing + and choosing Run Pally.

Step 3.

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Go to Operator screen in the Application menu

Step 4.

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Choose Pally Operator Panel

Step 5.

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Open the Pally software from the Application menu.

Setting up the hardware

Gripper

Mounting

It is recommended to mount the gripper onto the robot so that the tool connector faces in the direction of the conveyor. This makes calibration easier, and the length and width of the gripper align with those of the product.

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Type, dimensions, and Input/Output

Natively integrated grippers

Pally features a range of integrated grippers from producers Piab, Schmalz, and Unigripper. If your installation uses one of the grippers in the list, you can choose it here. All dimensions, TCP and COG are automatically filled in, so you do not have to do this yourself.

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If you are using a mounting bracket to add offset, you choose this from the “Dimensions” menu and set the correct TCP manually.

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Set the TPC and COG position and set the TCP as default and active in the End Effectors menu in Polyscope.

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Finally, you add the I/O’s for the gripper.

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Custom gripper

Pally can work with any gripper. Choose “Custom” as the type and enter the dimensions by pressing “Edit custom gripper”. On the type menu, Pally will show the layout of the gripper according to how the Robot perceives it.

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You enter the name of the gripper and add all dimensions: Length, width, height, and weight.

Afterwards, you enter TCP in all 3 dimensions and any rotation as well. Positive directions are the directions the arrows are pointing in the picture below.

Add COG to avoid unnecessary protective stops during palletizing. This is especially important if the gripper is heavy.

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Finally, you enter the output signal for Grip and Blow.

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Custom gripper with zones

You can also use a gripper with individual pneumatic zones. This is done by creating a gripper.JSON file and uploading it. You can write this JSON file yourself, or you can use the configurator on MyRobot.cloud to generate the file. This file contains all relevant information on dimensions, TCP, COG, zones, and I/O’s. Choose “Upload another file” in the Gripper Type menu to add this file to Pally.

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Lifting column

Type, Characteristics, and Input/Output

None

Use this option if your robot is mounted on a fixed mounting position.

Generic

Use this option if you use a lifting column. Enable Dynamic positioning to enable Pally to calculate the optimal placement of the lifting column based on the palletizing operation.

Add the maximum lifting height of the lifting column in Characteristics, and add the Inputs and Outputs necessary to control the lifting column.

The timeout is how long Pally waits for a signal from “End position up”, “End position down”, or “Is moving” before a pop-up appears, telling the operator to check the lifting column.

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Input/Output

Here is where you set the different inputs and outputs for pallets and conveyors, as well as any LED-tower.

Left Pallet

If you are using a sensor to detect pallet presence or a push button, you enable the left pallet I/O and set the input signal. You can also use the Operator panel or a software-controlled signal for this input to the Pally program.

The “No Pallet” output can be used to indicate that there is no pallet present for palletizing, either as a light signal or something else.

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Right Pallet

If you are using a sensor to detect pallet presence, you enable the right pallet I/O and set the input signal. The “No Pallet” output can be used to indicate that there is no pallet present for palletizing, either as a light signal or something else. You can also use the Operator panel or a software-controlled signal for this input to the Pally program.

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Primary conveyor

Pally needs a signal telling the program that the product is present and can be picked. If the installation should be able to double pick, you need two sensors, where each sensor detects the presence of a product. Sensor 1 is for the first product. Sensor 2 is for product number two in a double pick scenario. Sensor 3 is for product number 3 in a triple pick scenario. The maximum number of products that can be picked simultaneously is 8.

If the installation has only one conveyor, you set the product sensors here in the Primary conveyor menu.

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The priority sensor is a sensor that can be added to your conveyor. The priority sensor will override the default palletizing flow of one pick-cycle on each conveyor, back and forth. As long as the priority is triggered, Pally will pick from this conveyor.

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Secondary Conveyor

Enable the secondary conveyor if your installation needs two pick positions, in a dual product mode or dual infeed mode.

Dual infeed means that you pick the same product from two conveyors, and palletize the same pattern on both pallets.

Dual product mode means that you pick two different products from two conveyors or pick positions and palletize them on two different pallets with individual patterns. You can use two pick positions on the same physical conveyor, but you set the corresponding sensors for product number two on the Secondary Conveyor menu.

The priority sensor is a sensor that can be added to your conveyor. The priority sensor will override the default palletizing flow of one pick-cycle on each conveyor, back and forth. As long as the priority is triggered, Pally will pick from this conveyor.

LED-Tower

Set output signals to control an LED tower if you use one in the installation.

