Simulation with 3D CAD

Technical Questions
1

I have a manufacturing line in a Solid works assembly. I have been tasked to look for stations and process steps for where a UR 5e could be used. I want to add a 3D file of a UR 5e and simulate programs within the assembly. Does anyone know if this can be done in solid works or a third party software?

2

I developed exactly this kind of application for another CAD software where no solution existed to interface with UR.
The equivalent for SolidWorks would be :

  • The robot programs run in the URSim simulator
  • A Solidworks Addin is developed in .NET: Welcome - 2020 - SOLIDWORKS API Help
    • This Addin uses this library to interface with the robot simulated in URSim
    • This Addin is used as a bridge. It drives in real time the concentric mates of the robot CAD model with the joint angles returned by the library.

But another solution is to develop your robot programs in a third party software that can interface with Solidworks, like RobotDK: RoboDK Add-In for SolidWorks - RoboDK Documentation

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3

Are you looking for rough testing? like reach study / concept generation?

If so, I have done this in a few different ways.

  • Solid works, download STP file of UR5, save as assy and add mates for faces & concentric but allow rotation. This lets you move the model in your assy file.
  • Venition.io - Site is designed to build / price 8020 style extrusions, but they have a pretty powerful simulation option built in.
  • RoboDK. great reasonably cheap simulation option. Not super pretty / intuitive but powerful.
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