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RobotsKUKA

KUKA

Using a KUKA with Wandelbots NOVA offers a wide range of possibilities for automating your production processes. There are 4 things you need to know before you start:

Which KUKA controller types and models are supported by Wandelbots NOVA?

Supported models

Wandelbots NOVA provides you with virtual controllers for path planning, app development and simulation purposes.

Use virtual controller

You can connect your KUKA controller to Wandelbots NOVA for real-world automation.

Set up and connect KUKA controller

To avoid running into performance issues when using a KUKA controller with Wandelbots NOVA, the NOVA instance needs to be running on a real-time enabled kernel.

Verify real-time kernel

Supported models

Controllers

KRC4

Supports

industrial

Requirements

  • Option package: EthernetKRL Interface 2.2, Robot Sensor Interface 3.3/4.1, MultiSubmitInterpreter 1.0. Optional: Safe Operation package for safety zones, TCP geometries, safety limits of joint positions and velocity. If installed, safe operation reference switch is required.
  • Version: >=KSS 8.3.18
KRC4 compact

Supports

industrial

Requirements

  • Option package: EthernetKRL Interface 2.2, Robot Sensor Interface 3.3/4.1, MultiSubmitInterpreter 1.0. Optional: Safe Operation package for safety zones, TCP geometries, safety limits of joint positions and velocity. If installed, safe operation reference switch is required.
  • Version: >=KSS 8.3.18
KRC5

Supports

industrial

Requirements

  • Option package: EthernetKRL Interface 3.2, Robot Sensor Interface 5.0. Optional: Safe Operation package for safety zones, TCP geometries, safety limits of joint positions and velocity. If installed, safe operation reference switch is required.
  • Version: >=KSS 8.7
KRC5 micro

Supports

industrial/cobot

Requirements

  • Option package: EthernetKRL Interface 3.2, Robot Sensor Interface 5.0. Optional: Safe Operation package for safety zones, TCP geometries, safety limits of joint positions and velocity. If installed, safe operation reference switch is required.
  • Version: >=KSS 8.7

Motion groups

Robotic arms

KR LBR iisy 11 R1300Cobot
KR 10 R1100Industrial
KR 10 R1100 2Industrial
KR 10 R900Industrial

External axes

DKP 500

Use virtual controller

Open the home screen

Open your cloud instance via the Developer Portal or type in your physical instance’s/virtual instance’s IP address to access the home screen. Get an overview on the home screen and its functionalities here.

Create a cell in Setup

Open Setup and go to the “Cell” tab.

Add robot to your cell

If you want to start using the Wandelbots API, do so now and add a robot via the Wandelbots NOVA API.

OR add a robot to your cell in Setup:

  • Select the “Robots” tab.
  • Click to add a robot to your cell.
    If the button is greyed out, your license might not support adding more robots. Please contact your administrator.
  • Select the robot type Virtual.

    Adding a physical robot will only work after successful setup.

  • Name the robot
  • Select KUKA as manufacturer.
  • Select the desired robot model.
  • Add the robot to the cell.

Congrats! You can now start to plan paths and simulate! Open Robot Pad from the home screen of your instance and get started ✨.

Set up and connect KUKA controller

Cloud instances are not suited to control a physical robot and you need to use a VM or use an IPC instead. More information on available NOVA instance types here.

About setup instructions

The provided setup instructions do not replace a thorough understanding of the robot manufacturer’s original operating instruction and only apply to the supported models mentioned above.

The setup instructions include the following steps:

  1. Preparing the robot for the connection with Wandelbots NOVA.
  2. Physically connecting the IPC to the robot controller.
  3. Configuring the IPC to establish communication with the robot controller.
  4. Using the KUKA controller on Wandelbots NOVA.
  5. Troubleshooting common issues that may arise during the setup process.

In order to connect the KUKA controller to Wandelbots NOVA, Wandelbots NOVA needs to be integrated into the robotic cell according to these cell designs.

Ensure that the KUKA controller you’re about to connect to Wandelbots NOVA is listed in the supported models section.

Note that setting a correct mounting pose in the robot controller is crucial, especially for cobots, as they are sensitive to gravity direction.

Qualified user groups

Preparing a controller for the use of Wandelbots NOVA is a task that requires a certain level of expertise. The following instructions are intended for qualified user groups only.

⚠️ caution

Danger in case of insufficient qualification of users
People can be injured if unqualified user groups set up the physical robot environment.

  • Only qualified user groups designated by the operating company may set up the physical robot environment.
  • Keep unqualified user groups away from the area of risk.