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Calibration

After setting all necessary information regarding hardware, the next step is to do the calibration of the installation. We recommend being accurate while calibrating the system, since this is the foundation for palletizing all different products and pallets later. You do the calibration only once. The pattern file will contain all the information Pally needs to palletize different products and pallets afterwards.

Waiting Position

Set the position of the robot where you want the gripper to be placed while waiting for new products or while changing pallets. We recommend placing this position close to the above pick position to avoid unnecessary movements during palletizing.

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Box Dimensions

Enter the dimensions of the box you are using while calibrating the installation. Use the same box for both pickup positions and pallet positions. This box does not have to be the same box as you will palletize in the installation later. The important thing to consider is that the box is stable and does not become disfigured while doing the calibration.

We also recommend that the box be bigger than your gripper. This makes it easier to measure that the gripper is placed in the center of the box.

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Primary Pickup Position

Give your conveyor a name if you like.

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Calibrate the pickup position by placing the center of the gripper in the center of the calibration box. Make sure that you have equal distance both left and right, as well as equal distance front and back.

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Compress the suction cups or the foam approximately 50% to make sure you have good contact with the product.

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Now you set the position.

TCP check

Correct TCP is crucial for Pally to accurately pick and place products without crashing into existing boxes on the pallet or colliding with other hardware, such as the conveyor or frame.

Setting the TCP correctly can be a challenge if you do not get this information from the producer of the gripper. We recommend doing a quick check to see if the TCP is in the correct place.

To verify that the TCP settings are correct, you can perform the following steps:

1. Move the robot to the calibrated pickup position. 

2. Go to the Move menu, and select Tool or TCP.

3. Press the Y- arrow button, and the gripper should move parallel to the conveyor and in the direction where boxes arrive from. 

4. Press the Y+ button, and the gripper should move back to the end of the conveyor. 

5. When the gripper is above the box on the pickup position, press the RZ+ and RZ- buttons: the gripper should rotate around its own center point and not around the robot tool flange. Rotating by 180 degrees, the gripper should remain perfectly above the center of the box at the pickup position.

If you notice that it behaves differently, go back and adjust TCP before calibrating the pick position one more time.

Conveyor total width equals the total width of the conveyor, including guides, sensors, motors, or anything else that is mounted on the conveyor close to the pick position. Pally uses this information to calculate how to move the box without crashing into anything on the conveyor.

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Set the fixed guide position to left or right according to which side the fixed guide is placed on the conveyor. The picture below shows how it looks when the fixed guide position is on the left side.

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Fixed guide position Left

Fixed guide width is the distance from the fixed guide outwards on the same side, including anything mounted on the conveyor that Pally can crash into.

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Secondary Pickup Position

Enable the secondary pickup position if you are using a dual infeed mode or a dual product mode. Calibrate the position and set Conveyor total width, Fixed guide position, and Fixed guide width by the same principle as you would on Primary pickup position.

Left Pallet

Enable the left pallet if you will be using it in your palletizing installation. Use the Change position to set the position, and use Move here if you want to check the position after setting it.

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Before moving to the first point on the pallet, we recommend that you move to the calibrated pickup position and turn on the vacuum. This will ensure that the box is in the correct position while calibrating the pallet positions.

The tool connector of the robot should point towards the front of your robot when calibrating. This is valid for all directions (front, left, right, or angled) of the incoming conveyor. See the picture below where the arrow points in the direction the tool connector should point.

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Keep the gripper in the same orientation for all positions. If you can not reach the far corner (position 3), don’t rotate the gripper to be able to reach it. Just use a position closer to the base as the third calibration position. Keep in mind that the larger the area, the better the calibration.

Move to the first position with the box attached to the gripper. Place the box in the corner of the pallet, aligning the box with the pallet sides.

Make space between the calibration box and the pallet so that the foam or suction cup has room for expansion without causing a protective stop caused by a detected collision.

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After setting the first position, move to the next position with the tool view. Move in a straight Y direction. If you see that the box starts drifting outwards or inwards on the pallet, this is an indication that you have placed to gripper on the box with a slight rotation in the pickup position calibration. Recalibrating the pickup position is recommended before returning to calibrate the pallet positions.

Remember to measure and, if necessary, adjust the height so that the distance between the box and the pallet is the same in this position as in position 1.

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After setting the second position, move to the next position with the tool view. Move in a straight X direction. Make sure the box follows the edge of the pallet. Measure and maybe adjust the height so the distance between the box and the pallet is the same in this position as in position 1.

