A calibration program

Calibration measures where something really is, and corrects the project to match.

What it measures

The position of a container — a pallet station — relative to the robot. That is the measurement everything else on the station depends on.

The probes

A probe is one touch: the robot approaches until it makes contact, and records where. Several probes on known faces are enough to place the station in space.

Probes need somewhere solid and repeatable to touch. Choose faces that are part of the station, not part of what happens to be on it.

Semi-automatic and automatic

• Semi-automatic — you bring the robot to each point. Works when the station has moved further than the automatic search will look.
• Automatic — the robot finds the points itself. Faster, and the routine choice.

Both are run from the operator screen; see Calibration.

Applying the result

The measured correction is shown before it is applied, and refused outright if the probe found nothing or the correction is outside the accepted band. Look at a large correction before accepting it — accepting a bad measurement teaches the cell a wrong position, and every drop after it inherits the error.