Teach pendants

01

Check the enabling device and manual-mode speed

OSHA's Technical Manual chapter on industrial robots explains that "Most robot systems are set up for application by programming using a teach pendant (a portable control device) while in manual mode", where a trained programmer teaches the robot its tasks and must have control of the robot and associated equipment. In manual — also called teach or T1 — mode the robot runs at reduced speed, slow enough for a person to avoid hazardous contact and not more than 250 mm (10 in) per second. ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 requires a three-position enabling device, a manually operated device that permits motion only while continuously held and stops robot and hazardous associated motion when released or compressed. OSHA states that "the incorrect activation of the teach pendant or control panel is a frequent worker error", and cites an incident in which the worker did not have a teach pendant with an enabling device while programming. [1]

Editorial calculation: at the 250 mm/s manual-mode limit a robot takes at least 4 seconds to travel 1 m; ask the supplier how manual-mode speed is limited and monitored in the controller. [1]

Give the supplier the robot brand, controller and software version, enabling device (three-position) and emergency stop type, mode selection, safety standards and performance level required, screen size, resolution and touch type, physical keys, wired or wireless link, cable length and connector, ingress protection, operating temperature, weight, language and software licences, and quantity.

02

Choose display, keys, connection and certification

Dobot, a collaborative-robot maker, describes its CRA-series teach pendant as lightweight and compact with an ergonomic grip. It has a 10.1-inch HD capacitive multi-touch screen at up to 1,920 × 1,280, a three-position enable button that can be configured as an enable switch or as a drag button according to safety requirements, and 12 physical jog buttons for jog teaching, and is certified to ISO 10218-1:2011 and ISO 13849-1:2015. Dobot says its robots can be run from a computer, tablet or teach pendant, over wired or wireless connections. [2]

Editorial note: when a tablet or computer replaces a pendant, ask how the enabling and emergency-stop functions are provided, since the OSHA manual ties manual-mode teaching to an enabling device. [1] [2]

03

Compare what suppliers offer

Suppliers linked to this page list teach pendants; each card links to the page reviewed.

Listings include a cobot teach pendant with a large touchscreen, three-position enable button and physical jog keys; ask each supplier for compatibility with your controller, safety certificates and spare-part availability.

04

Ask for weight, IP rating, temperature range and safety-switch life

KEBA's datasheet for its KeTop T20 handheld operating device, which KEBA offers with keyboard variants for CNC machines and robotics, gives the hardware values this page's other sources leave open. It lists a 3.4-inch (16:9) WQVGA 480 × 272 analog resistive touchscreen, a 24 V DC supply, IP65 protection, an operating temperature of 0 °C to 45 °C and cable options of 2.5, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 20 m. Its safety elements are a 3-level, 2-channel enabling switch with B10d = 1,000,000, a 2-channel emergency stop with B10d = 250,000, and safety category PLe to EN 13849-1 or SIL3 to EN 61508. [4]

Editorial note: KEBA states enabling-switch life as a B10d value, while IDEC above gives minimum mechanical operations; ask the pendant supplier for both figures for the switch fitted, and check that a 0 °C to 45 °C operating range covers the cell. [4] [3]

05

Check the enabling switch's forces, contacts and rated life

IDEC's enabling-switch catalog explains the three positions behind a teach pendant's enabling device: position 1 is the normal position with the contact open, position 2 (pushed half way) closes the contact, and position 3 (pushed all the way) opens it again; when released from position 3 back to position 1 the switch does not enter the ON state. Its HE1B basic switch uses positive-action contacts from ON (position 2) to OFF (position 3) to prevent contact welding, per IEC 60947-5-1, and its contacts do not close on release from position 3, per IEC 60204-1 clause 9.2.5.8. [3]

The HE2B adds snap-acting contacts from OFF to ON, multiple contacts and monitoring contacts beside the main load contacts, and IDEC lists ISO 10218 and ANSI/RIA R15.06 among its application standards. For the HE1B, IDEC gives reference operating forces of approx. 15 N and approx. 3 N in its operating-characteristics chart, and a vibration damage limit of 16.7 Hz at 1.5 mm amplitude. [3] Editorial note: ask the pendant supplier which enabling switch it fits, its rated mechanical life for both the 1→2 and full 1→2→3→1 cycle, and whether monitoring contacts are wired to the robot controller.

06

Trace the pendant's functions

This is a functional reference built from the sources cited; it is not one maker's design.

07

Fill the specification fields with values for your project

A teach pendant quotation needs values for your project. The table explains each field, gives published values where a reviewed source states them, and says what to obtain from the supplier.

08

Send the robot, safety needs and cell layout together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Robot: [brand; controller; software]
Safety: [3-position enabling; e-stop; mode switch; PL]
Display: [size; resolution; touch]
Keys: [jog keys]
Link: [wired; wireless; cable length]
Environment: [IP; temperature]
Quantity: [units; spares]

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