Is it possible to extend the safety functions on the UR robot internally or do I have to resort to external equipment? I am brainstorming ideas to have a clean setup, but also safe.
For example, I am using a cobot to spray a paint into a standard lab vent hood. Instead of putting joint limits on the robot, I would like to simply turn off an output if Axis 1 gets rotated outside +/- 60 degrees. Basically, the idea is to make it impossible for the spray gun to be turned on if not pointing into the vent hood booth. This is simply for convenience sake to make it easier for the operator to remove the paint gun.
However, that is just one example. Being able to monitor specific conditions of the robot internally could be useful to reduce equipment complexity.
Hello @john_courtney,
You have a few built in safety functions that may be useful. I’d look into utilizing the TCP position restrictions listed in 13.2.6 of the E-Series Software manual for the specific example you mentioned. You could monitor the safety status of the robot and set an output on if you are in a safety violation.
https://www.universal-robots.com/download/?option=50652#section50641
Overall, UR provides safety features that make it easier to tailor the robotic cell to a risk assessment, but due diligence on each robotic application must be done to ensure proper safety measures are set.
I’d recommend getting in touch with your local rep, or local risk assessment authority and consult them on the safety measures required for your application/system. I can’t say if you’d require external safety equipment or not, but once you know what safety criteria you need it will be easier to pin point if and where such equipment may be used.