If a high experience level, e.g. admin user, is recommended to complete the step, the following label will be displayed next to the header:

Admin

Prepare the KUKA
Admin

Activate Administrator user group and stop programs

  1. Using the original robot’s control panel, switch from automatic mode to T1 mode.
  2. Open Main menu > Configuration > User group.
  3. Select Administrator and enter the password.
  4. If the R in the header has a green background color, click on it.
  5. Cancel the robot program.
  6. If the S in the header has a green background color, click on it.
  7. Stop and deselect all submit interpreters.

Install option packages

  1. Download the required option packages listed in the requirements of the supported controllers as well as the Wandelbots custom .kop option package  to a personal computer.
  1. Save the required option packages listed in the requirements of the supported controllers as well as the Wandelbots custom .kop option package  on an USB flash drive.
  2. Insert the USB flash drive into the original robot’s control panel or the robot controller.
  3. Ensure that Administrator is still selected as user group.
  4. Open Main menu > Start-up > Service > Minimize HMI.
    The windows home screen appears.
  5. Copy the option package from the USB flash drive to D:\KUKA_OPT
  6. Select the HMI in the windows task bar.
  7. Open Main menu > Start-up > Additional software.
  8. Click New software.
  9. IMPORTANT: First, install the required option packages to enable the installation of the Wandelbots custom option package.
  10. Only install the custom .kop option package AFTER installing the required option packages.

    To avoid installation conflicts, remove the previous version of the Wandelbots NOVA KOP file before installing the latest version.

For further information read the chapter Installation via smartHMI in the respective option package documentation.

Get overview on IP addresses

During the setup of the KUKA robot controller, a variety of IP addresses are required. To facilitate understanding who defines the IP addresses and for what they are used, the following table provides an overview:

IP addressValueDefined by
KUKA KLI IP addresse.g. 172.31.1.147, notice that the subnet is 1. This IP address is assigned to the controller to access it within the company’s network.the operating company
KUKA RSI IP addresse.g. 172.31.2.147, notice that the subnet is 2, thus different than the KLI subnet. This IP address is used to communicate with the IPC.user during KUKA setup
IPC in company networke.g. 172.160.3.55, notice that the subnet is 3, thus different than the KLI and RSI subnets. This IP address is used to access the IPC in the company’s network.during Wandelbots NOVA installation
IPC’s KLI IP addresse.g. 172.31.1.55, notice that the subnet is 1, thus the same as the KUKA KLI subnet. This IP address is used by the IPC to establish communication to the robot controller.user during KUKA setup
IPC’s RSI IP addresse.g. 172.31.2.55, notice that the subnet is 2, thus the same as the KUKA RSI subnet. This IP address is used by the IPC to establish communication with the robot controller.user during KUKA setup

Log in

Using the original robot’s control panel

  1. Switch from automatic mode to T1 mode.
  2. Open Main menu > Configuration > User group.
  3. Select Expert and enter the password.
  4. Click Log on.

Add required network interfaces

  1. Open Main menu > Start-up > Network configuration.
    The network configuration is displayed. If you can’t access the network configuration, a program might be running. Cancel the program and try again.
  2. Click on the Advanced… button.
  3. Enter the following values to configure the KLI interface:
    FieldValue
    Interface designationKLI
    Address typeFixed IP address
    IP address172.31.1.147
    Subnet mask255.255.255.0
    Windows interfaceSelected (default)
  4. Click on the Add interface button.
  5. Enter the following values to configure the RSI interface:
    FieldValue
    Interface designationRSI
    Address typeMixed IP address
    IP address172.31.2.147 This IP address can be any valid IP address that you can think of. It can’t be in the same subnet as the KLI address.
    Subnet mask255.255.255.0
    Windows interfaceNot selected
  6. Click on Save.
    A popup is displayed.
  7. Confirm the changes to add both interfaces.

Restart the robot controller

  1. Open Main menu > Shutdown.
  2. In section Settings for next shutdown, select the options Force cold start and Reload files.
  3. In section Shutdown actions, click on the Reboot control PC button.
    A popup is displayed.
  4. Confirm the reboot of the controller to apply the network changes.

Connect IPC to the robot controller
Admin

  1. Connect an ethernet cable to the IPC’s LAN-1 port.
  2. Connect the ethernet cable to the robot controller’s X66 port.
  3. Turn on the IPC.

