Location Precision The following figure shows how a SCARA robot can reach a point with the elbow pointing in two different dir- ections. Left/Right Robot Arm Configuration Location Precision When a robot moves to a location, it actually makes several moves, each of which is a closer approximation of the exact location. You can control the precision with which the robot moves to a location using the Motion End (Settle Fine/Settle Coarse) parameter. If coarse is selected, the robot will spend less time attempting to reach the exact location. In many cases, this setting will prove completely adequate, and robot cycle times can be improved by setting location precision to coarse.
Continuous-Path Motion When a single motion instruction is processed, the robot begins moving toward the location by accelerating smoothly to the commanded speed. Sometime later, when the robot is close to the destination location, the robot decelerates smoothly to a stop at the location. This motion is referred to as a single motion seg- ment, because it is produced by a single motion instruction. When a continuous-path series of two motion instructions is executed, the robot begins moving toward the first location by accelerating smoothly to the commanded speed just as before. However, the robot does not decelerate to a stop when it gets close to the first location.
Instead, it smoothly changes its dir- ection and begins moving toward the second location. Finally, when the robot is close to the second loc- ation, it decelerates smoothly to a stop at that location. This motion consists of two motion segments since it is generated by two motion instructions. ACE User's Guide, 3.6.x, 18316-000 Rev A Page 63