Recently, many small partners have left messages in the background to raise some questions about RobotStudio installation, including initial installation, upgrade, or coexistence of multiple versions. I have responded selectively because some of the problems are indeed too bad. "basis". However, this also shows that there are still some friends who still don't know much about RobotStudio's installation problems, so this time we will take a look at the few points you should get to RobotStudio installation. In this way, if someone asks related questions in the future, he can directly share this article with him.
First of all, let's take a look at what is RobotStudio, what is RobotWare, and what is the difference between them. After all, if we want to understand, we must first understand it.
What is RobotStudio
RobotStudio is an application that runs on Windows and is used for modeling, offline creation and simulation of robot cells. RobotStudio allows us to use an offline controller, that is, a virtual IRC5 controller that can run directly on the computer, which is also a virtual controller (Virtual Controller). RobotStudio also allows us to connect with the real IRC5 controller, which is convenient for us to configure and debug the robot online.
In the early RobotStudio, offline function (or local function) and online function were separated. Before version 5.11, RobotStudio's online function was called RobotStudioOnline (RSO for short). Since 5.11, RSO has been regarded as the most important One of the functions is embedded in RobotStudio. Then it went through one version after another, and then we have the 6.0 version we are using now and even the new 2019 version.
What is RobotWare
RobotWare is a series of software products of ABBRobotics, we can simply understand it as an operating system used by ABB robots. RobotWare includes different product types.
RobotWare-OS is the operating system of the robot. RobotWare-OS provides all the necessary functions for basic robot programming and operation. Similar to the Windows system of the computer we use.
RobotWare option is an option that runs on RobotWare-OS. They are for additional functions that require motion control, communication, system engineering or applications, similar to application software on our computers. This is not a necessary function for the robot, so these options usually need to be purchased separately.
Production application options are expansion packages for spot welding, arc welding and specific production applications. They are mainly designed to improve production results and simplify application installation and programming. This is a bit of application software but higher than application software. If you still use a computer as an analogy, it can be understood as an enhanced patch of the system.
RobotWare Add-ins can be used to extend the functions of the robot system, and we can use it to develop robot options by ourselves.
To sum up, if you take a computer as an analogy, RobotStudio is the computer's hardware, and RobotWare is the computer's operating system and the application software installed in the operating system. RobotWare alone cannot run independently on a computer. The soul must be attached to a "body" to realize the function of a "person". Of course, this body is RobotStudio.
The computer can be equipped with dual systems or even multiple systems, can RobotStudio also be used? Don't worry, this is what we will discuss next about RobotStudio upgrade and coexistence of multiple versions.
The robot systems we generally use at present are version 5.0, version 6.0 and recently released version 7.0. Since the 7.0 version of the system is new, it may not be used a lot. At present, the most commonly used versions are 5.0 and 6.0. In version 5.0, RobotStudio and RobotWare are installed separately (or need to be installed manually). In version 6.0, when a certain version of RobotStudio is installed, the corresponding version of RobotWare will be installed automatically. In version 7.0, RobotStudio and RobotWare are separated again. We need to manually install RobotWare after installing RobotStudio of version 2019. Of course, if you have RobotWare in your computer, then you can directly pass 2019 after installing RobotStudio of version 2019. Version RobotStudio comes to use the previous RobotWare. And when installing a new version of RobotStudio, the old version does not need to be uninstalled. RobotStudio supports the coexistence of multiple versions. But it should be noted that the version of RobotStudio cannot be lower than the version of RobotWare we want to use. For example, RobotStudio version 6.07 can use RobotWare version 5.0~6.07, but RobotWare version 6.08 and later cannot. If you want to use a higher version of RobotWare, you must upgrade RobotStudio so that the version of RobotStudio is not lower than the version of RobotWare.
Then we can answer the question about the coexistence of RobotStudio's multiple versions through the above paragraph. Can RobotStudio coexist with multiple versions? The answer is yes, but it is not recommended. It is recommended to install only the latest version or the highest version that can be used in daily use. For other versions, only install RobotWare separately.
Let’s take a look at how to add RobotWare to the computer separately.
Adding method for version 5.0:
First of all, you must download the corresponding
installation package. There are usually two packaging methods for the installation package of version 5.0. One is to include only RobotWare but not RobotStudio, as shown in ① above, and the other is to include both. It is recommended that friends who have installed RobotStudio version 6.0 or 2019 only download this format, because our current RobotStudio version is higher than the version of RobotWare 5.0 to be used. For newly installed partners, it is recommended to download the format ② Yes, because RobotWare cannot be used without RobotStudio’s support.
For ①, there is no RobotStudio option during installation, and the default path is all the way to the next installation.
For ②, there will be RobotStudio and RobotWare options during installation. During installation, you should first choose to install RobotStudio. After the installation is complete, run the installation program again, then choose to install RobotWare, and then follow the prompts to the next step. It is not recommended to change the installation path, it will cause problems if you make a mistake, especially for novices. Of course, except for old birds.
After installation, you can use RobotWare 5.0 in RobotStudio version 6.0 or later.
How to add version 6.0 and newer
Share here, there is one more thing worth mentioning. The newly released RobotStudio2019 cannot extend the trial period due to the upgraded authorization verification mechanism, which makes many friends depressed for a long time. But here is some good news to share with everyone. ABB officially announced that RobotStudio2019 will be available for free for a one-year full-featured trial period, valid until December 31, 2020. Although it cannot be used for free forever, friends who want to try it can still download it and experience A handful. After all, this upgrade has many impressive changes.
For details of the free application, click the link below, which contains the steps to obtain and download the software installation package.
Click on me to get one year of full-featured use of RobotStudio2019 for free
The download address of the official website is also provided here, you can copy it and use Thunder or a third-party download tool to download, the speed is faster than the network disk.
RobotStudio 6.08.01 download address
https://robotstudiocdn.azureedge.net/install/RobotStudio_6.08.01.zip
RobotStudio2019.5.3 download address
https://robotstudiocdn.azureedge.net/install/RobotStudio_2019.5.3.zip
Other installation packages mentioned in the article can be downloaded by scanning the QR code at the end of the article and following the official account in the "Download Center" menu. See the animation below for the method.
That's it for this sharing. If this article is helpful or inspiring for you, then move your cute little hand to read it or forward it to the circle of friends, let it help inspire more people.