Configure the IPC’s network settings

  1. Open https://<ipc-ip-address>:9090, e.g. https://172.345.538.2:9090, in a browser on your personal computer.
    If the IPC is not connected to the same network as your personal computer, you can connect a keyboard, a mouse and a display to the IPC. Then open localhost:9090 in a web browser.

    Only one personal computer is allowed to connect to the instance’s IP address. In case multiple personal computers control a physical robot, e.g. via API and the RobotPad, simultaneously, the robot will not move.

    • Close all applications on other personal computers and try again.
    • Unplug the robot’s ethernet cable from the physical instance and wait a couple of minutes to restart Wandelbots NOVA foundation services. Plug it into the LAN port again and try again.

  2. Log in with the user credentials created during the Wandelbots NOVA installation.
    The IPC’s settings are displayed.
    A popup prompts you to enable administrative access.

  3. Enable administrative access and enter the admin password.

  4. Select the Network tab in the sidebar.
    The IPC’s network settings are displayed.

  5. Toggle the button next to the enp3s0 port (corresponding to the IPC’s LAN-1 port) to enable network activity.

  6. Click “edit” next to the IPv4.
    The IPv4 menu opens.

  7. Set the address dropdown to “Manual”.

  8. Set the prefix to 255.255.255.0 (will automatically change to 24).

  9. Delete the prefilled gateway value.

  10. Create an IP address that will be used as IPC KLI IP address. It has to be in the same subnet as the KUKA’s KLI IP address, e.g. 172.31.1.55.

  11. Click on the ”+” button to add another IP address.

  12. Create an IP address that will be used as IPC RSI IP address. It has to be in the same subnet as the KUKA’s RSI IP address, e.g. 172.31.2.55.

  13. Save the settings.

Wandelbots NOVA can now connect to the robot.

Use KUKA controller on NOVA

  1. Type in your physical instance’s IP address to access the home screen.
  2. Open Setup and go to the “Cell” tab.
  3. Select the “Robots” tab.
  4. Click to add a robot to your cell.
    If the button is greyed out, your license might not support adding more robots. Please contact your administrator.
  5. Select the robot type Physical.

    Adding a physical robot will only work after successful robot commissioning.

  6. Name the robot.
  7. Select KUKA as the manufacturer.
  8. Enter the Host and RSI IP address according to the info field.
    • In the Host field, use the KLI IP address of the controller entered in the KLI interface.
    • In the RSI IP address field, use the RSI IP address of the IPC entered in RSI IP address.
  9. Click on Add.
  10. Set the robot to one of the operating modes: Manual or automatic.

Manual mode

  1. Press enabling switch on the original robot control panel.
  2. Press the green button on the backside of the original robot control panel 2 times.
    This button (or the play button) as well as the enabling switch have to be pressed in order to complete robot movements.
  3. Press and hold safety switch.
  4. Confirm all safety messages.
  5. Press the safety switch 2 times and then hold and press the green Play button.

The motion groups are automatically activated.

Automatic mode

  1. Press the green button on the backside of the original robot control panel 2 times.
  2. Ensure the program pointer is below the comment “DO NOT CANCEL THIS PROGRAM IF YOU WANT TO MOVE THE ROBOT WITH WANDELBOTS”.
  3. Activate the motion group in Robot Pad in the safety bar or via the Wandelbots NOVA API Motion Group endpoint POST /cells/{cell}/motion-groups/all.

External automatic mode

To start a robot program in external automatic mode, internal variables have to be triggered in the right order:

  1. $MOVE_ENABLE
  2. $CONF_MESS
  3. $DRIVES_ON
  4. $EXT_START

For more information about the use and the communication flow of these internal variables read the KUKA System Integrator documentation of the respective KSS version.

All variables need to be mapped to inputs to enable triggering them via a higher-level controller such as a PLC, physical buttons or a BUS I/O communication device.

  1. Select Main menu > Configuration > Inputs/outputs > Automatic External.
  2. In the Value column, select the desired cell and press Edit.
  3. Enter the desired input number and press OK to save.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all desired values.
  5. Close the window.
    The changes are saved.

Troubleshooting

I can’t log in or I am not part of the Expert user group

In order to prepare the KUKA for Wandelbots NOVA you need to be part of the Expert user group. If you can’t log in, ask a sufficiently qualified user to log in and set up the robot for you.

Find the KUKA’s IP address

Using the original robot control panel

  1. Log in with the Expert user group.
    Switch from automatic mode to T1 mode.
  2. Open the main menu.
  3. Go to Main menu > Start-up > Network configuration.
    The network configuration is displayed.
  4. Open Advanced…
    The controller’s IP addresses are displayed.
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