FANUC created a demo a couple years ago to showcase the CR-35iB and their plugin SDK. They basically have a custom HMI with several screens telling the operator what to do for each step in the process. It probably took a developer who’s comfortable with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and the plugin SDK toolchain at least a few hours to create this. We can recreate this with HMI Forge in ~5 minutes, no code.
Operator HMIs are a constant ask on cobot cells. The plugin SDK is genuinely powerful, but it’s HTML/JS/tooling – overkill when you just need buttons, an image, and a couple of bindings for the operator. You shouldn’t need a web developer to make an operator screen.
Details are in the video above, but I created a simple TP program to move the robot around to a few different positions for the operator. At each step, I set R[1] to the current step number and turn F[1] ON to indicate that the robot is waiting for the operator to confirm the step is complete.
For the HMI, I used HMI Forge to create a new HMI:
- Setup the document with a name, theme for colors, etc.
- Imported a bunch of images from the USB stick to the controller
- Created a couple of tags that bind to robot data (
{r_step}binds toR[1]and{step_confirm}binds toF[1]) - Configured the document to use the
{r_step}tag to drive which screen is shown - Added a Cycle Start button to run the
BIKE_ASSYprogram - Added a Confirm Step button that turns
F[1]off (via{step_confirm}) and disabled it whenever{step_confirm}is off, so the operator can’t confirm before the robot’s in position - Added some images and labels to tell the operator what’s going on
- Created a new screen for each step quickly by copying and pasting the existing controls
What would take me a few hours to build with the plugin SDK literally took 5 minutes on the tablet itself. My 9 year-old could do this (probably faster than me).
The SDK is still the right tool for complex custom plugins (reach out if you need one!), but HMI Forge is purpose-built for custom screens and operator HMIs.
HMI Forge is in early access. If you run a FANUC CRX cell and want a better interface, request a demo on your own hardware. I can work with you to build a great interface for your cell.