Right Pallet

Enable the right pallet if you plan to use it in your palletizing installation. Calibrate the 3 positions with the same method as you calibrated the left pallet.

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Pallet Height

Set the Calibration Pallet height to be able to use pallets with different heights in the installation, and enter the height of the pallet used while doing the calibration.

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Movement

Speed

Max Speed sets the target travel speed as a percentage of the robot's maximum speed capability. Safety setting will override the maximum allowed speed.

Max Acceleration sets the target torque limits during acceleration and deceleration as a percentage of the robot's maximum power. Safety settings will override the maximum allowed acceleration.

Approach Speed sets the target travel speed as a percentage of the robot's maximum speed capability while moving in the approach area.

Approach Acceleration sets the target torque limits during acceleration and deceleration as a percentage of the robot's maximum power while moving in the approach area.

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Path Planning

Set parameters to control the path planning of Pally.

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Gripper optimization controls how many directions you allow the gripper to have while picking up a product. We recommend using 4-way for pneumatic grippers, while limiting it when necessary. For mechanical grippers, we recommend limiting it to “None” to enforce that the gripper always picks the product from the front.

Above pickup position is the height from where the robot moves vertically down to pick up the following product(s).

Easy path planning can be ticked to allow Pally to use the default High approach boost and smart exits according to the calibrated points. This will save you time in the installation. If you remove the tick, you open up the options to set your own High approach boost and smart exits.

High approach boost can be set between 0% and 100% and controls how high the path should be between the box free height and down to the target position. This has an effect only when the target position is below the box's free height.

Smart exit is an area where Pally moves through after the box-free position and before moving towards the target position on the pallet. This is used to avoid crashing into any hardware in the proximity of the palletizing installation, such as pillars, walls, or shim paper trays, etc. This area can be set with individual values for the left and right pallet.

Waypoints

Set additional parameters to control the path planning of Pally.

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Box Free Height is the height Pally should lift the box to avoid crashing into any hardware on the conveyor, like sensors or guides. We recommend setting this to fixed. If you do not set it to fixed, Pally may calculate another value at runtime.

Approach Distance is the distance in X, Y, and Z directions where Pally slows down and moves slowly towards the target position. We recommend setting this to fixed. If you do not set it to fixed, Pally may calculate another value at runtime.

Pallet Lip is the height Pally moves vertically down to place products on the first layer to avoid a pallet lip.

Validate Calibration

Here, you can run a validation of the calibrated installation. The validation is a series of tests to verify the calibration. If you are confident of your calibration, you can skip it.

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Export Configuration

Export the configuration to MyRobot.cloud.

This is the foundation to create a digital twin of the Pally installation. In the future, you will also be able to create complete Pally programs in MyRobot.cloud, where all the path planning is done in MyRobot.cloud with collision avoidance.

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Pattern

Add and delete patterns.

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Pally Programs

Add and delete Pally Programs.

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License

Get information on the status of your Pally license.

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Every license is connected to the serial number of the robot and cannot be transferred from one robot to another.

To get the Pally license, send an email to license@rocketfarm.no with the serial number of the robot and what kind of license you require.

Trial license is valid for 30 days, and is normally used to test the Pally software.

A demo license can have a longer validity and is typically used for in-house robots used for training, sales demonstrations, and trade shows. The demo license is also used during the test and commissioning period before the robot is handed over to the end user.

End-user licenses are used for the robot in a palletizing installation. Can have an active plan of varied periods, tailored to the end user's specific needs.

Once for each robot, you can generate a free 72-hour license. Helpful to get you going.

You can upload your own Logo if you have a Demo or OEM license. This Logo will be presented on the Pally Operator Panel. Contact Rocketfarm for an OEM license.

Advanced

Backup

Create and download a backup of the Pally installation, including Gripper json, Polyscope log file, patterns and URPX file

System

Change Log level: Error, Warning, Message, Info, Debug.

Default set to Warning.

Use Info and Debug only while trying to figure out what's happening. These levels consume a significant amount of CPU power, so be sure to reset it to warning after use.

Operator

Choose the operator interface of the running program. You also need to choose the Pally Operator Panel in the Operator screen menu in Polyscope.

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Default is a standard palletizing operation, where one product is palletized. Dual product mode is used when a palletizing installation has two pickup positions and palletizes two different products on two pallets. Show mode is used for tradeshows and requires a Demo license.

Choose the language of the Pally program. If you set it to system default, it follows the language of the Polyscope program.